Art cars have been a popular way of self expression since the 1960's hippie painted volkswagen van. Art cars have risen in popularity in the last 20 years and the artist's themselves have formed a more cohesive community. The artists/drivers often dress in accordance with the theme of their cars and meet at parades and art festivals such as the Burning Man festival. The style of these art cars varies widely -- from the Oscar Meyer weinermobile to temporarily painted cars done with poster paint to heavily sculpted forms that hardly resemble a car at all! These art cars come in every imaginable (and unimaginable form) and are great to get a look at. Here's some of my favourites.
image source
This art car was being displayed at the Burning Man festival. I love the way the sculpted head looks like it's going really fast with it's hair flying in the wind and eyes agoggle at what it sees ahead. Imagine this one coming up in our rear view mirror!
image source
This art car was being displayed at the Houston Art Car Parade in 2007. The Volkswagen Beetle is one of people's favourite cars. They are always so cute! This one's even cuter times two. I love the legs sticking from the upper car's bottom. Hysterical.
image source
This car is at the Art Car Museum in Houston. Sometimes art cars resemble huge rolling displays of found art with seemingly miscellaneous and random objects glued to them. I love all the metal work on the front and how it starts to resemble fish's scales along the sides and back of it.
image source
This car at a parade in Seattle sort of looks like fish's scales along the back of it too. I love the use of colour and repeating circles on this car and the way that it comes to a point at the end. I'm not sure what you'd think if you were driving behind this car on a highway -- sort of looks like an alien rescue vehicle.
image source
image source
This car at the Houston Art car parade shows how artist's use all sorts of mediums on their cars. One packet of ketchup or hot sauce would look odd. However, hundreds of them look kind of cool. It makes a regular car into a race car with a stripe down the middle of it. This theme of using the same item over and over is common in art cars.
image source
This car is covered with hundreds of different coloured markers. It definitely gives new meaning to the term the sum of the whole is greater than individual parts. I love how the guy's hard hat is covered in markers too. And the look on his face is priceless -- sheer joy at showing off this incredible display of his creativity.
image source
This car is covered with records and cd's and what looks to be pieces of records. The artist is perhaps making a statement as to the changing times. How records used to be so common and now are a relic of our pasts.
image source
This mosaic cars uses pieces of glass and pottery to transform a simple convertible into an incredible rolling statement on the artist's creativity and imagination. I can't imagine how much time this would have taken to completely. The mortar definitely makes this art car's installation permanent. I love how even the tires have been painted to maintain the theme.
image source
Sometimes art cars are a political statement -- I'm guessing this guy likes Obama. I love how he's successful covered every inch of his car with Obama '08 stickers. They make an intriguing pattern when viewed from a distance and make a statement when viewed up close. Um, I wonder what he's going to do after Obama's elected (I hope).
image source
This car too makes a vivid political statement and is probably my favourite in this whole list. A sod covered hearse that says Reducing My Carbon Footprint. It just doesn't get any better than that. This car offers a myriad of interpretations -- if we don't save the planet, we'll die or perhaps a statement on rebirth after death or a statement on gas guzzling vehicles eatting up our natural resources. The list could go on and on. What do you think it means?
image source
This awesome van's statement is loud and proud -- I ♥ the USA! It definitely looks like a flag blowing in the wind. The flaming tail ends of the flag give the van a speedster tyle look. The stars on the hub caps are a nice touch too!
I wonder what I could do with my wife's Cavalier? Hmm...