'59 Cadillac

When I was in middle school, I did an entire series of paintings of animals climbing the eiffel tower, with pink, 1959 Cadillacs driving by underneath.  The design is of the car is so iconic, so outrageous, and so immediately recognizable that it lends a certain panache to a painting.  Or at least I thought so.

http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2009/02/12/13/42/1959_cadillac_eldorado-pic-33080.jpeg

Though I have long since abandoned my animal/Eiffel tower/cadillac series, an emphasis on automotive design still plays an important role in my work.  When I paint or draw a picture now, I still often add vehicles, but now they are usually made up.  Adding a vehicle is a great way to date a piece, or add something visually graphic, but I also just enjoy the process.

This is most likely a result of all the time I spent growing up "designing" pictures of my own cars.  Though they certainly weren't accurate--often missing the little things, like doors, front wheel arches, and steering wheels--they almost always had respectable tail fins.  I owe that to the '59 Cadillac.