Just about anyone who has ever visited Asbury Park, New Jersey, recognizes Tillie. His steeplechase grin is iconic.
Tillie was featured on two murals that were painted on Palace Amusements. The Palace has always been a famous Asbury Park landmark.
Springsteen even sang about it in Born to Run: "Beyond the Palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard."
Although the Palace itself was built in 1888, Tillie's mischievous grin wasn't painted on its walls until 1955-56.
Palace Amusements closed its doors permanently in 1988. However, Tillie remained until 2004, when the building was demolished.
I've always been fascinated by the look of Tillie and I remember countless weekends as a child going to Asbury Park, falling asleep during the long -- almost endless -- ride down the Parkway, and waking up as the car passed by Tillie, as if he was personally welcoming me to Asbury Park.
Recently, I've been going back to Asbury Park as I've been fortunate enough to have some of my artwork featured in a shop there. In March, I'll be participating in a show on Cookman Avenue in Asbury.
These days the drive down the Parkway to Asbury doesn't seem so endless but when I do arrive I miss Tillie's welcoming grin.
In celebration of my hopefully continuing partnership with the Asbury Park art community, I decided to created a 3-D pop art piece of the iconic Tillie.
He measures 5x5" framed and is hand-signed. He is available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.
I'll also have plenty of him available at the "Weekend Long Art Fair" in Asbury Park. The Fair will take place at 658 Cookman Avenue. If runs from March 4-6.
If you are in the area come by and say "hello." We can talk about Tillie.
