Dennis Hoyt just finished his solo exhibition in Shanghai, the premiere of a new direction in his art. CarArtSpot called Dennis to hear his story;

Dennis Hoyt Automotive Sculptor

Dennis Hoyt's solo exhibition in Shanghai

Dennis your new work is just wonderful. You mentioned some months ago that you had new ideas. So this is it?

Yes indeed. I just got tired of seeing the same old stuff. I wanted to be doing what I really want to do. I am just going for it and I don’t know if people are going to accept it or if people will like it but it's more me.

I think you have exceeded yourself Dennis. You have kept your own style but there is so much evolution. Like the red and white SV-16 piece.

I love the Formula I, and this is my take on the 2016 F1 Ferrari. The piece that is really special to me is called REDD. It’s the very first piece I did.

7 foot long ‘REDD’ by Dennis Hoyt

7 foot long ‘REDD’ by Dennis Hoyt

SV-16 Ferrari Formula 1 by Dennis Hoyt

I’ve always been a fan of cubism. I looked at that car and at some pieces of wood that I have and decided to put some stuff together. I didn't pay attention to the scale or the correct form or anything else. I just wanted something that speaks to me.

I have several cans of miscellaneous pieces of wood which are left over from other projects. I just dumped these cans all over and started picking up pieces and looking at how they would fit together to make it work. I want to kind of touch back to cubism and bring it into this century and be more interactive with the audience.

Dennis Hoyt's solo exhibition in Shanghai

Your works are not symmetrical like the real cars. You've played with the shape and it makes it so much stronger.

I feel that way too. As an art piece, it makes it so much stronger. It takes me away from my core audience but I want to push into a different clientele.

Dennis Hoyt's solo exhibition in Shanghai

You did this exposition in China together with some of your previous work, which was an overwhelming success. What can we expect for the rest of this year?

Well there will be two other exhibitions in Malaysia and Shanghai.

Dennis Hoyt's solo exhibition in Shanghai

Dennis Hoyt's solo exhibition in Shanghai

We will definitely let you know when we have the dates for these events and if, in the meantime, you want to see more of Dennis's work, check his website and facebook page.

One of Dennis Hoyt's earlier work

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Randy Leffingwell is an established writer of automotive books. His fast knowledge of American cars and of the Porsche is impressive. He combines insight into the technical data with historical details. Supported by an impressive network in the automotive scene.

But beside his writing skills he has become an expert in what he and photographer Tom Loeser name “light painting”. It results in photos with a black background emphasizing the car in a perfect light.

Wide-Open Muscle by Randy Leffingwell. Photography by Tom Loeser

For one of his previous books, Randy worked with 'The Brothers' and seeing so many unique big-block convertibles, it didn’t take long to decide to do a book on these cars covering 30 cars from The Brothers collection.

The regulations in those days required that racing cars needed to be street legal. However, racers would never consider using an open top car for racing. Not strong enough, not rigid enough and not safe enough. But for the streets it was a perfect combination of power and coolness.

1965 Pontiac GTO

Leffingwell presents the cars in three parts; the Chrysler Corporation, the Ford motor Company and General Motors.

1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427 L68 Convertible

One of the first artists interviews I did was with Etienne Carignan. He had just completed an illustration of the Plymouth Roadrunner and I fell in love with that car. Randy spends a full chapter on the convertible version of this cartoon inspired car. The rapid flightless bird can be found in several places on the car and the engineers even installed a “beep-beep” horn . Eventually the Plymouth road runner became Chrysler Corporations purest muscle car. 

Wide-Open Muscle by Randy Leffingwell. Photography by Tom Loeser.

Wide-Open Muscle by Randy Leffingwell. Photography by Tom Loeser.

Wide-Open Muscle by Randy Leffingwell. Photography by Tom Loeser.

This is one of those books that belongs in each men’s mancave where you enjoy showing these cars to your buddies, while sharing dreams about your next car and bragging about the performance of your muscle car. A real must have!

This book is available at:  Motorbooks

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The stunning number of beautiful classic cars, icons from the history of car racing. Driving through small romantic villages and historic cities like Ferarra and Pisa.  Springtime under the Italian sun. Long winding roads and thousands of spectators waiving and cheering.

Mille Miglia 2015 – The Official Book

What was once a race, not without risks, became a tradition to celebrate wonderful cars. Heroes of those days like Sir Stirling Moss, made the event even more memorable. Heritance of famous car brands show 'acte de presence' like Porsche, Ferrari and Zagato.

Mille Miglia 2015 – The Official Book

Mille Miglia 2015 - The Official Book is just that. A photo book showing photos and names of all the contestants and their cars. Pages filled with tables show the details of the cars and their final ranking. The winners of 2015 were Juan Tonconogy and Guillermo Berisso in a bright blue Bugatti T40, made in 1927. Mind you, driving 1000 miles for four days in an 89 year old car!

Bugatti T40 made in 1927

Going through all the photo filled pages of each of the participants, I realized that it was not only classic cars participating. There are a few Fiat 500 Topolino’s, a Lincoln Capri Sport Coupe and a Renault 4, just to name a few. 

Renault 4 1957

Aaldering eigenaar Brummen

The last two chapters are filled with photos of the Ferrari and Mercedes tribute to the participants. Cars like the Ferrari LaFerrari and Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR Stirling Moss. I am sure that all the 2015 Mille Miglia participants would like to have this book. Also those interested in everything around this event, because it really is a great book.

Mille Miglia 2015 – The Official Book

Evert Louwman eigenaar Louwman museum

However, I am missing something and after going through the book for the second time, I realized that I miss photos which capture the feeling of driving through beautiful Italy. All the photos are close-ups of the cars with their drivers but without landscapes. Or photos of all the preparations before the race and late night activities to fix and prep the car for the next day. Stories which are more interesting to me then just the cars. Well maybe that is something for 2016?

This book is available at Giorgio Nada Editore 

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David Chapple Auto Art

David, in your work ‘Majestic Glory’, I notice you have the word Jesus on the number plate of the car.

I wanted to do something with the licence plates to honour God and open the conversational doors with people and a lot of people do enquire about it. The licence plate on the actual truck that I drive reads the same thing ‘J3ZU5’and it’s just my way of thanking God for blessing me with this talent.  If you zoom in on the 1960 Empower, it says Lord. It has actually really opened the doors for me. I had a book published with a wonderful Christian writer named Ken Owen, who used to be the Head Chapel for the Raiders for Christ and he would bless all the dragster racers before they went down the quarter mile drag.

How did you get started painting cars?

I started sitting in front of the tv drawing sports figures when I was a little boy.  My father always loved VW’s and he bought a 1969 VW beetle for my grandfather and that just opened the doors for me. I was 14 years old when I started drawing cars and they quickly became my passion. When I was at senior high school, I won the Congressional Award for the State of Michigan with one of my paintings. I then received a scholarship to go to the Hope College in Holland Michigan and then in my junior year in college, I was commissioned by the Hope College to paint three large paintings for the student commission. It was a natural fit and it’s just been a life long journey with the automobile. After I graduated, I started doing certain car events and I haven’t looked back.

One of your paintings is titled ‘Love Bugs’. What is behind the name?

My wife and I have recently moved back to my home town and bought a house across the street from my Mum and Dad. We love being with family. My Dad actually loves that painting. The first paintings that I did were of his cars and he still actually has them in his collection, along with his expanded car collection. He has a ‘68 Karmann convertible, a beautiful 1958 VW Beetle convertible which is flawless, and I actually still have my original 1969 Beetle which was the first one that he purchased. We have a lot of fun with them.

Love Bugs by automotive artist David Chapple

I notice you are using the same kind of colour schemes throughout all your works. Is the choice of colours your signature style and how did you develop that?

Being an artist is finding your own path and I am someone who has always tried to create my own pallet, my own cultural work and something which no-one has ever seen. So it just came out and was a natural progression. I think as you get older as an artist, your colour choices become more complex. You try to experiment and come out with different colours which appeal to your eye.

Your ‘Love Bugs’ painting is quite unique and I notice quite a difference in your work between your commissions and your freestyle, which is much more artistic. Do you see that yourself?

Oh yes, the best clients are the ones who let you create exactly what you want to create and don’t give you parameters or tell you how to do your work. That’s when I do my best work. Back to the Love Bug, that was the first in a series of paintings. I don’t use a computer at all. Everything you see is from my mind’s eye and how I want to convey colours and the overlay. That style was very difficult for me to create. Sometimes it took me months upon months to finish a couple of pieces.

Ford GT40 by automotive artist David Chapple

I can imagine. They are kind of abstract, yet showing the iconic design of the cars itself. You did that with some non automotive work, like the coca cola bottles.

Yes and those were a lot of fun to do. Kind of a pop art style. I really enjoyed painting those.

Coca cola bottle by David Chapple

Your painting ‘Thrust’ has such a different perceptive than what you normally see in a car painting. How do you choose that. Does it take a lof of time to find the right angle?

It really does. When I am doing a layout for a painting, I will agonize over it because I want it to be a journey for the person looking at my painting. I don’t want the eye to just go to one section. I want it to have movement. In a lot of my paintings which have many cars, you will be looking down at the first car and then your eye will have to move through the painting to see the other cars. I like extreme angles when creating paintings with multiple cars. I work tediously at getting that perfect angle and I’ll work further to get it to that point and if it’s not the right angle, I don’t do the painting.

So which techniques did you use in your ‘Thrust’ painting David?

I had a lot of fun painting that. I like the extreme angle that no-one has seen before. I am on the ground, pretty much at pavement level looking at the thrust of the side pipe coming out. I like to paint sometimes from a ground level as if the car is coming right by you. How you would feel with that car inches away from you at that level?  It’s an extreme mean look.

Thrust by David Chapple

The rear tyre is wider than the car itself and it’s really a dominant kind of appeal. Which techniques do you use? Is it water colour?

Everything I do is hand painted acrylic and all done by paint brush on canvas, or on wood or substrate  I think the strongest point of my work is my blending. I love to blend a perfect graduation and I sometimes spend hours achieving the perfect blend. Someone who is not educated in art might think my work is air brushed but it’s all hand painted.

Sn8ke by automotive artist David Chapple

How do you select the car that you want to paint? When does it appeal so much to you that you have to paint it?

Being a lifelong artist, I’ve gone through the classics, the ‘30s Duesenbergs to the 50s Bel Air Chevy’s, the ‘59 Cadillacs and beyond. It’s a progression and I always have to paint something I like. I don’t want to create a painting that would just sell. I paint from the heart and I think that’s important.  Being an artist, you have to paint something that you can get really excited about and that’s when you do your best work. I’m really into the Ferrari’s now because I had never painted them and when your eyes are open to something new, you feel the excitement. I just love to paint them and I am all excited about it and can’t hide it. When it comes down to all my artwork, I like a clean, ultra refined, rich look. Everything that I do, I do to the best of my ability.

Times by automotive artist David Chapple

Do you consider cars to be art?

Yes, yes, yes.

Is your art being respected outside of the automotive world?

It’s mainly in the automotive world right now but I think that will change. Automotive art is a genre that the art museum world needs to take notice of. There are a lot of fine artists out there who are creating incredible automotive art and it needs to have its’ place. I think every automotive artist battles with that. I love my clientele and the position I am in. About two years ago, I became a member of the AFAS group and that is the pinnacle of every automotive artist. I also think the part of what makes automotive art so special is the people you work with and the people who come to these events. They are many of the nicest people you will ever meet. You can look at the grass being greener on the other side or you can make the most of what you have; that’s what I do, I make the most of what life gives to me. I love going to Pebble Beach and the Concourse in the USA and hopefully I can make it over to Europe soon and introduce my work there.

1959 Chevy Custom Bench by David Chapple

Besides paintings, you are also doing sculptures. How did that get started?

It actually started with my benches. I was given a raw flat bench for charity work. I got paid to paint on the bench. They told me to do whatever I wanted. So I painted a ‘57 Chevy on the side of it and it sold very well with their charity. So I thought ‘wow maybe I can offer this to my clientele’ and they responded well to it. Being an artist, when you go into a totally different genre or you work in a different medium, your mind gets tweaked and you become intrigued with it. If you look at the bench lines and the wood that is used, you can see that it was a natural progression into my sculpture work. My wall sculptures have the same line configuration. That was transferred from the bench to the wall sculptures and now I am doing custom furniture in the same exact lines as the bench and wall sculptures. It’s opened a whole new avenue for me creatively. I feel as if I am doing the most exploratory work of my career and I feel alive as an artist now. It’s very exciting for me.

Your sculptures look as if they can be hung on the wall or placed on a table top.

Yes, you can use them for both. I love creating that stuff. It’s very difficult but nothing that is good in life is easy. When you create something which has never been created before, there’s no set way of doing it. You have to explore with trial and error.

GT40 by automotive artist and sculptor David Chapple

Is working in 3D a lot different from working with flat paintings?

I took sculpting classes in college and knew that I wanted to get back to it someday. I just didn’t know quite how but it all fell into place. My current work has set me aside from other artists, so it’s very fulfilling.

The shapes and elements of your Porsche sculptures seem to follow the cockpit and the airflow of the car. Is that also the kind of involvement in your work?

Yeah, it depends on the subject that I am painting. Like ‘Ribbon Candy’, that is something I was designing in my mind and it turned out wonderful. I love that piece. That was the first piece I actually sold at Pebble Beach. I love the 917 and Porsches; there is something about the flow and movement of those cars. Pictures don’t do the sculptures justice because when you move around the sculptures, they move with you and shift to the image that show speed in a wonderful way. It’s fun when I see clients who see my sculptures for real and see first hand how they come to life.

Ribbon Candy Porsche auto art by David Chapple

There are a couple of AFAS members who also do sculptures. Do you share ideas and encourage each other?

I think we all encourage each other. The nice part about it is that we all have different techniques and styles. I am a painter and when I do a form, I have to think how a painting will balance on the sculpture. There are two different elements. It’s not just about creating a sculpture, I have to find a way to paint a car onto that form to convey the speed and the two work together. So it’s kind of a double edged sword when it comes to what I do. I paint on top of it and incorporate both mediums of sculpting and painting. So it’s a difficult process. At AFAS, we want the betterment of the fine art of the automobile and I think that’s the common ground for all of us. 

If you would like to see more of David Chapples’ work, please visit his website.

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César Pieri Automotive Designer and Artist

How does an Italian guy start designing British cars César?

That’s a good question.  I am Brazilian/Italian. I work at Jaguar and am running a project in Italy and travel back and forth from Italy to UK.

Working for Jaguar as a car designer must be a boys’ dream come true.

Becoming a designer for Jaguar working on sports cars is a very special thing. I even get paid.

Jaguar has a great heritage. How do you preserve that and continue with new designs?

Many other brands would be glad to have at least half of the Jaguar heritage.  Designing for a brand who has designed such beautiful cars in the past, is more than a normal job. You have to look at past designs, do a lot of research in order to understand the brand and be really attached to it. You need that as a reference. You can’t be retro. You must be forward thinking, keep your ‘mind set’ very fresh to keep producing new things

Jaguar Artwork by César Pieri

I can imagine the design history and certain elements which are every Jaguar limits you. Is that the case?

We have our design DNA and elements which every Jaguar must have. Every Jaguar must be elegant, powerful, have the right stance, the right kind of tension, surface and lines etc.  We need to keep that but in a very modern way and always looking forward. We don’t want to be retro. 

For the Project 7. What was your main challenge?

Project 7 was a very special thing. When I joined Jaguar, I worked on the F-type project and was very lucky to be able to work on that project and get into the company. But I had a D-type artwork in my desk.  I was working on the aero dynamics for a front wheel drive car and I had that artwork in front of me. The E-type was one of the most aero dynamic cars we ever had and I wondered what would happen if I mixed them both together. Nobody had asked me to sketch Project 7 and it wasn’t on the program. So it just happened.  I did a sketch and when Ian Callum saw it, he thought it was a great idea. He is completely responsible for the project moving forward. It became a personal project for me but the timing to deliver was the biggest challenge. We had an excellent interaction between our design team, our engineering team and all the people involved in the building of the car. So I think it was an absolutely stunning design exercise and very nice to be part of it. It is probably the only time that a sketch became a production car because usually the people at the top of the company decide the program and then the designers start doing a creative process. It never starts with a sketch. So it was a truly special project. 

Jaguar Project 7 sketch by César Pieri - Automotive Artist and Designer

Do you consider Project 7 to be a piece of art in itself?

It might be. I see the car in a very different way because I was part of it and it was part of my life. I don’t really know how to classify the car. I just really love it.

My future is a consequence of what I am doing now. César Pieri.

Do you think that cars can be art?

Sure, why not? If you think about the D or C type and other models, they are absolutely stunning. Take the XJS (I think he said XJS since that car has a very outspoken sportscar design); it was beautiful and at that time we had no restraints or restrictions. So it was pure intuitive design which can be considered art, for sure.

César Pieri Automotive Designer and Artist

On your website, you state that you are an automotive designer and in the evening hours, you are an artist. How does this blend?

It’s a very funny thing, I started doing artworks when I was working on the launch of the F-type convertible, the coupé, the F-type itself,  XF, FCR now. So for all the cars I had created a set of artworks, 9 or 10 depending on each car. This is very connected to Jaguar and to myself. As car designers,  we are always fighting for millimeters and everybody thinks it has a lot of glamour but it has a lot of pressure too. It is a very stressful career. We are always working with the engineers, trying to find the best way of dealing with the right materials, putting it into production, getting every part right, respecting all the laws, regulations of different countries etc. So it’s a very stressful and dynamic environment. I started doing artworks as relaxing moments. It was my way of doing something different and getting back to a more creative mindset and using it to almost restart my brain.

Jaguar artworks – New Jaguar XE by César Pieri

But if you paint your XJS bonnets in the evening hours, you obviously still have a lot of energy.

All the artworks I created for Jaguar, obviously belong to them but I wanted to do something for myself.

I wanted to do something expressive and different other than using canvas.  I kept thinking about what I could do, using my passion for Jaguars and their heritage. So I bought a bonnet in London and then tried to paint it and realized that no paint would stick to the metal. I wanted to work with very big brushes and didn’t want to be precise but show my passion with big strokes, while not really going into detail or a photographic approach.  I am doing that at work during my daytime.

I don’t know how many bonnets I lost but I needed to restart and try different things and in the end, I developed my own paint which would not melt or bubble up. The problem is, when you apply paint with a brush, it’s really thick and that will never dry because the material will never absorb the paint.

It was a very experimental project and in the end, I started to get passionate about it and bought more and more bonnets. In the end I had more than 25 bonnets at home. In my living room, my garden, everywhere. It was crazy.

Auto Art Bonnets and Design by César Pieri

You said you don’t put a lot of detail in your bonnets but there is still a lot of detail of the car.

Because of my background and how we work on a daily basis which is really precise and detailed, to me my artworks are not and I consider it as art because it is so difficult for me not to go into detail.

So it started as an escape from your day job and now it has become your own expression.

That’s the funny thing about it. I started about 1.5 years ago with no expectations. I did industrial design at university and worked for many years as a graphic designer in New York, Brazil, Italy and the UK. So I wanted to mix all that 'exPierience' and create something different. But I never thought about showing it because it started out as a single bonnet. Then one day a friend came to my house  and saw my garage was full of painted bonnets in the corner. He wanted to look at them. He asked why I didn’t show them. For me it was personal and for my own pleasure but he wanted to show them. There was Motorfest in Coventry and my friend found a place to put my bonnets. The feedback was quite stunning. People liked it and I thought that was really cool. Then I got an invitaton to take them to the museum in Gaydon, UK which is the biggest British automotive museum in the UK. I went to Gaydon and stayed there for two months. Then I got an invitation to take my artwork to Dubai, to Brazil and to Italy. So now they were in this museum in Italy and for me it was just stunning because it is the most important and biggest automotive museum in Europe. It was just fantastic and the feedback I am getting from that is so nice. Also from the Motorfest and in magazines all around the world. It was a ‘wow’ feeling and it’s really moving forward very fast.

What triggers me about your story is that you showed your own vulnerability by going public with your private work because you never know how it will be received. How was that for you?

As a car designer, I am under this kind of pressure of being judged all the time. People are always looking at what I am creating and sketching and judging.  So I am used to critiscm. I always say to my wife that I am in the ‘no’ profession and sometimes I get a ‘yes’.  So I am very used to this approach but I received a very different feedback from people about my bonnets.

Auto Art Bonnets and Design by César Pieri

Why do you think that is? Is it because you are using bonnets or is it the topic of your work?

I think both.  Using Jaguar bonnets and being a Jaguar designer, it makes sense. It has the right kind of thinking behind it. That’s why I decided to do this. Because of my passion for the brand and for what I am doing. Because I am a designer and maybe an artist as well, I am possibly discovering another side to myself. 

What is it that you want to express with your artwork?

That’s the point. I didn’t intend to show it to anyone. I wanted to satisfy my own request to have  a different artwork in my living room. It’s a crazy thing which you don’t expect to have happen.

I hear that from other artists; it’s a drive from within, to express themselves in their artwork. Is that the same for you?

I don’t have that necessity for expressing myself. I do that everyday in my work. I put ideas from my brain onto a piece of paper or a computer at least 8 hours per day. So it’s a very creative way of doing things. 

Artwork hand-sketch by César Pieri

Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale Artwork by César Pieri

Where do you find your inspiration César?

I think it’s my love for Jaguar and the automotive field. 

Do you study the work of other car designers or artists?

To be a car designer is a very complex thing. You must know a lot of automotive designs, know other designers, know very well the brand you are sketching because you must sketch that brand and not the other ones. So you must understand the other brands as well since you don’t want to put a competitor’s detail in your car design. You need to come up with something new. I have a Masters Degree and have studied architecture, so have always been connected to this field. I still study everyday and try to get better and better to constantly move forward. I work together with the advance design team, so we get the most exciting technology our suppliers can provide. They are constantly updating us and always show us what they might be doing in ten years time. 

Porsche Type 908K by César Pieri Automotive Artist and Designer

Where do you see yourself in ten years time?

I dream about it but I don’t think about it. Everyone is driven by something. I try to live in a very intense way and keep my life focused on what I am doing now, and do that really well and  try to prepare for the future. I am now sketching cars for 2025. We try to predict what will happen in the future. My future is a consequence of what I am doing now. I am trying to enjoy all the opportunites that I am having now. When I was younger, i was working for a bank drawing technical plans.  Now that I work with car design, I have to work with 3D programs and all the things I did in the past, is who I am today. So probably what I am doing now will be very important for me in the future.

To see more of César PieriPieri’s work, please visit his website and The Jaguar Bonnet Art Collection

Design Pieri Auto Art

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Olivier Gamiette - Artist and Designer

When I noticed that Designstudio press released a book on concept watches made by a car designer, I was intrigued. Cars and watches are worlds apart. The scale and dimensions of the components differ in magnitudes. Why would a car designer want to design watches and what is the link? As I started my career as a precision engineer, I have always had an interested in the precision mechanics of timepieces.  So when I received the book for a review, my expectations were high. And rightly so, since I spent hours studying Olivier Gamiettes' designs and figuring out how to read the time on some of his designs. I was eager to know more and contacted him for an interview. Here is his story.

SOON Timepiece Phenomena by Olivier Gamiette

How did you get into designing and cars Olivier?

For some reason I have always been attracted to cars. As a kid, I used to play exclusively with toy cars that I happened to customize myself and I dreamed of one day building my own car. I have also always liked to draw. Later I entered the world of professional design as a 3D modeler for the Peugeot brand. I was responsible for converting drawings for designers, the so called « sketches » in 3D surfaces and volumes respecting the technical constraints and mechanical bases of the project.

Through the years the creativity spectrum has broadened and today I enjoy designing manifold objects and basically anything that comes into my head. I only considered myself an artist quite recently. Right now, I am into watchmaking. I would say that being an artist AND an engineer has always been a great advantage for me, leading me to imagine credible design solutions, which are original and feasible at the same time. I believe that the work I have done recently, and my concept watches book in particular, have brought together all the pieces of the puzzle of my creative personality.

As an automotive designer what did it take to re-calibrate your understanding of dimensions when you started to work on these watch designs?

I started from scratch to design these watches, I do not know how it worked, what were the right dimensions, what was the size of the parts. I did drawing after drawing and realized how to articulate this huge puzzle in this small object. I had to dissect a watch to better understand the different plans on which mechanisms lay. I also printed my watches on strips of paper to give me an idea of ​​the size I was manipulating. It also allowed me to understand whether the figures, the details were sufficiently visible and realistic. Everything came gradually. However, I still have a long way to go. Working on a computer screen distorts the perception of the scale for such a small object. Everything is magnified on the screen and it is better to have some real references as a starting point.

Automotive Art by Olivier Gamiette

Several of your designs include car elements. Like the dials on “Copper shield”, “formula 3” and “la Magnifique”. What is your vision on car designs today compared to the past? Which ones inspire you more?

Automotive design has probably reached its limits today because the technical and security constraints and regulations as well as the will to make profit naturally, end up in ‘compromise cars’ as a result. This does not mean that we put less effort into making nice cars, it is just more difficult to make an original and strong design. Elitist machines that I cherish the most are becoming as rare as they are not market profitable. On the other hand, with the help of internet, car design trends spread out instantly. Design is too fast and becomes uniform worldwide. Manufacturers share design formulas that seem to appeal to customers and show less enthusiasm to take risks in order to push forward their proper design vision. I think they used to be more insolent in the past, especially in the 70s. It was an age that used to emphasize hard, strict shapes, devoid of gratuitousness. This is a great source of inspiration for my watch designs.

Breitling and Bentley are working together and there is a beautiful watch named “La Ferrari”. Do you see yourself working together with a specific car brand in the future? For example, your design “la Magnifique” could be related to Bugatti already.

Of course it would be interesting. La Magnifique is only a first draft, we should further develop its own watch philosophy and refine the choice of materials especially if we had to amplify the relationship with this prestigious brand. All car brands are not willing to go as far as Hublot with Ferrari. This is a watch that does not lack audacity even if I would have preferred a smaller size. Other brands may simply want a more wearable, less extravagant watch. Personally, I love strong design watches, that look different from the traditional watch, free from traditional needles to display new kinematics, but I am aware that not everyone feels the same. I would like to work on the sobriety and purity of the dial graphics in the next future.

Watch Design by Olivier Gamiette

Watch Designs by Designer Olivier Gamiette

In the 70’s, all Lincoln Continentals came with a Cartier clock. This came to mind when I saw your “Trion”. Have your watch designs influenced your automotive designs?

I think so, though it is not necessarily conscious. I guess all the ideas in my head talk together. As I said before, there are no borders when I create. There is a bank of shapes in my head that is fed by external images and by my own research which is used for a comprehensive creative process.

Your work reminded me of the designs by Daniel Simon. Do you know him? Are there any specific car designers that have influenced you and more specifically, your watch designs.

I know the work of Daniel Simon, just like him I like portraying interesting details. His work showed me that one should not be afraid to push boundaries. Beyond its style and its formidable design, it is the coherent universe that he managed to create that inspired me. The notion of creative universe might be hard to understand as it is not palpable nor visible to all. One has the impression of watching fantastic cars and mechanical gear with stunning design but ultimately, it is Daniel Simon’s universe as a whole that stands out. His world lies in our mind and does not stop at the book’s pages. This is what I find the most inspiring. I felt like I wanted to create my own universe around watches. I wanted to imagine a set of objects very different from one other but emanating from one consistent universe, my own creative universe.

Hot Rod by Olivier Gamiette

Do you have a certain theme in your work?

As my job is to draw mostly production cars, I escape in my free time by imagining forms which are more free. In my daily work life, there are technical and product specifications and a brand identity to respect, so it is quite complicated to have fun. I like hotrods, custom bikes and very mechanical machines with a metal body.

Which techniques do you use?

I do a lot of pencil sketches, usually with crayons but also with a ballpoint pen. I inevitably go through this phase because the relationship I have with paper gives me the creative freedom and spontaneity that I have not found with other tools. On paper I can throw down ideas very quickly and instinctively as they arise. I decant sketches for some time before looking at them with a fresher eye later on and select sketches that I will colour with Photoshop. I use Photoshop exclusively for colouring, I never draw with it on the graphic tablet.

I believe that the work I have done around the watches is quite unique, as representing such timepieces in a photorealistic way gives them a special identity Actually, watchmaking illustration standard is gouache drawings, digital sketches are hardly ever shown and 3D renderings are too explicit to be done by a machine. Even though I enjoy digital drawings a lot, one day I would like to explore other subjects with more concrete, classical techniques such as oil painting.

Watch Designs by Olivier Gamiette

What inspires you to start a specific artwork?

I try to imagine and draw objects that I would like to see in the street. My world is more conceptual than artistically. I'm not just trying to make beautiful illustrations, I am striving to show new and unique ideas, concepts, mechanisms at their best. I do not merely want to draw, I want to create and that is what drives me to draw.

Whatever the topic, I always start with a freehand sketch to find new ideas or new shapes. I make many very little drawings on a single sheet of paper. This way, I spend little time doing the design itself, so I can make more spontaneous research without getting tired and wasting my time with a big, detailed drawing. A beautiful design is based on a powerful idea and that can also be expressed in a small sketch. Today’s tools allow to resize the sketch in order to work on the right scale and I like reinterpret my old drawings which I had abandoned. I never throw my drawings away! I usually draw with pencil crayons or a ballpoint pen.

What do you want to express with your artwork?

In my work I seek principles, ideas that challenge the existing common knowledge. I like to believe that there is another truth than the one we know. For example, in some car illustrations, I imagine that the scene takes place in a world where light can be solid and therefore transmits efforts. As I have an engineering background, I like to use physical, optical and mechanical phenomena to create new things with style. I have an engineer’s head and an artist's hands. This becomes very clear when I design watches, looking primarily to propose new forms and shapes but also previously unseen kinematics. As many things have already been done before, the challenge is a lot more interesting.

Automotive Art by Olivier Gamiette

What are you most proud of?

Today I am pleased to wear two hats: one as an engineer and the other as an artist. This allows me to be very independent in my creations. As a designer, it is very important for me to create credible, consistent, meaningful and well-drawn objects. I am proud of the infinite potential that this represents. I am also proud to bring this knowledge and convey it to the people through my illustrations. Managing to provide pleasure or emotions by means of a drawing is a great pride and reward for me.

How did you develop your style?

I have always liked to see the reflections that become distorted, especially on cars’ metal bodies. I have always wanted to represent this in my drawings. It's a way for me to bring realism to the object in the drawing because this will psychologically melt in its’ environment. The brain interprets the reflections and understands that the object is integrated in the scene. My math’s curriculum led me to understand the tricks of such deformations. And it is trying to imitate reality that I have found the effects and functions to translate it on Photoshop over time. Today my designs borrow certain physical phenomena from reality, but they remain mere illustrations of reality.

Do you prefer any specific materials or tools?

As a designer, my favourite tool is the black pencil which I use on Bristol paper which ages better in time. I am not looking to make beautiful designs in this phase but try to grasp the idea that lurks in my head and pencil crayons or ballpoint pen allow me to capture it very quickly with little loss. That's why I do not do my research on the graphic tablet; it disturbs my creative rhythm. Moreover, coloured pencils allow you to shade the drawing, creating the illusion of volume which is the best! It is more difficult with a ballpoint pen to draw the volume’s shadows. After defining the linework to create the shape, I quickly shade the drawing to mark down the volumes in order to keep the idea for the second phase. The second phase, in fact, hinges on the Photoshop tool. There are other digital tools to colour drawings on the computer but I have known this program for a long time. This phase is very technical because it consists in creating volumes with light and shadow and also to generate perceived material finish that is not borrowed from any picture. For example, for many of my watches I use a brushed copper finish which I draw exclusively with Photoshop. I like layer management a lot because the possibilities are endless.

Watch Designs by Olivier Gamiette

Watch Design by Olivier Gamiette

Do you work alone?

Yes, but I like to expose the topics that I want to develop to my creative partners (Nicolas Depierre and Alexandre Meyer). They are my favourite guinea pigs! They share my vision of design and their reactions tell me about the relevance of my concepts and intentions. Before moving to the colour phase which can take a long time, it is valuable for me to have some intermediate feedback.

Do you work in silence or with music? What type of music?

I find this question particularly interesting because artists’ work is usually shown without specifying the context in which such artists operate or the atmosphere in which they create. It is important for me to work with music, it is like taking a warm bath. I feel immersed in my world of vibrations, of feelings and inner exchanges enhancing the desire to create.

Do you have a favourite car design?

For me car design is a huge puzzle. That said I do not like a particular brand above others, but I like the stance of some manufacturers, I like cars that have a well defined character and a clear formal language. Finally, if there was only one car to remember, I would say that for me Bertone Stratos Zero is the most fantastic car ever imagined. The line is simply amazing and timeless.

Do you own a car yourself?

I own a Plymouth Prowler 1999 that I bought in the US back in 2003. It is a very original car which does not go unnoticed here in Paris. However, I bought it for its line and proportions that are very close to a designer’s fantasies. It is an uncompromising car; that is what I like.

Hot Rod by Automotive Artist & Designer Olivier Gamiette

What is your advice for people who want to become an Automotive Artist?

Be patient, because nothing happens overnight. It takes time to practice and find an artistic identity which is natural and consistent with your own self. One must get inspiration from other artists but it has its’ limits. You have to tell your own story and claim your uniqueness. Do not be afraid to be different or to see things differently, it is a chance to have this vision instead. You must practice regularly and learn to listen to others’ feedback because the purpose of your work is to be seen and appreciated by the public. It is that people see from the outside what we express from the inside as artists.

Is this a book for car fans? No, it's not. There are no cars in this book. But is it a book for anyone interested in car design? Then the answer is definitely yes. It will give you a deeper appreciation of what it takes to design devices and objects. How to bridge technical challenges and how to be innovative and break traditional boundaries.

To see more of Olivier Gamiettes work, please visit his website.

Book is published by Designstudio press. and available here.

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Bulli Forever. Liebeserklärung an ein Lebensgefühl by Jamie Tinney

Everytime one of my daughters spots an old Volkswagen Transporter they start dreaming out loud; “When I have my driver’s license, I will buy that car and travel around the world”.

How did this classic MPV achieve such a cult status? We accept that they are painted in beautiful bright colours, often conveying a view of 'life by itself'. And of course we respect the perfectly restored version in concourse condition. But that’s not it, this car has become a symbol of freedom, an icon of independent minds living their lives on their terms. A joy de fivre.

Bulli Forever. Liebeserklärung an ein Lebensgefühl by Jamie Tinney

"It is good to have a destination in mind but at the end, it is the journey that matters"  Ursula K. Le Guin

Bulli Forever. Liebeserklärung an ein Lebensgefühl by Jamie Tinney

"Travelling is not something you are good at. It is just something you do. Like breathing." Gayle Foreman

This new book on the “Bulli”, the German “nick-name” for the T1, tries to capture that feeling by images and quotes. This is not a car book, this is a book about a way of life, showing a way of life without people but only through the combination of cars and quotes and that's quite a challenge.

Did they succeed in this? Yes and no. Yes, when it comes to finding the right quotes and combining them with matching photos and colourful graphic designs.

But no, for the photos. The author made a selection from a wide range of photos and photographers.  But the majority of these photos have not been made with the intent of capturing the T1's joy de fivre.

Bulli Forever. Liebeserklärung an ein Lebensgefühl by Jamie Tinney

"Do not be afraid of perfection" Salvador Dali

Bulli Forever. Liebeserklärung an ein Lebensgefühl by Jamie Tinney

"Not all those who wander are lost"  J.R.R Tolkien

This book is published by Delius Klasing and available here. 

ISBN: 978-3-667-10464-9. Please note that all quotes are in German.

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Leica and Zagato, two brands with a long history combined in one book.

Zagato Leica USA Collectibles by Winston Goodfellow

One of the roles of art is to beautify our lives. Design has a similar role and we don’t always have to own the objects to enjoy their beauty. When going through this book, I began wondering what it was all about. What does a famous brand in lenses have to do with Zagato? But then it dawned on me that both brands have a long heritage in high quality and exclusive design. In the current trend of exclusive brands working together to create something unique, sharing each others strengths, this cooperation resulted in a pair of binoculars. This book is on one hand documenting the joint efforts designing these binoculars and on the other, a celebration of beauty.

It shows 33 Zagato USA collectibles in beautiful photos and quotes only. No historical details of the car, or its technical specifications. Just the plain beauty of the car seen through the lenses of Leica. This book demonstrates that you don’t always need words to tell a story.

Zagato Leica USA Collectibles by Winston Goodfellow

One quote in the book by Ansel Adams kind of summarizes it all;

“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”

So what does this book give you?

The first chapter shows the design process of a unique collaboration between Leica and Zagato through the design of the Ultravid 8x32 “Edition Zagato” binoculars. A unique limited edition.

ZAGATO LEICA USA Collectibles

ZAGATO LEICA USA Collectibles

What follows are 130 pages of beautiful photographed cars. 3 Zagato’s from collections in the USA and photographed in their current habitat. The cars vary from the Fiat 8V Zagato Elaborata 1954, to an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spider Aerodinamica from 1934 and a stunning Lamborghini Raptor (1996).

For those interested in the details of each car, the book ends with a short description of each.

ZAGATO LEICA USA Collectibles

This book is published at Delius Klasing and available here. 

ISBN: 978-3-667-10423-6

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Art of The Mustang. Photography by Tom Loeser and text by Donald Farr

The ultimate dream of any Muscle car fan would be to own a Mustang and preferably a Shelby version. Especially if that fan would be me. I fell in love with this car after watching Nicolas Cage drive it in Gone in 60 Seconds. “Eleanor” the 1967 Ford Mustang fastback depicted as a Shelby GT500.

Art of The Mustang - 2014 Shelby GT500

Art of The Mustang - 2015 Mustang 50 Year Limited Edition

In this book, photographer Tom Loeser pays his tribute to 50 years of Mustang. He knows how to highlight the specifics of each model by playing with dark and light to get the best photos. The strength of the photos in this book is the fact that there are no backgrounds distracting you from the car. They are pitch black which enhances and accentuates the colours and lines of the car.

Mustangs are cars which bring back memories and make you share stories. And that’s exactly what Donald Farr has done with this book, sharing the stories of guys like Jordan Besenburch who happens to be the proud owner of a Boss 302. His grandfather parked the car under a tarp in 1988 after blowing up the engine during a street race. David now plans to refurbish the Boss in tribute to his father.

Art of The Mustang. Photography by Tom Loeser and text by Donald Farr

Art of The Mustang - 1965 GT350 School Car

The combination of photos, stories and some technical background text works really well. Art deserves to be shared and exposed to a large audience and the Art of the Mustang is no different. A worthy tribute to the Mustang.

This book is published by Motorbooks and available here.

ISBN 9780760347867

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Richard Pietruska Motor Art - Veronique GT

Richard Pietruska grew up on the East Coast of Connecticut. He was drawn into automotive design at an early age when his brother-in-law bought a 1950 Impala which totally impressed Richard. He entered the Fisher Body Craftsman Guild competition held by General Motors in the early 50’s and 60’s and won the Top National scholarship for the Junior Division at the age of 15 which was quite a lot of money back then. Richard submitted a model of a car which he had designed. The competition had entrants from all over the country and was an amazing chance for young people to get into motor design.  He then went to the Art Centre and is still there today, 41 years later, teaching students.

Today Richard teaches automotive design at the Art Centre and says that after 40 years, he is ‘one of the old timers’.  Some of his students are now famous car designers and it makes him proud to see how well they are doing. It’s a unique experience.

Richard Pietruska Motor Art - Mercedes SSK

Richard Pietruska Motor Art - Veronique XGT

‘No more ugly cars’ is the motto Richard uses to teach his students and says it is hard to stay open minded but there are certain proportions and designs which he needs to keep in mind when judging the students designs. At the moment, Richard and his students are doing a new project for 2030 trying to design a new Cadillac while envisioning what the brands will be like in that era. Will the cars look like they do now? Not just autonomously but from a design language form?  When Richard was at school, he and fellow students idolised unobtainable cars like the Ferrari but now it’s not quite the same. It’s a difficult challenge and as an artist, he is trying to push his students to look into the future while learning something about the history of old cars.

Form follows fantasty

Form follows function is the established rule of thumb in design but for my sculptures I use 'form follows fantasy'. I teach my students a bit of both, otherwise they wouldn't get the opportunity to take risks and sometimes you need to take risks. This is sometimes hard for Richard to communicate to his students because they are often afraid to take risks in their automotive design. Students who do, are usually the ones who get offered a job because car companies are looking for unique individuals who don’t just follow the norm. An example would be Honda who typically always hired the same type of designer until two or three years ago when they did a complete switch. They picked the whackiest guy who had cowboy boots, long hair and a radical portfolio. They just got tired of everyone following in the same niche. So you can’t really predict what car companies are going to do. When you produce something which is truly creative in all the different aspects, it’s much more beneficial.

Richard Pietruska Motor Art - Flamboyant

Richard Pietruska Motor Art - Ferrari 250/599 GTO

As an artist, Richard has done paintings and even tapestries but prefers to express his artistic talents in sculptures and Pebble Beach has been a great venue to show off his latest creations. While a lot of people love his work because it is so unique, others may find it a bit unusual from a fine arts perspective. Whereas a lot of artists tend to stick to the same style of painting, Richard wants to do something truly different and get responses from people. He comes up with a concept and then tries to figure out which new materials he can use, while still keeping it in that automotive fine arts category. Richard loves Stanley Rose’s work which he finds so adventurous. They are good friends and have lots of conversations at Pebble Beach about the difficult road of automotive art being seen as Fine Art. Pebble Beach is a great experience, says Richard. He finds it very motivating being there with the other AFAS artists and the people who go there. It challenges him to do something different each year and he loves the responses he gets.

Richard Pietruska Motor Art - Man, Myth & Machine

Quite a few of Richards sculptures have an animal snake shape and others have female forms. Marcel was curious and asked Richard if he purposely uses these two elements in his artwork and why. Richard explained that so much of automotive design can be equated to the female form. If you look at the Ferrari GTO and old Delahey’s and other old cars, they have very sensual characters. This is the reason why Pietruska twists his automotive sculptures around, so that the similarities can be seen between the female form and the car styling. The animal form sculptures are basically because the car is a Cobra. Some of his sculptures are more Art Deco, while others deal more with the female form.  If you take his Alpha Romeo 2900B sculpture, you will see a nice looking Alpha turning around a rock but then if you look in the mirror at the other side, you will see there is a female body in there as well. These are the subtle things Richard likes to do in his sculptures. Most of which are limited editions or ‘one offs’. Although Richard does do commissions, he prefers to have the freedom to produce his own creations. Like his Veronique series, which he is very proud of and still considers his favourite because he tried to capture as much of automotive design in a figurative sense as possible. He is working on a piece right now for Pebble Beach this year which will really stand out. Something really unique which people will appreciate.

Richard Pietruska Motor Art Alpha Romeo 2900B

Note: do you notice the reflection?

Richard Pietruska Motor Art - Veronique GT Series II

What is the process for a new creation and does Richard have a long bucket list of new projects? Well he has a folder which he looks at every so often. Like the project he is doing at the moment which came from a sketch he did at Pebble Beach. He sometimes wakes up at night with a car in his mind which he knows he should do. Richard then starts working on that automotive. He likes to stretch the form out without losing the essence of the vehicle and in doing so, he has learned to appreciate all the subtleties which have gone into the actual automotive design. With his sculptures, there are so many processes involved which is very much like producing the real car itself.  It’s always a learning experience to see how the car was actually designed and its’ functions. It’s a good balance of stretching them and communicating the form and it’s also a learning curve finding the right materials and techniques. Like for instance, water edge cutting which is a good area for Richard because it allows him to use many materials such as bronze casting, fibreglass, paint etc. Finding the right materials is a process and has meant that Richard has had to start over a number of times.  He spends hours, days, weeks on one piece trying to get it right but when it is right, he knows it.

To see more of Richard Pietruska’s work, visit his website

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