Get nostalgic with classic cars painted by featured artist Gwendolyn. See more vintage auto images by visiting her website.
Painting and printmaking are mediums which allow me to turn my unconscious world into something physical, and turn the physical world into something dreamlike.
By way of incorporating linoleum stamps into the painting, transcendental iconography and symbols appear and are repeated throughout my work. Objects fade and reoccur, moving through space and time but not re-moving from a place.
My paintings begin with the attraction for the sculptural aspect of classic car design. The focus on the rear is a non-traditional view of the classic car that often creates the illusion of driving away and evoking a mystery and a question; where are we headed, or, where are you taking me? The symbols that are stamped continue the dialogue.
Their origins vary from a hula girl that sits in the rear window of a 1960 Studebaker (Duce), to circling ravens that add a sense of doom that accompanies the 1962 Cadillac Ambulance (Blood Drive). The heavy chrome, which is highly reflective, adds an abstract view of the outside world. The chatter of color and contrast of light give the cars an extraterrestrial feel, they float in time and space and are not restricted by gravity. They levitate and drive away.
The basic icon of these works invokes nostalgia in the viewer. They are warm and familiar pieces; eye candy. In a world overwhelmed with front-page news in the fast lane into the unknown, I enjoy taking the viewer to another place in time where usually a smile will appear.
I am currently working on another skateboard. This will be the third of the series. These skateboards will be included in a show called MEGADECK which will open in May at 2nd Nature Skate Park in Peekskill NY. I am also preparing a large body of work for a show in 2013 at the Ossining Library in Ossining NY.
These are great. Besides really enjoying the art itself it brings back good memories of childhood. My dad used to quiz me about cars we were following. I learned to identify cars by their tail lights. Much more difficult these days, most vehicles are very similar. Thanks for the ride down memory lane.
thank you Micky! It’s so fun to hear the different stories that these paintings evoke. they are all so unique and special. That is indeed a good road trip game!