John Padlo fondly remembers the longing for fantastic toys, action figures and futuristic inventions that were always just out of reach. Now a fully realized artist, John’s work resurrects these vintage playthings and lost design techniques of a bygone era. With his evocative oil paintings as our guide, we recall a world of promise and imagination, unspoiled by a looming future of cheap manufacturing and brand saturation. Padlo's strongly colored oils synthesize the surreal promise of illustration with the monumental power of painting. Keen observers will note the influences the artist gained from the design, engineering and illustrative disciplines, which he distills through the aesthetic of the industrial revolution. Each composition invites the viewer to explore a secret story through the subtle interplay of light and shadow, nature and industry, past and present. Every brush stroke is a tribute to a truly free creative process, a celebration of youthful dreams realized, and an art form that is both lost and found.