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Ted McLaren's
1957 Cadillac wins the
2008 "Eye on Design"
Bridgestone
Eye of the Artist Award
Click here for more... |
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Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, know as the big
three auto makers are a cornerstone of our American culture, our modern society and our personal
histories. From the boxy beginnings, auto makers have created functional, powerful, sleek,
sexy American icons. Icons captured by hand on canvas by Ted McLaren and now available for your home,
office, company headquarters, auto dealership, private club or private jet. The striking reality
of these hand painted gems or their print versions trigger wonderful memories of our own lives and
stir emotion to our soles.
Even today, as one of these striking icons from
the 50's and 60's drives by, we turn our heads and think "WOW!
Look at that!". This WOW
factor is why Ted has focused on capturing the essence of these 50's and 60's auto designs on canvas.
In the early 50's, the auto industry realized they
were building a product that wasn't just transportation, but objects of desire that expressed the
owners individuality and would become an integral part of American culture. At that time, General
Motors searched for ideas that would reflect the energy of optimistic people looking to the future.
Harley Earl coordinated this search for GM as the first director of their art and color studio.
This studio was the first integrated design department in the history of the car industry.
His methods of using clay to create 3-dimensional models became an industry standard. As a
testament of Mr. Earl's foresight, three dimensional modeling by clay, computer or resin, is still
used today.
In
the 50's and 60's, the future was shiny rockets, jets and spacecraft. The US auto industry
began designing vehicles reflecting this explosive technological development, used the shapes in
their designs and added shine through using chrome and other materials.
Aircraft style tail fins and rocket engine styled
tail lights started appearing on the roads. The 58 Chevy Impala has parking lights in the grille
that replicate jet engines, complete with the wing mount pod detail!. For auto tail fins, consider
the 57 Belair captured by Ted McLaren in his painting on the left. Or look at the 58 Cadillac Eldorado,
which is a prime example of the extreme use of tail fins and lavish use of chrome that combined to
make not only an interesting work of art, but a typical auto icon of this era.
Fortunately for us, auto makers sold numerous diverse
vehicles and models during the 1950's and 1960's which provides a nearly endless supply of subjects
for Ted to capture in his delightful oil paintings. Ted's paintings are usually large, use vibrant
colors and chrome to maximize visual impact an remain true to the original design elements.
He describes his work as a contemporary style. He says he features a unique composition of a portion
of the car, with enough detail to allow us to identify the make, model and year. Just enough
captured on canvas to help us feel the WOW.
We at McLaren Auto Icon Art thank the the big three auto makers,
their leadership, their designers, their innovators through their line workers and dealers who combine
efforts have brought such beauty and memories to millions of Americans. We also want to thank
the other auto makers who have brought their own designs and flair to auto designs.
Ford started producing cars in 1903 and has
produces American icons such as the Model A and the popular Model T (16.5 million copies between
1908-1927). Ford expanded with the Lincoln and Mercury lines continuing the tradition of introducing
innovative powerful cars at an affordable price. A tradition carried through the Lincoln Zephyr,
Ford Thunderbird, and Ford Mustang. In recent decades, Ford has expanded it's offerings through investments
in Mazda, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Volvo cars, and Land Rover brands. Each brand and model has
developed it's own following - including the destined to fail in it's time Edsel. To read more
about Ford history,
click here for Edmunds or
click here for
the Henry Ford Museum.
General Motors founded in 1908 quickly became
known as one of the largest car manufacturers in the world. Grown by William Durant and held in place
by Pierre DuPont, for many years General Motors was the world's largest company. In domination of
the industry, General Motors planed to have an automaker for each niche, ideally taking customers
from their entry level Chevrolet up to their luxury Cadillac. They also got involved with trucks
when in 1909, the Grabowsky Rapid Motor Vehicle Company (GMC) joined with GM. At the 1912 New York
Auto Show, the trade name GMC Trucks was first exhibited and was registered with the United
States Patent Office eight months later. Now known as the high-end truck-building division of General
Motors, the "GMC" in GMC Truck stands for General Motors Corporation.
Click here for the GM history
add click here
to go to the GM Heritage Center.
Chrysler Corporation, born in 1925 by noted machinist Walter
Chrysler when he bought Maxwell Motor Corporation of Detroit, quickly earned a reputation for advanced
engineering. Chrysler expanded with Dodge, DeSoto and Plymouth in the late 20's. Chrysler introduced
the aerodynamic cars in the 30's creating visually appealing and artistic lines and form followed
by the engineering feats of the 'Hemi' in the early 50's. With the likes of the Town and Country,
300C, K-cars, American Motors, Jeep and more, Chrysler captured many American's attention and loyalty.
To read more about Chrysler Corporation history,
click here for Edmunds or
click
here for the Walter Chrysler Museum.