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The ascensor (incline railroad) I painted last year in Valparaiso, Chile appears in the first clip of this video on MTV about street art.

The paintings took thirty nights to finish. The cars are in movement every day transporting locals and tourists up the steep hill to a spectacular view of the city. So I painted from 10pm- 7am every night while the cars were resting. Local artists and friends came to keep me company and help out. We held the Ascensor Sessions, inviting musicians to come play inside the historical train while we worked, cleaning, priming, and painting the two counterbalanced railroad cars.

The painting I designed combines religious imagery with myth. One car became the sun car and one the moon car as the trains rise and descend like the sun and moon. On the four sides of the cars I painted the elements depicted in the form of four goddesses. The fronts of the trains overlooking the city each have a giant eye that converge to make a set when the trains line up in the middle of the track. You can see a video documenting some of the process here.

Photos of Ascensor Artilleria:

The sun car

The fire goddess

Jesus and Mary depicted with sacred hearts on their chests

The air goddess

If you are on Facebook, you can see photos of the painting process here