Published: Sunday, April 19, 2009
Artist draws his inspiration from hot rods and race cars
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Michael O'Leary / The Herald
Artist Eddie Davis will design a poster once again for the Old Silvana Car Show on May 2.
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Michael O'Leary / The Herald
Eddie Davis displays some of his art in his Fife home.
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"I've been a car nut all my life," says Harris, who recently completed this poster design. See more of Harris' artwork at www.ehartofspeed.com.
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Michael O'Leary / The Herald
Artist Eddie Harris shows one of his paintings.
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Michael O'Leary / The Herald
Eddie Davis loves drawing cars.
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Michael O'Leary / The Herald
Eddie Harris works on a T-shirt design in his Fife home. Harris is the designer of the poster for the upcoming Old Silvana Car Show.
A car is more than just four wheels and an engine to artist Eddie Harris.
To him, a well-designed vehicle is a literal sculpture.
"In other words, I look at cars as actual artwork -- rolling art," he said.
This year, Harris drew inspiration from that rolling art as he again designed a poster for the Old Silvana Car Show on May 2, one of Snohomish County's first car shows of the year. He also intends to appear at the Mild to Wild car show this weekend in Tacoma as part of its Brush Bash.
"His art, it's all hand-done. There's no computerized stuff," said Arvid Lohne, manager at the Old Silvana General Store, the Silvana show's sponsor. "It's very, very true to life."
Harris has lived in Silvana for the past five years, but now is moving to Fife, outside Tacoma. There, he plans to design posters and T-shirts for Bucky Austin, a hot rod racer.
Harris began his career as an artist working in animation. While the job was rewarding, it grew dull.
"It's like factory work," Harris, 58, said. "You're doing the same thing over and over and over, and you can't put any of yourself into it."
He relocated from California to Washington in the late 1980s, drawn by the beauty of the outdoors. Instead of painting landscapes, however, he focused on bomber jets, pin-up girls and, most of all, cars.
The subject was already a favorite of Harris, whose work has appeared in some car magazines. He owns a 1969 Lincoln Continental Mark III and a 1964 Buick Riviera, which he hopes to restore.
"I've been a car nut all my life," Harris said.
His paintings reflect that, offering cartoonish or realistic takes on hot rods and race cars.
Some of his pictures are all stylized exaggeration, akin to the work of Ed Roth, creator of the Rat Fink character. Others take a more realistic approach, as if Norman Rockwell were tackling NASCAR.
Harris, who works with acrylics, tries to capture both the gleam of a car's hood and the glint in a racer's eye.
"I was always drawn to the guys that got real intense into detail and color," he said. "That's what I emulate."
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com.
Upcoming car shows
Mild to Wild: Hot Rods and Hot Rides Show April 24 to 26 Tacoma Dome www.mildtowild.us
Old Silvana Car Show May 2 Old Silvana General Store
1401 Pioneer Highway, Silvana
Cruzin' to Colby May 24 and 25 Downtown Everett www.seattlerod-tiques.com
Eddie Harris
See more of Harris artwork at www.ehartofspeed.com.
To him, a well-designed vehicle is a literal sculpture.
"In other words, I look at cars as actual artwork -- rolling art," he said.
This year, Harris drew inspiration from that rolling art as he again designed a poster for the Old Silvana Car Show on May 2, one of Snohomish County's first car shows of the year. He also intends to appear at the Mild to Wild car show this weekend in Tacoma as part of its Brush Bash.
"His art, it's all hand-done. There's no computerized stuff," said Arvid Lohne, manager at the Old Silvana General Store, the Silvana show's sponsor. "It's very, very true to life."
Harris has lived in Silvana for the past five years, but now is moving to Fife, outside Tacoma. There, he plans to design posters and T-shirts for Bucky Austin, a hot rod racer.
Harris began his career as an artist working in animation. While the job was rewarding, it grew dull.
"It's like factory work," Harris, 58, said. "You're doing the same thing over and over and over, and you can't put any of yourself into it."
He relocated from California to Washington in the late 1980s, drawn by the beauty of the outdoors. Instead of painting landscapes, however, he focused on bomber jets, pin-up girls and, most of all, cars.
The subject was already a favorite of Harris, whose work has appeared in some car magazines. He owns a 1969 Lincoln Continental Mark III and a 1964 Buick Riviera, which he hopes to restore.
"I've been a car nut all my life," Harris said.
His paintings reflect that, offering cartoonish or realistic takes on hot rods and race cars.
Some of his pictures are all stylized exaggeration, akin to the work of Ed Roth, creator of the Rat Fink character. Others take a more realistic approach, as if Norman Rockwell were tackling NASCAR.
Harris, who works with acrylics, tries to capture both the gleam of a car's hood and the glint in a racer's eye.
"I was always drawn to the guys that got real intense into detail and color," he said. "That's what I emulate."
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com.
Upcoming car shows
Mild to Wild: Hot Rods and Hot Rides Show April 24 to 26 Tacoma Dome www.mildtowild.us
Old Silvana Car Show May 2 Old Silvana General Store
1401 Pioneer Highway, Silvana
Cruzin' to Colby May 24 and 25 Downtown Everett www.seattlerod-tiques.com
Eddie Harris
See more of Harris artwork at www.ehartofspeed.com.
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