Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo's graffiti-covered roadside icon, underwent a major change of coloration yesterday as each of the 10 vehicles was covered over with flat-black paint.
The stark change was in response to the recent death of Doug Michels, a founding member of Ant Farm, the artists' collective responsible for Cadillac Ranch's conception. Michels fell to his death on June 12 while climbing to a whale-observation point at Eden Bay, Australia.
Stanley Marsh 3, the eccentric millionaire who sponsored the creation of Cadillac Ranch, decided to paint the attraction black after speaking with Michels's father and friends. According to Marsh, they said flat black was his favorite color.
Marsh said the dark paint job is therefore not in mourning, but in memory.
