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June 6, 2014 by tomdalzell

Car Art

Not to be confused with art cars – this is about art depicting or incorporating cars or trucks.

Sometimes I share my self-indulgent, creative narcissm right here.  Sometimes I don’t, I put it somewhere else.  Don’t worry – I can self-indulge about car art memories, but I won’t do it here, I will put it somewhere else.

Which means, Mr. Lebowski, that we can get down to cases.  Is there a better use of car as art than this?

IMG_5091

IMG_5093Wow!  Here is another attempt at the same effect:

2644 Fulton

2644 Fulton

Or how about a whole car.  On a roof.  As advertising.

1499 San Pablo

1499 San Pablo

While up on roofs, and while on San Pablo, there is the Berkeley anachronism of a military surplus store:

1640 San Pablo

1640 San Pablo

Or baby cars – both used here for planters.  First, on 9th Street:

1645 9th

1645 9th

And then at California and Tyler (which only exists for two blocks) – the BEST traffic barrier EVER, ANYWHERE:

IMG_5230 IMG_5232 Sticking in three dimensions, here are a couple of sort-of-sculptures:

1801 7th

1801 7th

1745 Cedar

1745 Cedar

1745 Cedar

1745 Cedar

Lastly in three dimensions – how about some automotive topiary on Milvia?

1322 Milvia

1322 Milvia

And then paintings of cars – mostly signage but not all.  The not-signage first:

1255 Allston (recently painted over)(dang!)

1255 Allston (recently painted over)(dang!)

4th Street below University Avenue Overpass

4th Street below University Avenue Overpass

831 Gilman on 6th

831 Gilman on 6th

On Labor Day weekend 2017, Jon Hammond spotted this life-imitating-art-imitating-life:

Photo: Jon Hammond

Photo: Jon Hammond

And now signage depicting cars:

1499 San Pablo

1499 San Pablo

1505 San Pablo

1505 San Pablo

1505 San Pablo

1505 San Pablo

2871 San Pablo

2871 San Pablo

Quirky Berkeley Quirky Berkeley

My friend is not mechanically inclined.  He had one car in his life, and he loved that car.  It was a 1950 Willys wagon.

Willys

When I first met him he was still driving this car.  He has been without a car for years.

His closest connection with cars is closer than mine.  He hung out with a open-air mechanic friend named Carl “CJ” Becker for years.

Confessions

He didn’t pick up much about the way things work from CJ, but he was around the scene enough to pick up some of the lingo.  Becker’s book is a pretty wild tale of a pretty wild time.  My friend keeps his copy of the book nearby.

I asked my friend for his opinion about the car art shown in this posting.  He had an opinion and he was willing to share it.

IMG_3677

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