Audi TDI

DAY SEVENTEEN

You know how i've been banging on about the so called prototypes at Daytona,

today Patrick from the excellent blog,motorsport ramblings,has been writing

similar things,comparing the Le Mans cars with the Grand-Am ones

and he makes some good points,especially about the quality of racing!

you can read it here,

http://motorsportsramblings.blogspot.com/2007/01/night-and-day.html

being a painter of course the aesthetics are important to me,here is the Audi TDI from the 2006 American Le Mans series.acrylic on paper 9x12" sold

Daytona 3

DAY SIXTEEN

After yesterdays pathetic effort,i had to try again,especially after i discovered those silly Grand-Am cars look better in the dark!

Ganassi Riley-Lexus,Pruett,Duran and Montoya,acrylic on paper 6x8"

Daytona 2

DAY FIFTEEN

OK,i did a grand-Am car...just about...and i'm not proud!

This is the winner of the Daytona 24 hours,Chip Ganassi's Riley-Lexus...good on Pruett,Duran and Montoya,during a virtually trouble free run,they led 468 of the 660 laps.
acrylic on paper 6x8"

Car free Sunday

DAY FOURTEEN

Aaah sunday,nice lie-in,watch the footy,good walk and a tasty roasty.

Daytona 24 hours

DAY THIRTEEN


Daytona,
In yesterday's post i mentioned the baby cars,wich are racing at Daytona this weekend.Do i look forward painting them? They look so silly,enough to make me a grumpy old man,no....in the olden days....here are two beautiful Ferrari's showing off,on the banking in the sixties and seventies.


both acrylic on paper 9x12"

Dakar street scene

DAY TWELVE



my final scene of the Dakar rally (for now)




acrylic on paper 9x12"
The cars are trundling slowly trough a north African village in between racing.



So,what is on this weekend?


Daytona 24 hours,have you seen the cars they race there? more roof than car,
they look like baby cars!

Andros Trophy,oh yes snow!

Carlos Sainz

DAY ELEVENCarlos Sainz,Volkswagen Touareg,Sahara Dessert.
acrylic on paper 6x8"

VW Touareg

DAY TEN

Well, i told you i was totally taken by the Dakar rally,enough inspiration for a year!
A1gp will have to wait,expect a few more....

Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz,Volkswagen Touareg,
acrylic on paper 6x8"sold

Loeb is back!

DAY NINE

He's unreal isn't he!? Sebastien Loeb,been out with an arm injury for nearly half a year,brand new car and there he is,blasting everyone away!

Loeb is back, oil on canvas 10x12"
painted this ,alla prima,wet in wet,in one go,might do some touches up once dry...pick a bit on that car.As you notice by now,i move from impression to expression with my car paintings,depending on the scene and my mood...

It was a strange Monte,mild and no snow or ice,more like spring...and apart from a little parade round the swimming pool at the end,it wasn't even held in Monaco,but Valance in France!

First winners !

DAY EIGHT

We've got our first winners,since starting this,car-a-day blog.
Sebastian Loeb winning the Monte Carlo rally,
Nico Hulkenberg A1gp in New Zealand,
and Stephan Peterhansel in the dakar Rally.

Stephan Peterhansel, Mitsubishi acrylic on paper 7x8"sold

The Dakar rally,the most dangerous race,through the heat of the Sahara desert,run for two weeks ,madness on 4 and 2 wheels.Stephan had won it on a bike 6 times allready,now 3 times in a car!

I love painting these cars,big monsters,driving through strange,amazing landscapes.Can't say the same of the A1 gp cars..man, are they ugly!

Car free Sunday

Day seven

What is this? no car?

Remember the car free sunday's of the 70's?

I'm all for it,even though i'm a complete car nut,we all need a break,

anyway there is enough motor racing on sundays to keep you amused.

This way i can watch it myself,a bit difficult with a brush in my hand,

or go out,paint a landscape,play with the kids,you know,make the most of Sunday.

WRC who?

Day six

So,who is going to be WRC World Champion in 2007?

Flying Finn Marcus Gronholm,Acrylic on paper 9x12" sold


or steady Sebestian Loeb,oil on canvas 18x24" sold

Rally WIP

Day five

In anticipation of the rally of Monte carlo,
i thought i show you a little WIP,work in progress,i did a while ago...


step1
starting with blocking in the dark areas,this is my scaffholding,knowing I will go a bit wild later on,I need something that holds the structure in place.
Cars have straight lines,curves and details that are important to it's character.
from my plein air adventures,I know that shadows are not black,so I will put washes of color over them as I go along,I don't use black.
Wish me luck...

step2

Blocking in the road,with a mixture of,permanent magenta,med.cad.yellow,touch of ultra m. blue and white.

step3

Playing with ultra marine: still only using one brush,it is so old,you can't reed the number but it is fairly big.I'm painting on paper,small,8x12''...... trying to paint light effects,rather than details.....or even a car!!

Those light effects can be turned into speed effects,and the ball starts rolling............

step 4

What a difference a little red makes....mind you.....I hardly touch the stuff,most of it is magenta.
When racing cars tear through the air,they spit out all sort of bits,a lot of hot air,bits of rubber and the tarmac gets a thrashing too!
This is a good excuse to push some colors of the car around the scenery,and get some of the scenery into the car.

Thought I spoil you with a self indulgend detail shot...

Right! the next stage is it;how far do I take it,witch details to pick out,wich ones to destroy.this is the stage where even I get confused!

Well this is it..........better stop now........next!

Wonder if we get any of that white stuff this year

Colin McRae,Citroen,Monte Carlo

Acrylic on paper 9x12" sold

Clay Regazzoni

Day four Clay Regazzoni 1993-2006 acrylic on canvas 30x40"

I would like a moment to remember Clay Regazzoni,who died in a car crash,just before Christmass.

As a little kid,way back in the 70's,I can remember this wild driver in his red Ferrari,not one of the more sophisticated,but always ready for action,larger than life,it seemed the actual driving was more important than the results.A true childhood hero.

Still,he managed 5 superb victories and second in the 1974 World Championship

After a big crash (brake failure,Long Beach,1980),Clay lost the use of his legs,but not his spirit!

Now driving with handcontrols he set up driving schools for handicapped drivers and also drove the Paris Dakar rally.

testing,testing,testing.

Day three

During the winter,the teams do a lot of testing,new cars,new drivers,new tyres,etc and even though there are restrictions,there is more testing than racing...silly...but hey! there are not many chances to see an F1 car doing its thing at dusk.

Here is an"unbranded"Alonso,for the first time,trying out last years Mclaren.
acrylic on paper 6x9"

Alonso,Renault R25

Day twoOne houndred years later,another Renault,another winner,Fernando Alonso world champion 2005 and 2006.

oil on canvas 18x24" sold

Premier Grand Prix

Day oneOk,thought it be appropriate to start with the beginning.

Way back in 1906,the first grand Prix was held in France,it lasted for two days,

shakey cars on dusty roads. Won by Francois Szisz on a Renault.

both paintings are 10x12" oil on panel. both sold