“There was no long-range marketing plan”, says Joel Rosen in the new Motorbooks title Motion Performance: Tales of a Muscle Car Builder by Martyn L. Schorr, and like so many legends, things just seemed to take on a life of their own for Motion Performance.
Mr. Schorr brings the Motion Mystique to life with his in-depth, highly entertaining and enjoyable book. This is a book that reads about as fast as the cars Joel “Mr. Motion” Rosen put together. The author begins with a little history lesson about auto racing, going back to 1904, when the cars from Buick Motor Division were cleaning up at the tracks. We are treated to some racing history about the Duesenbergs, Stutz Bearcats and the Hudson Hornets (the Hudsons won 27 of 34 NASCAR Grand Nationals!), and the inspiration that a young Joel Rosen would draw from these cars. Interestingly enough, the exponential growth in speed and power over the years from these early supercars would be mirrored in his own brand of high-powered muscle.
Joel Rosen and a Motion Corvette
In the mid-1950’s, Joel became tired of the lack of hands-on experience offered in his college engineering courses, decided to join the Air Force and hone his talents working on airplanes. Shortly after his discharge, Joel opened his own auto shop and in his spare time competed in gymkhana and hill-climb racing with his wife. They raced a Corvette and did very well, but it was a street Cobra that brought major attention to his tuning talents prior to his alignment with Chevrolets. It was Joel’s magic touch in dyno tuning that created a name for his shop, and soon, there was little time for wrenching on the neighborhood grocery getters… It was performance-only from then on.
A Baldwin-Motion 427 Camaro
Having a keen entrepreneurial spirit, he struck a deal with Baldwin Chevrolet to “built to order” street cars with a money-back guarantee. His success with the big block Camaros found buyers waiting in line across the U.S., Canada, Germany, Iran and Switzerland to mention a few…. and the list of Motion supercars was as impressive. Motion-prepared engines were finding their way into Novas, Chevelles, Vegas, full size Biscaynes and Corvettes. The success of all the Chevrolets brought interest from Pontiac and Oldsmobile as well, and even an Iso Grifo sporting a 427!
Joel Rosen was not a one-trick pony. His love of horsepower led to building super fast boats at Motion Marine, as well as performance street VW’s and dune buggies at Motion Mini Car. Overcoming the obstacles placed before him by the oil embargo and the Clean Air Act of 1970, Joel ventured into building Mako Shark Vettes, IROC Grand Ams and Monte Carlos well into the 1980’s. In 2005, he debuted an all new Camaro at the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas.
The book documents the vision and keen determination of an automotive genius. We are treated to a bevy of photos which add to the enjoyment of the story. You get the feeling that you are one of Baldwin Motion’s satisfied customers… As my father put it, “I know my left foot kept looking for the clutch pedal. For anyone who has ever raced or even dreamed of racing this is one book you should own.”
Phase 3 Motion Camaro
Truly a great addition to any high performance lover’s bookshelf, the book is one of those rare works that brings the historical, emotional and factual ingredients together in a slick package. It has some great “repeat” value, meaning you’ll find yourself cracking it open again and again… if not just to enjoy the great collection of photos and car features. Truly a wonderful documentation of something uniquely American.
PHOTOS CREDIT/COURTESY MARTYN SCHORR
Motion Performance
Motion Performance
Tales of a Muscle Car Builder
Martyn L. Schorr
Illustrated. 176 pp.
Motorbooks
$35.00
I have an upcoming artist feature in the relatively new Benchrace Magazine, an online publication geared toward the hot rod community, and loaded with absolutely killer feature articles each month, and I’m pretty stoked, as this is really the first online ‘zine to include my work.
Cover of Benchrace #9
Weighing in at nine issues (when the new one hits, anyway), the magazine has already nailed some killer content, including stuff from guys like Jim “Jake” Jacobs, Tom Fritz, our good pal Jimmy Smith, Dan Picasso and more! Hell, it’s even had the great Reverend Billy Gibbons on the pages! Good times indeed!
Suffice to say, it was cool when Robert threw the idea out there to feature my art… I’m always stoked when anyone takes notice of my stuff, and it was a good experience! As part of the fun, I was asked to offer up a print as part of his monthly prize drawing, and I’ve obliged, offering up on of my signed/numbered and limited-edition pieces, the Mahi Mah-T:
Show rod artwork by Problem Child Kustoms Studio-- Win it!
Add to that (by golly, it just gets better and better, huh?) the chance to win a free set of wheels, compliments of Real Rodders Wheels, just for subscribing (it’s FREE, by the way), and the icing is on the cake:
Win a set of Real Rodders Wheels by registering at Benchrace Magazine!
If you get a chance, check it out… I think you’ll enjoy it.
Got into a great conversation with a friend recently over a few donuts and some coffee, and talk turned to historical cars that offer inspiration from a variety of standpoints…. and it tied in perfectly with what’s going on in the automotive industry… especially with American companies folding. This kills me, as there seems to be absolutely NO RESPECT for the advances made by American car companies, or their impact on technology and the economy at large.
As you may already know, I have a deep fascination with all things Ferrari. The sheer elegance of design, combined with the amazing heritage and utter lust for performance that these machines elicit in one’s mind… hell, one’s soul, even, is the stuff of legend. Yet, surprisingly, for a guy who talks a lot, I’ve never touched on another great car to come from not Italy (although we’ll touch on that later), but from right here in the US, the mighty Duesenberg.
How can one deny the sheer excitement of any of the company’s offerings? Hell, even the history of the marque is filled with the stuff of legend. Two brothers, both self-taught engineers (think about it, isn’t every hot rodder somewhat of a self-taught engineer?) set out to build sports cars. August and Fred built cars in the ’20’s that had features you might find on today’s cars: four valves per cylinder, dual overhead cams, and even juice brakes!
Anyway, the history of the marque is readily available with some minimal research skills, so we won’t waste time on chronology here. What interested me most about the Brothers Duesenberg, was their use of superchargers and other go-fast goodies that seems, well, kind of strange, given the years in question. We’re talking cars in the late ’20’s that had 140 MPH capability! An American, coach-built car (hell, by the time a wealthy owner got done, these things weighed tons!) that could run 0-60 times in roughly eight seconds! Again, that’s PRE-1930! If that’s not engineering and hot rodding at its finest, well, grab some stronger coffee, sir, and wake up.
Moving along, an interesting point was brought up regarding the partnership of one Virgil Exner and Fritz Duesenberg (son of August) on the Stutz Bearcat…. here was the prime example of Chrysler design, working with the heir of the genius that was Duesenberg. Sadly, this was a doomed marque (but sure made creative use of domestic offerings from Delta 88’s to Grand Prix’s!) One begins to wonder what may have been, had this partnership been at a more opportune time. In a way, there’s a lot of inspiration to be found in there…. the use of existing, perhaps not-so-inspirational cars to begin with, to create a coach-built car with performance, all while giving a nod to this golden age.
Sadly, we’re at a point where the political agendas and underlying turmoil have destroyed the industry, and are stripping the historical significance of our storied past, and leaving with it a revised version, loaded with controversy. At it’s most basic level, this is an industry that is dynamic, exciting and loaded with great stories of great men and innovation, and to not be inspired by any of it leaves one to consider anyone’s dedication to it in a much brighter light.
We’re in an age now (in the hot rodding hobby) where we have talented builders following on this original path, and creating incredible cars from almost nothing. While it’s exciting to witness, it just seems altogether more interesting when compared to a historical reference point, and one draws out some inspiration from two brothers who simply wanted to build fast cars… Ahh, the good old days.
Lately, it’s been rough finding a few hours here or there to do anything, much less create some art on the side… but somehow, some way… I managed to sneak in a minute or two per day, and nail down some visions that had been trapped in my head right where they belong: On paper and canvas!
The finished stencil art piece.
The piece to the left here began some time ago as a digital work, and if you’ve been following along since 2004 or so, you’ll recognize the basics here… I had wanted to throw in the ‘40 on the first Disturbingly Kool tee, but opted at the very last second to incorporate the Valley Custom-style creeper… This time around, well… it needed to be the ‘40, and I broke out the Mylar, frisket and tape, and began the process of creating stencils and masks, oh my!
I poked around the studio and garage for a few days as well, rounding up texturally interesting items, and a piece of expanded metal called to me, as well as some bubble wrap… and pretty soon, I had the background texture flying! Mixing paints, inks, and then mixing different mediums into those paints, I began to just go on “auto-pilot”, letting the layers build themselves. I’m stoked about the result, and hope you dig it, too!
Next up was the painstaking task of cutting the stencils and masks, and figuring out a good system for layering them all, as I wanted to get this as detailed as possible, and have as much depth as I could, but still retain that flat, stencil look that brought this whole project on in the first place…
Detail of stencil art.
If you check out the detail shot here, you’ll see what I was after, as well as a slight shift in the stencils, a product of a very late night, but one of those “happy accidents” Bob Ross used to speak of. I learned a LOT about creating work in this manner, and will DEFINITELY do more… it’s a blast, and really is a ton of fun to put down the stylus and mouse, and just attack materials with an X-Acto knife, some brushes, an the trusty Iwata twins… There’s just that almost Zen moment when David Lee Roth’s voice is drowned-out by the hum of the compressor, and the paints manage to somehow eek out of the air brush, loaded with extenders and matte and gloss medium. It’s almost crazy to think that it had been so long since I created anything without the aid of computers, and shocking how different of a tan you get between a momitor’s glow, and the lighting out in the shop!
I hope you dig this piece, as it’s one of my favorites! (so much so, in fact, that I had it scanned, and am offering a limited-edition print of this monster over on my site at www.problemchildkustoms.com) If you get time, please check it out, and if the mood strikes, pick up a print so that I can buy some more supplies!
…or at least the dust left behind by this monster:
I think I could handle this buzzing around in my garage...
When the AMC Hornets were new, the ads read with slogans like “If you think it looks good, wait’ll you feel it perform!”, “It’s not our strong guarantee that makes our Hornet a tough little car”, and “It’s beautiful when you fill it up”… Taking those sales pitches waaaaayyyy out of context bred the bright yellow beast above.
Right out of the box, I wanted to play up the automaker’s legacy, by using some references to Wisconsin, naturally, and then just say “screw convention”, and mess aound with a largely forgotten car… Thus, we have an AMC, some Green Bay colors, and, uh, well… that’s about it, aside from the crappy “cheese” line at the start.
Moving along, I’ve had this sick road racing-inspired ride “buzzing” in my head for about two years, and have played with the drawing on and off over that time span. I had watched The Man With the Golden Gun some time back, and it re-kindled a love affair with all things AMC (even if it would have been better had they used Alice Cooper’s song of the same name… but that’s another story for another time). When the master, Steve Stanford played with some AMC concepts last year, it re-kindled my interest in the idea, and after seeing just how dedicated the AMC guys are, I finally got all of the sketches into one place.
The concept: A ‘74 Hornet built with a nod to the Mulholland road-race crowd of the ’70’s. A tube chassis with a 9-inch center section IRS and Corvette-based front suspension allows the car to sit right on the ground, and the full ‘cage helps everyone insode feel safe as the world rushes by in a blur.
Speaking of “rushing by”, motivational power would be via a twin turbo 360, backed by a six speed… no LS-motors or otherwise… this baby would be an AMC through-and-through.
Body-wise, a late-model Challenger hood would donate its center, while retaining the stock Hornet hood peak and emblem recess, as it looks almost natural that way. The factory parking lamps would hit the swap meet, and air inlets installed to feed the mighty engine. While we’re up front, let’s drill out the heavy front bumper, add some driving lights, and then lightly tuck it to the body, and rework the fenders for a flush-fit look. A chin spoiler and splitters further play up the idea, and help to cut through the night air.
Side-exit exhaust just looked so damn cool, and sitting as low as this thing does, it made sense, too. Out back, I’m seeing a pair of ‘89 Mustang LX tail lights (nothing personal, just never liked the stock units), and a notched rear bumper to show off the rear belly pan.
Just wanted to share one of the little “side” projects that always seem to be floating around the Studio, and show a little love to the hard-core AMC crowd. Hope you dig it.�..
And you know, that song has been stuck in my head for weeks. It’s been years since I first heard the Kinks’ song “Do It Again”, and it kind of slid its way into the soundtrack of my life… What made me bring this up is the recent train of thought I’ve been on, with respect to my work, art and life in general. It seems that as things drift closer and closer to the absurd, I’m finding my inspiration in the very stuff that got me into this in the first place, which, as it turns out, is just absolutely beautiful.
Consider a few things, if you’ll humor me (on what has become a long-ass post):
Like anything you find an interest in, eventually you move forward from that original starting point, and hopefully improve upon it, build your skills, and in some instances, find new inspiration someplace else. For me, my interest in art started with comic books, the MAD Magazine and CARtoons Magazine, finally leaping to fine art, namely surrealist paintings and Op-Art. While attending college, I majored in Fine Art, painting and drawing, and was thankfully exposed to a number of different styles, techniques, approaches… and I’d say that just about 90% of it was shit. Somewhere, it seems, craftsmanship was replaced by some rote technique, and “trendy” found a home in the one place it should have never been allowed.
My answer to that? I drew cars again. With the art world pandering to any two-bit hack with a brush, there was a certain peace in sketching hot rods and customs. I moved along with the times, bringing the digital tools into my work, and have continued to push the combinations of organic and electric. But every now and then, I slip into a comfortable routine, and just hit “auto pilot” for a bit… Yeah, I feel kind of guilty about that. I become the very thing that makes me rebel in the first place… And you know what? It’s good. It brings about some good, I should say!
What’s truly unique about this particular moment is that I have, for the first time, combined a lot of those early influences into my work at the same time. It’s been amazing, and only getting better! The point here, though, isn’t so much about what has BEEN inspired, but more WHAT has inspired.
I looked back at my more artsy roots, and recall the first time I saw Victor Vasarely’s work “Vega-Nor”, an Op-Art (“optical art”) piece at the Albright-Knox.
Op-Art at its finest. Photo taken @ Albright-Knox Art Gallery, ca. 2002
This painting warped my young brain… not surprising, as that was its intent… After all, the point of Op-Art is to toy with one’s perception, using color and line. I really learned more about using line quality from that piece than anywhere else! It was later in life, while working on a rendering that I stopped to consider just how much depth you could create on paper just with line pressure… up until then, I had a pretty good idea, but the process and idea just seemed, well, natural. Vasarely, mind you, was well ahead of his time. Granted, this whole Op-Art movement was set in motion by the German mathematician (and artist!) Josef Albers, who experimented in the ’30’s with color, working to create spatial effects, but Vasarely moved it forward, working to create work that all could enjoy and take part in… kind of an anti-agenda, if you will… and as for being ahead of his time? Consider that in 1953, the man stated that “In the future, we will attend projected exhibits by contemporary artists. Two days will suffice to send a large show by envelope to any point in the globe. And in the attached letter, as in some sort of partition, in cyphers and terminology, the artist will present the initial and true conditions of his creation.”
Holy (expletive) premonition!!
Continuing this thought, he added that “from now on, the new technologies are here to diffuse art instantaneously to the masses.” Ponder this…. the man essentially predicted email, and the use of a means to reach millions in moments, using art coupled with technology. Thinking about this over the past few weeks, it hit me that truly, I was, like the Kinks song mentioned earlier, getting back to where I started! (definitely “lost between tomorrow and yesterday, between now and then”!) Here I am, playing with technology, and bringing in the old techniques. How cool is THAT??! (of course, to keep my cred with the artsy camp, I could point out the irony of using a pop band to illustrate an awakening based in art itself… that should buy some time and sound deep, too)
Over on the opposite side of this note, we have the unseen forces that make it all happen… Beyond the lines and colors and techniques, we have the almost intangible combinations of things that inspire a work to begin with. It’s that collection of inspirations that bring us to grab a pencil to begin with… all of those thoughts and items that begin to form a mental image. Each piece, no matter how insignificant on its own adds to the total. By concentrating on these smallest parts, a bigger picture forms… On that thought, I suppose that this is why I’ve always held a certain disdain for the Nihilistic approach, as it make no sense at all. Everything has some value, it has to. Victor Hugo made the point that “There is no such thing as nothingness, and zero does not exist. Everything is something. Nothing is nothing.”
So, I suppose, it’s remotely odd that I’d look fondly upon Op-Art and Surrealism so fondly, when either could, at any moment fall over the edge into Nihilism, and eat itself. Perhaps that is what makes it so damn fascinating to me in the first place” Walking that very fine line, and doing its’ own thing for shits and giggles. It’s the same reason that I enjoy the whole “Theater of the Absurd” movement (and its relevance to modern life)… it takes something so necessary for communication (language), and places complete distrust in it, opting for an alternative to illustrate a point…
It’s no different than customizing a car, really. You simply have to look beyond what was placed in front of you (the stock car), and find a new way to express an alternate form from it. Consider that, in linguistic terms, having the same car as everyone else would be, by nature, a cliche’. While the Theater of the Absurd attempted to show an audience through an onslaught of cliche’s, overly-technical jargon and essentially unconventional speech that they could elevate their communication by seeking more authentic means, and thus communication more clearly, customizing a car communicates non-verbally, and far more effectively that we are all individuals. It goes light years beyond the spoken or written word (which is why, most likely, that the photos in car magazines are so big compared to the text!) And perhaps that’s a scientific explanation of why a mild custom works so well… there is beauty in simplicity, and by golly, when applied to a car, it transcends art.
What’s also neat about this whole Theater of the Absurd/Op-Art/Brian’s listening to the Kinks again deal is how there really is no conflict when done right… much like designing a kick-ass custom. Flow is everything! Consider this video (a visual version of “Bulbous Bouffant” by the Vestibules, a long-time favorite of mine)… Consider the communication… odd, not a lot of sense, but it entertains, and finds a rhythm:
Like any good design, it drags you along for the ride, enjoying the flow, and really not asking for a hell of a lot in return. And that, my friend, is a magical thing… When you can combine a couple of things, and just make it “happen”, it’s icing on the cake. Here’s hoping you’ll stay tuned and enjoy the ride! To say the least, I’m pretty stoked about where its all heading now, and the clients I’ve been fortunate enough to have are right along on this ride, making it even more fun. Like the song at the start of this entry says, “day after day I get up and I say I better do it again”, and that takes us, literally, back to where we started…
…after months of long days, longer nights, and nothing short of extreme dedication from some absolutely remarkable, talented and great friends, Resilience hit the floor of building 5 of the 60th Annual Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona! Erik and Paul Hansen’s “Strange Buick” more than lived up to its name, and stuck it out through what looked to be some bleak times in the past few weeks, and pulled off a strong finish! I’ll spare the heavy details for after the show, but wanted to put up a few words and photos to share he excitement with you. If you can, grab a copy of the new Rod and Custom Magazine, and check out the original rendering for the car…
At the 60th Grand National Roadster Show
One-off wheels
The mighty copper-colored Buick will be in Sacramento this weekend at the Autorama… stop by and say hello if you’re in the area… and stop by the website at www.problemchildkustoms.com for more on the car, as well as the Hall of Fame Luncheon videos!
As a wide-eyed kid, I’d flip open the latest car magazines and drool over the works of my hot rod design heroes… Guys like Charlie Smith, Thom Taylor and Steve Stanford were (and still are!) the guys I looked up to, hoping to one day at least meet these giants among men. They, and other artists like them were my inspiration to head out and do what I love. Never did I dream that I’d be able to make a career of it, but the world works in an odd way… That, along with long days and longer nights paid off in allowing me to do something I love for a living.
Along the way, I have been beyond fortunate to have made great friends, and meet guys I read about in books as a kid, and all have played a great role in making those Math class dreams a reality. One such friend has been the immensely talented Dwayne Vance, a guy who cranks out work that continually makes my head spin, and who has contributed hours of enlightening and entertaining conversation over the years. When Dwayne called and asked for some samples of my work for a book project, I was floored… When he mentioned the names to appear in it, I was speechless… He rounded up Randy Ricklefs, John Bell, James Owens, Eric Brockmeyer, Michael Miernik, Max Grundy, Jimmy Smith, Justin Chin, Thom Taylor, Larry Wood and Steve Stanford! A veritable Who’s Who in our industry… and he had asked me to be a part of this… Amazing. Just amazing! To walk amongst giants like this, well… I still have no idea what to say, except “thank you, man”. Absolutely priceless.
A peek inside!
…and speaking of priceless, the book will be packaged with an instructional CD by Dwayne to accompany the outstanding look into how he does what he does! Hopefully it finds a spot on bookshelves all over the world, and becomes just what it should be: A valuable resource for countless wide-eyed kids drawing hot rods on folders in classrooms everywhere, gearing up for the day when we “old timers” can read THEIR incredible books.
The book is available for pre-order HERE, and after the official release, you may also order it on my site, as well as a number of other retail sites and stores… Thanks for checking it out.
…go ahead… say it out loud a few times… faster now. It just sorta rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?
I was beyond stoked to get the phone call from Denny Terzich regarding the latest bad-boy project getting underway at ProRides… It was an honor to talk with him and make a new friend to begin with, but even sweeter was that his call was the result of another referral… Nothing makes my day like knowing that a client thought enough of me to “tell a friend”! Suffice to say, it’s another drag car, and shares that killer stance and blistering performance we’ve come to expect after their 2007 Drag Week harbinger of speed ‘67 Camaro.
The rendering!
After accomplishing a major record in Hot Rod Magazine’s Drag Week 2007, ProRides is about to embark on a new level of performance never seen before.
Not only did ProRides head to Drag Week with the intention of beating the old record (think mid-low 8 second 1/4 mile times!), but to finish the event, driving 1,000 miles while pulling a trailer. While the bets were being placed that the clean black Camaro wouldn’t even finish the week, the car shook the hot rod and race world by posting a first pass E.T. of 7.64. Truly the pass heard ’round the world! Granted, the ProRides team was as surprised as anyone, and the venture served to underscore the positive results that come from combining great companies and partnerships with a thorough process.
Chassis construction!
After talking to Rob Kinnan of Hot Rod Magazine at this year’s Drag Week, the ProRides crew had the idea of building a 6-second ET capable car to drive the grueling 1,000 mile Drag Week course. Imagine…. a 6 second ET vehicle driving 200-300 miles per day while pulling a trailer!!! Unheard of, and a true torture test for the components involved… While many have claimed they have a street car that is very fast and even some that state in the 6 second E.T. range, it’s obvious that anyone can idle around at a local car cruise or show. The true test is actually driving the car on the street. This is the reason why the “Fastest Street Car in America” can only be crowned at this event.
Coverage of the build will be inside of Hot Rod Magazine’s “Project Garage” section and on their website. ProRides is also working with Scott Killeen of the BuildBook series to document the entire build… and if you’ll be at the show, check out the rolling chassis at PRI, in the SunCoast Racecars Booth, # 363 South Hall. And of course, look for more updates, as well as that crazy grin plastered to my face…
Being into cars, namely hot rods and customs, mind you, well, it breeds (and requires) a certain amount of rebel spirit. I have a theory that, for the most part, those of us in the industry share this renegade spirit, and it seems only natural that we do what we do because of it. After all, conformity isn’t exactly a good catalyst when tearing into a car to make a statement.
I’ve always been drawn to music that shares this rebellious spirit, as it’s part of the soundtrack of my life thus far… While I love blues and metal, somehow the punk and underground stuff just always happens to be there, and plays a big part in the creative stew that comes together in the studio. Consider that I found this music a bit after it “happened” (after all, punk isn’t a song or style… it was an “event”, to say the least), and was, after all, just a little kid at the peak of it all, between ‘76 and ‘80, but the influence may have found me at just the right time, hitting me square between the eyes in my early teens.
As a sideline (yet a very important one in all of this), I think that, looking back anyway, my decision to pursue Fine Art in College may have been somehow predetermined. After all, consider that, for the most part, the bands involved in the underground, post-punk movement were all either artists, or supported by artists in their local shows, and there’s a common thread starting to weave. (I’ve also noticed this in my friends and fellow artists… we all share the same affinity for this music and style, especially in terms of my more automotive art-themed colleagues). It’s also odd to learn just how many of these bands were influenced by literature that I also had been “drawn” to…. beat guys like Kerouac, Burroughs, Ginsberg, etc… When I stumbled across more “arty” music like the Talking Heads, I had found that thread to be a bit thicker and more tangled, and it was an amazing discovery! There was a tangible connection in the arts, and probably explains why the artists and musicians all got along so well back in school. There’s an appreciation for rhythm and melody in painting, and the imagery that music can inspire, well, I think you get it. (this has always found its way into my work as well…. ever wonder why I keep the linework a little more “raw”, or like to repeat a curve or element? Now you know.
Granted, where I may have been born a bit late to have witnessed the performances at places like CBGB’s, the Mudd Club, Max’s Kansas City… but listening to tapes and vinyl, man….it was like being there, creatively, anyway. Not unlike my youthful days spent flipping through stacks of old car magazines… It just called out to me, and sort of dragged me along for the ride! Funny, too, how when I began tracing the evolution of punk, that it correlated neatly with my taste in cars… As punk moved West, it got a little faster and harder… As I grew older, I got into street machines… but always with a certain custom bent. Faster was always good, and my work reflected that! It got a bit looser on the edges, and retained just what made me love it all to begin with: The spontaneity of it all… The energy! And perhaps, just maybe that’s what’s so unappealing about some of the work I see today. Nothing against a photo-real 3-D rendering, or some line-for-line perfect tracing of a car… sure, both require time and some level of skill… but they both suck the life out of what makes it all so damn fun to begin with!
Consider: When you were in school, and assuming you were an addicted hot rod nut like me, didn’t you have drawings all over your folders and binders and notebooks of cars? Who didn’t emulate a Trosley-esque burnout and wheelie combo with tire smoke and fire belching from huge, uncorked headers while a mailbox scoop devoured the surrounding atmosphere in Bic ink all over that oddly textured surface? Awesome!! Now, re-imagine that, but replace the drawing with some 3D model, or worse, some over-filtered Photoshop hack-job, often with wheels canted in opposing directions, things so off-scale my five year-old gets a chuckle from it… Yeah, it kinda blows in comparison. It’s cold, lifeless…. In some cases it’s a photo-real representation based on some model bought from a forum, without all of the stuff that makes cars so friggin’ fun to begin with: That ragged, raw, pure energy and rebellion…
To me, it’s like eating pizza-flavored potato chips. What’s the point?
Lately, I had been in a funk, seeing my style copied (poorly), my themes stolen and re-hashed, and witnessed classless “artists” (their word, not mine) poaching my client list (to the amusement of my clients– thanks guys!), and watched as uninspiring work was praised… The lifeless feel of it all had me re-thinking my path, and then I sat down, flipped on some tunes, and sketched away until the wee hours… No deadline, not a paying gig…. just for the hell of it all. And you know what? It re-kindled that old spirit… and started a fast burn on a new direction, and that, my friends, puts the nails into the coffin of this chapter. Where’s this new path leading? Stay tuned… it’ll be fun, I assure you of that.
