The Power of Imagery and Art

Being an artist's wife, I have to admit, that along with being Michael Irvine's greatest supporter and toughest critic, I sometimes kind of take his unbelievable talent and skill for granted. After all, in our home, he's also the guy that takes out the garbage and the recycling!

It's when I get to talk to people in person, on the phone, or read their comments on our Facebook page, that I am once again reminded of what his work means to them.

"Wow." • "Incredible." • "Amazing." • "Breathtaking." 

"Surreal." • "Oh my God." • " Niiiiice!" 

It's what I like to call the "wow factor". It's that initial reaction that people have to the powerful images and stories that Michael is able to portray in his paintings. They are amazed by his creativity, the reflections, the details and the fact that he hand draws and paints each and every one. They ask how he does it. Where he gets his ideas from? How does he get such brilliant, vibrant, intense colors using watercolor? How many hours does each painting take? And then finally, they just let themselves be immersed in the art. Let me tell you, it's pretty cool to witness and, in a small way, be a part of.

I found this quote, by visual artist Louie Schwartzberg, that I want to share with you. He uses time lapse photography to give us a unique look into the real world. And Michael, through his creative imagination and breathtaking images, gives us a peek into a world we'll never see in real life.

"Oh my God. ... The 'O' means it caught your attention, makes you present, makes you mindful. The 'my' means it connects to something deep inside your soul. It's a gateway for your inner voice to rise up and be heard. And 'God'? God is that personal journey we all want to be on, to be inspired, to feel like we are connected to a universe that celebrates life." — Louie Schwartzberg at TEDxSF

According to Louie, approximately 80% of the information we receive comes through our eyes.  Isn't it necessary then, for our well being, to have something beautiful to look at each and every day? Images, like those in Michael's car art, can create feelings of joy, bring back the memories and glory of days past, spark our imagination, launch dreams of a possible future, and bring us an overall feeling of well being. Through art in our home or work space, we are able to experience all that creative imagery has to offer on a day to day basis.

So, no matter what life and the world throw at you, don't forget to smell the flowers, take the time to enjoy your surroundings, and share a smile. Enjoy the day.  — Linda

A Love Story

Non car people just don't get it. They think a car is just transportation ... that it's a means to an end from point 'A' to point 'B'. When they look at a car (or truck, for that matter), they see 4 wheels, some metal, fiberglass, lights, a windshield and some other stuff that makes it go. But for many, though, it's much, much more than that.

We are often asked, kind of warily, if Michael is in fact a car guy at all. Or just one of those artists that has set their sights on a subject they feel will be profitable to them. With 4 classic cars, mountains of car magazines, shelves of books and boxes full of parts (many duplicates and triplicates, just in case), I can assure you, he's a car guy, nut, enthusiast (whatever word fits) through and through. And, he's definitely not alone.

In searching through the Netflix selections for car chase movies the other day (see what I mean about his passion?), Michael came across a documentary that, as car enthusiasts, you're sure to appreciate. "Love The Beast" is about one man's love of his car, what it's meant to him and his friends, and their journey together. 

Eric Bana and his Ford GT Falcon Coupe
— "THE BEAST"

"What if you were a Hollywood movie star with an obsession for cars and racing? You would probably read every script with even the tiniest link to the subject matter, in the hope that you could tell a great car story of the likes of "Grand Prix", "Le Mans" or "Mad Max"."  — www.imdb.com

You'll follow Eric Bana and his Ford GT Falcon Coupe — "THE BEAST", through his early childhood, acquisition of his first car (which is incidentally, the Falcon Coupe), restoration, rebuild, racing and more. Through Eric's eyes, we get a glimpse at his own 25 year long love story — reflecting on a lifetime of ownership and of friendship. Jay Leno, Jeremy Clarkson and Dr. Phil pitch in to help give us insight into the car obsessed psyche. You'll be glad to hear, they all agree it's quite healthy (yes, even Dr. Phil says so!).

A young Eric Bana.

Actor/Race Car Driver Eric Bana with Jay Leno.

From "Love the Beast", Eric Bana with Dr. Phil.

English motorsport broadcaster, Jeremy Clarkson.

When you have a spare couple of hours, check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed. — Linda

The 1970's - The Era That Started It All

We were at a local car show, held at Reif Winery, this past weekend. Our first time there, it's a very nice event, with about 350 classic cars, many of them Corvettes. Inevitably, when people see Michael's car artwork (especially in person), they want him to capture cars from other eras in brilliant watercolor! One of the most popular requests is vehicles from the 1950s. It's not that he doesn't like  those cars, Michael has an appreciation for pretty much every collector vehicle, it's a matter of time and influence.

Time is easy enough to explain ... each painting takes Michael literally hundreds of hours. Painting in watercolor allows Michael to play with reflections, subtle gradations and incredibly small details, but the drawback is that it is a time consuming medium. It's "high risk" — with very little room for errors. Each decision has to be made before the brush touches the cold pressed watercolor board he paints on. With a translucent medium, here are no "do-overs", or in other words, no "paint-overs!"

So, although Michael creates these incredible works full time (and then-some, putting in 16 hour days near the end of a painting), due to the length of time each piece takes, he only releases between 3-6 paintings a year. Currently, he is working his way through the "muscle car" era, thus no 50s cars yet!

Which brings us to the reason he started with the 1960s and 70s ... early influences. Everyone seems to have that pinnacle moment when they fell in love with a car, a make, a model. I often ask clients when they were struck by the "Mopar magic", or  hit with the "Chevy arrow" or the "Ford thunderbolt" ... okay, maybe I don't ask in such colourful ways, but you get the idea. Everyone I've spoken to can almost pinpoint that moment in time that impacted them and their choice to become car enthusiasts. For Michael it was a ride in his uncle's Mustang ... I think he was only 5 years old ... he got in and KNEW it was a cool car! Born in 1967, Michael grew up in the 1970s, and that era had the greatest influence on him. He grew up when muscle cars from both the 1960s and 1970s were everyday vehicles.

Michael's paintings are a reflection of the cars, the culture and the decades that brought them to us. While doing some online research for an upcoming piece, Michael came across this cool site, dedicated to bringing back some of the fun toys and games that those growing up in the 1970s might remember — it sure brought back memories for him! He found many toys, especially model cars and trucks, that he himself built back then. Check it out, it's a lot of fun. PlaidStallions.com — Linda

Decorating The Home With Automotive Fine Art

Michael's automotive fine art hangs in man caves, dens, rec rooms, offices and now, more than ever, in feature areas of many clients' homes. We are always thrilled to hear just how creative people are with, not only the framing and matting, but also how they hang Michael's Limited Editon Prints and Gallery Edition Canvases.

Recently, at Mecum Indy, we met face to face (for the first time) with a client that has collected Michael's work for several years. It was great to get a chance to put a face to a name, email and voice! Curtis had stopped by to say hi and to check out Michael's latest piece (which he'd already ordered, but not received yet), "Chasing History."

During our chat, Curtis and I exchanged framing and hanging ideas. One of the things we found we had in common (aside from a love and appreciation of Michael's car art!!), was the way we display it.

As you can well imagine, we have a LOT of art in our home — most of it Michael's but there's a decent showing of other works too. And, like many, we are a bit light on wall space. So, I decided to try "stacking" the art. In other words, rather than hanging a single print at eye-level, which is what most decorators recommend, I hang one just above, and one just below. So, my eye level, is roughly the bottom of the top frame. I have to tell you, the effect is pretty stunning. It gives it a "gallery feel" and to my mind, gives the art even more impact.

As it turns out, I'm not the only one to do this. One of our other clients, Steven, is not only stacking, but also alternating — one vertical Gallery Edition Canvas, two stacked framed prints, one vertical Gallery Edition Canvas, etc. — brilliant! I'm waiting for Steven to send me pictures (hint, hint).

After talking with Curtis at the Mecum Auction, to my surprise and delight, when we arrived at home, he had emailed me a photograph of his clever art corner! Here's a peek at what Curtis has done — not only stacking, but using corner space —looks great! Definitely an idea I plan to incorporate in our own home.

Fittingly, Curtis named the photograph he sent me, "Irvine Corner." Thanks Curtis!!

"Irvine Corner" great idea for hanging Michael's car art!
Shown clockwise, starting top left:
They Came With The Farm, Kings of the Road,
Big Blocks Behind the Barn, Always Room For One More.

Mecum Indy Auction: Behind the Scenes

For the first time ever, we set up a display of Michael's car art at Dana Mecum's Auction in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was quite the event ... over 2500 cars going over the block in only 6 days.


The auction ran from 8:00 am until near midnight, almost every day. We took a walk about and were amazed at the shear number and quality of the vehicles. In a word — wow!

Here are a few of the pics we took in the staging lane and in the Marsh Blue Ribbon building, where we were set up.

Mecum Indy: Michael's exhibit; our good friend Jim manning the booth.

Mecum Indy:  That's a lot of Corvettes, like "C1, See Them All."

Mecum Indy:Three orange Plymouth Superbirds under one roof in
the Blue Ribbon Marsh Building.

Mecum Indy: More Vettes - covering all the years.

Mecum Indy: This Classic Corvette was getting ready to hit the staging lanes.

Mecum Indy: Unrestored Plymouth Superbird. Wow.

Mecum Indy: Another wing car. "Six Pack Salute", anyone?

Mecum Indy: Some amazing cars with incredible pedigrees. Including
Fred Gibbs' 1969 Camaro race car.

Mecum Indy: This one appeared as a "What is it?" on our Facebook page.

Mecum Indy: Hot Rod Firetruck.

Mecum Indy: Yellow 1970 Plymouth Superbird.

Mecum Indy: 1970 Boss 302 Mustang — beautiful.

Mecum Indy: Early Corvette racer.

 Mecum Indy: Beautiful 1968 Shelby Convertible on it's way to being sold.

The annual auction is held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. It's a big venue, easy to get to no matter where you're staying. The Mecum staff are friendly and helpful, whether you are an exhibitor, buyer, seller, or spectator! As car events go, it's should be on everyone's bucket list!

For us, highlights included meeting new clients, seeing dear friends, and putting faces to the names and voices of people that have been collecting Michael's work since the early days. Great seeing you all. Until the next time, Cheers. — Linda

Linda's Easy Fajita Recipe

Last night I found another great way to use Chef Tim Creehan's Grill Plus in one of my "gotta get dinner on the table quick" fall-back recipes. In our family & work dynamic, as an artist, Michael focuses most of his time on the creative process. Every painting is a challenge he puts onto himself. He pushes himself creatively, starting with a vision and finding a way to push past the obstacles and make the painting come to life. And the results are stunning, like his latest piece "Blast By The Past." That leaves mundane tasks like chauffeuring our kids to and from all their activities, as well as preparing all our meals, to me.

"Blast By The Past" - Camaro SS 396 car art painting by Michael Irvine.

So, when I come up with, or come across, a meal that works nutritionally, fits the budget, meets our tight schedule and is loved by the family, it becomes a staple in our diets! I've been making fajitas for years — not authentic, by any means, but a family favorite none-the-less.

Last night, I thought I'd try using Grill Plus ... but I wanted to maintain the flavors our family has become accustom to — I don't know about you, but teenagers can be finicky — which meant still using the Bull's Eye Barbecue Sauce that gives the meal a pretty distinctive flavor. It was a raving success. So good, in fact, I thought I'd share my recipe with you.

Easy Fajitas

• 3-4 chicken breast
• 10" tortilla shells (your choice)
• 1 large red pepper
• 1 medium Vivaldi onion
• 1/4 cup Bull's Eye Barbecue Sauce (or your favorite)
• 1/8 cup Grill Plus (approx)
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro
• Condiments: grated cheddar cheese, guacamole,
  sour cream, taco sauce, salsa, hot sauce

Heat bbq to medium high. Brush one side of each breast with Grill Plus. I squirt a dollop on one breast then, using a silicone brush, brush over all 4. Place chicken on grill, Grill Plus side down. Close the lid. Mix barbecue sauce with approx. 2 tbsp of Grill Plus, brush other side of the chicken (while it's on the grill). Turn chicken, set bbq to medium, close lid. Cook for about 10 minutes (check to make sure it doesn't burn. It can be slightly underdone (pink in the middle). Because you've added Grill Plus, it WILL NOT stick ... awesome!

Remove chicken from grill. Set aside. Cut pepper and onion into strips. Heat a large skillet (I use an electric wok) on high. One at the time, heat the tortilla shells, turning when steam bubble appear. Do not over cook, you want them soft NOT crunchy. Once done, set aside on a covered plate.

Add peppers and onions to skillet, cut bbq'd chicken into strips. I stand the breast on it's side and halve it lengthwise, then cut into strips. Add chicken to the skillet. Sprinkle with ground pepper, chili powder and fresh cilantro. Toss mixture. Cook until chicken is all the way done through. I like the veggies to still have a bit of a crispness to them. That's it, your part is done.

Leave mixture in the skillet. Let everyone "fix their own" fajita. So easy and so good!  — ¡Buen apetito!, Linda

MegaSpeed Custom Car & Truck Show – Toronto

The new MegaSpeed Custom Car & Truck Show actually replaces Performance World, a show that was around for many years. So, this inaugural event, is really a new and improved version of one of the area's longest running indoor car shows. New owner, new vendors, new automobiles ... really, a great looking event. And, with the changes owner Pat is making, next year should be even better.

Although we did not set up a booth at the show, Michael's automotive fine art was on display; you can just make out the Gallery Edition Canvases of "BEEP BEEP!", "Feeding Frenzy" and "Pure As The Driven Snow"  in the background of the first photo of the Boss Mustang below, and "Bird Sanctuary" in the 2nd photo. WHAT a beautiful car! After spotting "Boss Building" while the car art was being hung, the owner added it to his collection.

Enjoy the pics. — Linda

Couple of shots of a truly stunning Boss Mustang.

Cool gold truck - beautiful paint. Inspiring us to get our 1971 Firebird into
a paint booth!

 

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One of our client's cars — took home 5 awards — awesome!