Who would ever believe there are so many Art Car
artists and enthusiasts? This event proved to be one of the summers
hottest items. A photo opportunity, fashion show, concert and parade
all wrapped up into one 4 day event. Many of the cars had just
come back from Burning Man. Some drove in from as far as the East
Coast, Canada, Texas, New Mexico and from all over California.
Here are just a few of the cars I liked.
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This picture was taken on the first
day of the festival. I think it was taken in the parking lot
of the Seabreeze Market in Emeryville. I was the first or second
car to show up and didn't know what to expect. This was my
first Art Car Fest. A lot of the people in it have been in
more than 5 or 6 fests and have worked on their art cars for
a long time. |
| There's nothing like a bug! This one is especially
cute. There are lights at the end of the antenna's that are
actually turn signals. The wings on the back are hooked up
to motors and articulate. Its really eye-catching going down
the road. |
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This is Avril's car. She named it "Groovalicious
Purple Princess of Peace" It's a fitting name. She donated
a whole bag of men for my car! Like most of the artists I met
she is very generous. Lots of color on her car! |
| This is one of my favorite cars. Its called
Carthedral. Its made from a Hearse and a VW bug and a lot of
"art". It is very Gothic and ominous. Up close the detail is
outstanding. I can't imagine how many hours went into building
this. I followed them out of the camp ground in San Jose the
2nd day and was impressed as to how well the beast drove. Those
twisty turns coming from Mount Hamilton didn't phase Carthedral
at all. |
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Here is a picture of Cinnabar Charm with
San Francisco in the background. This is definitely a labor
of
love. It is decorated with C02 canisters (for bb guns) and
skulls and all sorts of "stuff".
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| I'm so glad to see that someone doesn't take
BMW too seriously. This art car is really done well and uses
all sorts of medium from toys to paint. This picture doesn't
really give you much of a real representation of what the car
looks like. Notice the leg coming out from under the hood? |
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Discordia!
This car need 2 pictures. Why? Because not only is it interesting
by day, but even more so at night when the torches are lit.
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Here is the same car at night with the propane
powered mantles lit. The amount of heat and light put out is
amazing. Fire is an unusual art medium, but is well used here.
I'm pretty sure this was at Burning Man. |
| Actually hacking up a couple of cars to make
1 good one is what true automotive art is about. This one is
made from a Nash. I laughed when I saw the license plate frame
in the back was from the Nash Car Club. They'd probably have
mixed feelings knowing that one of their members had done this
to one of their cars. |
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This Jeep was another of the first cars to show
up in Emeryville.Like mine it has a lot attached to it. You
can't see it in the pictures but there are hanging beads and
other items all over it. |
| Lego my Lego! Now here's an idea... Let's glue
Lego's to every square inch of the outside of the car. The
color scheme alone is enough to make this car unique, but
when you
consider that its all from Lego's it boggles the mind. |
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Leopard
Bernstein. A car dedicated to cats.
Painted in Leopard skin and covered with cats of all breeds
and types this car makes a statement. And the statement is
MEOW, GRRRRR, ROAR and HISS. It's owner dressed entirely in
cat prints
and led the cat part of the fashion show the last day at the
Art Museum in San Jose. Good thing the claws were trimmed! |
| All the way from Canada! This Buick wagon is
a mosaic of art. With everything from tile to beads it is stunning.
One of the
funny aspects is on the front bumper where the "B" and
the "K" of Buick have been removed. That left UIC
which is the Canadian office of unemployment. Its owners told
me that's how the car was created. "With checks from UIC". |
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This Truck is done in mosaic tile. That's right
tile! Notice the leopard skin camper is also done in tile.
The cat mermaid is tile, the background is tile , ITS ALL TILE! |
OH MY GAWD! That's the name of this VW. It is
really a cool VW. It even has a goose on the top.  |
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From the side you can see the goose. |
| Pico De Gallo! Tocalo! This VW is a musical
car. There are instruments everywhere. Drums, guitars, cymbals,
accordions, basses and a stereo or two. It has Tapes, CD's
and records on it. The loud speakers you see are functional.
They are powered by a stereo that I think had a built in 8-track
tape player |
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You can get a better idea from this side shot. |
| Tim built this Plaid Car. It is hand painted
plaid. He dresses in Plaid and lives a plaid life. I wonder
what would happen if you put a Chameleon on the hood of his
car? Would it survive? |
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Tuck in Flux. What more need I say? Do you think
you could find it in a parking lot? |
| I'm not sure who owned this or what its called.
I just like the added on fins. All THREE of them. |
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The Vain Van. Crusading against the evils of
cosmetic marketing. Its front hood has many bras on it. Perhaps
these are the original hood bras? It also has white elbow
length gloves on its sides and a message about self loathing.
This car belongs to Emily Duffy . |
| Yipes! A VW with squared off fenders. Good thing
its in Zebra paint. It will blend in well when the Zebras take
over the US. |
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If your Zebra dies and you have a funeral for
it, wouldn't you like to take it to its final resting spot
in this classy Hearse? Very cool paint and a very cool car. |
Enlightened Visitors.