Back in 2019, the Fireball Gallery at the Murphy Auto Museum (Oxnard, CA) had its grand opening, and I was honored to be included in the first group of artists to be featured. The whirlwind event was well attended, and received quite a bit of press… I was happy to see one of my pieces representing the gallery on VCReporter’s cover!
Getting some press is always fun, but more importantly… I had a great time collaborating with the great folks at the gallery and the Murphy Museum over the years.
I’m very excited to be collaborating the wonderful folks at Crown Classics & Exotics (Ventura, CA), who recently approached me about adorning their new facility with my artwork.
Here, one of my pieces is being printed on an 8’x4’ aluminum panel. I’m very pleased with how the colors pop off of the metal background, and think that my highly graphic style will be quite impactful at this large scale.
Several of these pieces are being created, and I’m honored to have them included in their collection of automotive art! I’m looking forward to seeing my work on their walls soon!
A few years ago, I rendered a classic car in the context of a poker card theme. Happy with the result, I then created a series of car card prints/NFTs (“Card Deco”), then a few large-scale prints.
In addition to the wall art, I’ve been working on a deck of poker cards featuring my art. Interestingly, to make a usable deck of cards, some design considerations had to be made. For example, the highly chromatic wall art had to be simplified to red/black theme for consistency, and readability.
Today, my first set of proofs arrived! I’m happy with the results, but I’ll be incorporating some tweaks… I think the card backs need more contrast (to help hide blemishes from extended use). I may also play with different paper stocks and coatings. Stay tuned for updates!
Want to get notified when they become available? Contact me!
Back in 2022 I participated in a fantastic automotive art show (part of the San Marino Motor Classic). One of my fellow artists showed up in a fantastic gen 4 Thunderbird. Though showing lots of patina, the car was still quite striking… long, low, and sculptural, in a way that isn’t often found in modern cars. Here I’m paying homage to this car in a highly graphic render that I hope captures its energy.
I was experimenting with a new style that was highly graphic, and heavily influenced by Art Deco, when I came up with this rendering of Porsche’s 904 Carrera GTS.
I was quite surprised when Panorama magazine contacted me to include it in their December issue!
I’m excited to have my work shown at Public Works – a cool, local coffee shop in the Water Street district of Henderson, NV.
Just in time for Las Vegas’ debut of Formula 1, on display are two of my latest “Car Cards” which celebrate this great race. Also featured are several of my skate decks, and my Jack of Clubs Mustang.
If you have an opportunity to stop by, please do! Experiencing these pieces in real life is vastly different than looking at them online… scale really changes them… the cards are ~56” tall! (Also, you can have a great cup of coffee in a hip, laid back environment.)
On display through November.
This was one of my earlier projects whist at ArtCenter (circa 2014). A fourth-term project, this was my first automotive model, and was sculpted in clay. I spent many hours on this, and though I was reasonably happy with its overall design, the paint job could have been much better! (To see the original project, click here.)
The Photoshop render is a new exploration… thinking about revisiting this project. Stay tuned!
I enjoyed creating my last piece so much that I decided to pay homage to Lichtenstein’s style once again to represent this 1999 Ferrari F1 car.
This piece is not part of my “playing card” theme, which limits me to a portrait (vertical) aspect ratio. The landscape (horizontal) orientation here allowed me to emphasize the race car’s length. This orientation also allows for a quicker read of the shapes/forms.
Like my last piece, I’ve used primary colors, and halftone patterns to create a playful, energetic mood. However, I was a bit less strict this time… notice the light streaks in the background, which have a slightly greenish hue on the upper left.
I added typography to this piece to add visual interest, emphasize the theme of the piece, and further heighten the congruity with Lichtenstein’s work. I tried several words for this piece… vroom!, zoom, whaah!, weeeeee!, brrrrrap, and yow! just to name a few. I eventually narrowed the choices down to “vrooom” and “whaaah!” because I felt they were easily recognizable, and relatable to the subject matter. Because I work digitally, it was very easy to create both variants.
I’ve always been an admirer of Roy Lichtenstein’s work, which encompasses vivid primary colors, and playful energy. In this piece I tried to pay homage to his style, while retaining my own aesthetic vocabulary (such as the extreme angle, graphic simplicity, and playing card motif)... (read more)
Most recently, I’ve been exploring a limited color pallet of black, white, two grays, and red in my series of classic car cards. But here, I’ve incorporated the primaries (red, yellow, blue), which make the piece more playful and vibrant.
I’ve also incorporated halftone patterns, which factor heavily in Lichtenstein’s work. However, I’ve used them in the background to give the piece dimension. Where as he often used them in the subjects of his pieces – making his environments more flat, like some comic book art of the era. (Not that I’m an expert in his work… this is just my observation.)
I think I’ll play in this space for a bit longer… it’s kinda fun! I see this as a stand alone piece, not part of the card series that I’ve been developing… or perhaps I’ll switch the rest over to this aesthetic, who knows?! That’s the beauty of working digitally… the paint never dries, :-)
In spite of record heat this year, this year’s concours and art show was enjoyed by all (myself included)! It was great to see my fellow colleagues again, and meet a few new artists. The field was filled with some amazing classic cars (as usual). This show (in my opinion) is one of the best in Southern California, and a “must do” if you are in the area!
What if Porsche released the mid-engined Cayman in 1963, based on its iconic 911?
Well, perhaps fewer drivers would have soiled their shorts on unexpectedly tight turns. But here, I’ve explored what this hypothetical would mean for the car’s aesthetics.
To accommodate the new engine location, I firstI pushed the cabin forward, and increased the wheelbase. I then modified the rear roof line to create an inflection point where it meets the dec lid (with the engine now forward, a trunk is available). I also shortened the rear overhang, which no longer needs to be as pronounced. Next, I gave it modest haunches above the rear wheels, and kicked the side rear windows up to provide continuity with the modern car. Lastly, a side air intake was added… again, because of the new engine configuration.
Fun with Photoshop!
As a Delorean owner, you tend to receive all kinds of things over the inter webs. A few weeks ago, a witty friend sent me an image of a Delorean… photoshopped to look like a station wagon. As you could imagine, it was horrible. But it got me thinking… could a Delorean wagon look good as a wagon?
Above is my afternoon photoshop swag at the idea. Of course, the engine would need to be moved to the front of the car, but there’s plenty of room up there. (And in Photoshop, anything is possible. :-) Rather than making it a 4-door, I kept it as a gull-wing coupe. The doors are rather big, and when the swing up, they take part of the roof with them, so access to the rear seats should be fine. Because there’s added mass at the rear, I bumped up the wheels by 5%.
I think it looks even more exotic, and also a bit more purposeful. Now, if I only had a spare Delorean to mess with…
This weekend, Hot Rod (a clothing/accessories shop for automotive enthusiasts) re-opened in their exciting new space. I’m thrilled to have my artwork featured on their walls (and for sale). In Los Angeles? Stop by their store at 2025 Sawtelle Blvd.
Recovering from the San Marino Motoring Classic. Met lots of great people, connected with friends, and sold a few pieces. Wonderful experience… but exhausting. So busy that I didn’t get to browse the field! 363 days ’til the next one!
The DMC-12 was conceived by ex-GM executive John Delorean as an “ethical” sports car — affordable, safe, efficient, and reliable. When introduced, the car proved to be comfortable, and stylish… but also underpowered, and pricey. A recession decimated sales, and (in an attempt to save his company) Delorean became entangled in an FBI drug sting. He was eventually exonerated, but too late to save his company.
In the ‘80s, I didn’t fall in love with the car because of “Back to the Future”; it was Giugiaro’s daring design… the origami shapes, unconventional bare metal skin, and dramatic doors. When I was a kid, a guy up the street from me had a Delorean. Every time he drove by, the world stopped.
As an adult, I now have the pleasure of owning one, of these cars. It’s not fast, but it is reliable, comfortable, and a piece of history. This piece, part of my Car Deco collection, celebrates my infatuation with this still-futuristic piece of kinetic sculpture.
Due to a lack of garage space, I’ve had to keep my 2000 Honda S2000 outdoors lately. To combat the ill effects of exposure to pollutants and the California sun, I decided to do a clay and wax job… which really brought back its paint. *Note: on the recommendation of a friend, I used an artificial clay bar, which worked well.
Inspired by the results, I thought I’d experiment using the artificial clay bar on my Delorean. Its stainless panels are in very good shape, and in my 17 years of ownership, I’ve never re-grained it. But I wanted to see if the process would improve its finish (after all, its brushed surfaces could hold lots of contaminants). I dropped a masking tape line down my hood, and proceeded to clay one side, to see if there was an observable difference… and (drum roll)…
Kinda.
The experiment took place in my garage, under dim artificial light. In this environment, a slight difference between the passenger’s and driver’s sides can be seen. I moved the car around to observe it with the light hitting it from different directions, and in all instances the small difference remains. However, when viewed outside, under bright, natural light, you can see the the difference is minute.
So, is it worth it? Using the artificial clay bar was quite easy, and not time consuming at all. But the end result was only a mildly cleaner surface. Perhaps if I started with a more contaminated surface the result would be more prominent, but based on this experiment I have to say “no.” I’ve never tried Scotch Bright, or Barkeeper’s Friend (more commonly used products), but my guess is that these would likely yield more dramatic results. Maybe another experiment is in order?
The San Marino Motor Classic features an amazingly curated collection of rare automobiles, and an equally impressive exhibit of automotive art. I’m honored to be one of the artists included in this event.
The show will be this Saturday and Sunday. For information, click here!
NFT’s (or Non-fungible Tokens) are digital assets that take advantage of block chain authentication to prove ownership of original items. Lately, NFT’s have been receiving a lot of coverage as artists and collectors have discovered this new medium.
For more information, check out this article from Forbes.
I’m please to announce that (shortly) a selection of my work will be available as NFT’s. Want to more? Click here!
Happy to announce a new collaboration with my friend Fireball Tim Lawrence (best known for designing the Batmobile from the first Tim Burton film).
He’s publishing a set of movie car trading cards, and the first features my artwork! (The series will include 24 more designs.) My art envisions what the BTTF time machine might look like if if another movie had been made, and it was driven to a time when the world was underwater.
Signed cards are available through his Etsy store for $10. He’s also got trading cards based on other nostalgic interests (i.e. Tony Dow of “Leave It to Beaver”, pin up photography, and more).
I hope you like!
Just completed a new render… this time a Ferrari F40… one of my favorite supercars! Check out the work-in-progress video here!
