Dana Point Concours d'Elegance Announces Artists for the 2010 Art Exhibit

DANA POINT, Calif., June 3 -- The Dana Point Concours d'Elegance(TM) (www.DanaPointConcours.org) is proud to present a preeminent group of the finest automotive artists in the world who will be presenting their work at the 2010 Art Exhibition on Sunday, June 27 at the St. Regis Resort in Dana Point, CA. The artists who created this sampling of paintings, lithographs and sculptures will generously donate a percentage of all sales to charity. Entrance to the Art Exhibit is included with the purchase of a ticket to the Concours.

The Art Exhibit is Chaired by the Dana Point Concours d' Elegance Board member Wm A. Motta. Motta's paintings hang in both private and corporate collections including Alfa Romeo, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Road & Track and Subaru. He has done the poster art for many of the Concours all over the world including Pebble Beach, Dana Point, Amelia Island, Meadow Brook and Villa d'Este on Lake Como in Italy. Motta had a 40 year career at Road & Track and retired as Art Editor. He continues to contribute artwork, and is an independent consultant, for the magazine. As a founding member and Vice President of the Automotive Fine Arts Society, as well as a graduate of the Art Center College of Design, he continues to work with artists around the world to elevate the quality of automotive art and further promote its appreciation.

Another artist that will be featured is Richard Pietruska who has been teaching at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena for over 20 years. He was commissioned to design the 2010 Dana Point Concours d'Elegance Best of Show Trophy along with Wm A. Motta. Although he has worked in a variety of media from paint to tapestries, he focuses his energies on bronze and cast resin sculptures. These sculptures exhibit the dramatic and dynamic, fluid motion of the automobile while simplifying the basic character or design lines of exotic vehicles of the past and the present. His work has been featured in many automotive magazines and he was also commissioned to design the Car of the Year Award for Automobile Magazine.

Other featured Artists that will be presenting are:

Dennis Brown has a passion for the automobile that is expressed in his paintings that are created by using pen and ink outlines, followed by filling in with transparent watercolor or acrylic. Major automobile companies have collected his award-winning works and his luminous acrylics are found in private and public collections around the world. He also is a contributing artist for Road & Track and many other acclaimed publications. Dennis is a member of the Los Angeles Society of Illustrators and The Automotive Fine Arts Society.

Don Derler has produced some commissioned automotive portraits, however his main focus has been the visual excitement that lies within the shapes, colors and textures of isolated portions of beautiful cars. Don has numerous pieces in private and corporate collections. He was commissioned to produce poster artwork for the Thousand Oaks Car Classic as well as the Mercedes-Benz show at Fashion Island and the Muckenthaler Motor Car Festival.

Ken Eberts still looks at each work as a fresh, individual idea event after 30 years into his career as an automotive fine artist. He has created event posters, limited edition prints, and has won numerous awards for his talents among these the Peter Helck Award at the AFAS Exhibition at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and the Richard Teague Award at the Meadow Brook Hall Concours d'Elegance. Eberts was a Founder of the Automotive Fine Arts Society, and has been President since inception.

Art Fitzpatrick is 91 and still going, maybe not quite as strong, but still going. Fitz began in 1937 by designing what are now classic cars that are winning Best of Show at Concours and Shows around the country. He began painting portraits of cars for automobile ads at the end of WWII. They've been viewed and remembered by millions of readers in both national and international ads for more than 15 different car marques, and in articles in magazines such as Life, Look, and Esquire, as well as car interest magazines both here and abroad. With over 40 awards in both national and international competitions, it is by the numbers certainly the world's most famous automobile art. In addition to his private commissions, recent work has been 10 car stamps for two U.S. Postage Stamp series, screen credit for consulting on Pixar's Oscar nominated film "Cars", and creating the "EyesOnDesign" poster for the Detroit show last summer.

Rey Isip is an alumnus of Pratt Institute and Art Center College of Design and his industrial design credits include Ford Motor Company, Chrysler Corporation, W.B. Ford Associates in Detroit and Raymond Loewy Associates in Paris. Isip's gallery credits include representation in California, New York, New Mexico, Arizona, and Baja Mexico. Isip's automotive and abstract paintings are featured locally at Jack's Restaurant in Dana Point.

Richard Lewis graduated from Southern California Institute of Architecture and is a structural engineer. Lewis has had solo exhibitions at the Automotive Hall of Fame and the San Diego Automotive Museum. He has shown at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival and at the Dana Point Concours d'Elegance. In 2005 he was accepted into the Guild of Motoring Artists.

Toby Nippel pleased readers of Road & Track magazine during the late 1950s or early 1960s with art that was run as Salon paintings. Many of today's automotive artists were inspired by his paintings and they still are masterpieces of creating the look of leather or the subtle differences of the various metal surfaces of the automobile. Nippel graduated from the Art Center College of Design and has worked with Ford Motor Company.

Steve Posson captures life in motion. Posson's art can be found in galleries and in public and private collections around the world. Posson studied automobile design at Art Center College of Design and designed prototype bodywork for Jeep, Volvo and Renault, as well as motorcycle designs for Kawasaki, Yamaha and BMW. The California artist now combines his passion for vehicles, his creative talents and his love of the ancient technique of lost-wax bronze casting. Posson's corporate clients have included Harley-Davidson, Ford Motor Company, American Motorcyclist Association, Helmet House, Petersen Automobile Museum and the Amici Americani de la Mille Miglia.

Nicola Wood has been the featured cover artist for Sports Car Market and Juxtapoz. Wood brings a feeling of romance and glamour to her automotive art and that, with a dash of surrealism, extends the appeal of her work. Her Magic Realist paintings let the viewer become a part of the story. Nicola is the recipient of numerous honors and awards. Her work has been displayed at many Concours events throughout the country.

Ernest Wrege has specialized in producing exacting paintings of exotic automobiles for many years and has participated in many exhibitions across the country. Wrege's automobile paintings explore the distortions of mirrored images in convex and concave surfaces. While Wrege looks for "any automobile image which can become a part of an interesting composition," he prefers to paint details of sports & race cars of 1930-1960 vintage.

Roger Zrimec studied automotive design at the Art Center College of Design and has worked as an automotive designer for 26 years, mostly for Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Jaguar Cars, and A.B. Volvo. Zrimec's paintings range from non-objective abstract to automotive art. Often impressionistic, Zrimec's paintings are bold in composition and unique in viewing angle of the subject, and they are represented in many private collections worldwide.

Sample images of the artists work can be see here: http://www.danapointconcours.org/dana-point/media/press-release/art-exhibit.ph p

The 28th Annual Dana Point Concours d'Elegance(TM) will take place on Sunday, June 27, 2010 on the Monarch Beach Golf Links at the prestigious St. Regis resort in Dana Point, California. This year's event will feature 100 years of Alfa Romeo and celebrate 80 years of design from Pininfarina. The Dana Point Concours d'Elegance(TM) is a volunteer-run, 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, with excess proceeds supporting the Ocean Institute, the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag Hospital and other Southern California youth charities. The event is operated primarily as a Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Concours, with additional classes showcasing interesting and relevant automobiles. Southern California is the automotive culture capital of the world with a deep history in design, customization and motorsports. The Dana Point Concours(TM) organizing committee aspires to create a premier automotive event that showcases this rich heritage. General admission tickets are $30 in advance and $35 the day of the event. Children under 12 have complimentary admission. To purchase tickets, and get more information, please visit www.DanaPointConcours.org