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Journalism of Courage
Can8217;t afford to buy a vintage car? Get one on a canvas
When artist Donovan Woodhouse, 32, saw a crumbling 1928 Morris car parked outside his Defence Colony home, he was fascinated by it. Woodhouse rushed for his camera, clicking as many as 102 images and used them as a reference for his canvas. 8220;I processed the film and selected the best images. Within a week I had re-created a real-to-life image using stock images of the Morris complete with circular headlights, long grill and thin tyres,8221; says Woodhouse, an automotive artists who specialises in painting vintage and classic cars. In August 2006, Woodhouse held his first solo exhibition of a dozen vintage car paintings
All artists outline their passion for vintage cars as an underlying reason for doing this work. Some also recall childhood memories of growing up around vintage cars. 8220;My father, grandfather, uncle owned a fleet of vintage cars in our ancestral home in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. I would often go for joyrides in my father8217;s Ford Thunderbird and Cadillac. In fifth grade I presented a vintage car painting to my father who later encouraged me to pursue this passion,8221; says 30-something Vidita Singh, a professional automotive artist for the last five years.
However, there is an inherent challenge in painting vintage cars. Artist Satish Chauhan, 51, is busy giving the final touches to the grills of his 1935 Buick series 90, an oil on canvas. 8220;You have to get the dimensions right and cannot afford to go wrong in highlighting the proportions, or the painting is redundant,8221; explains Chauhan, a vintage car artist for the last 25 years. Chauhan also works on portraits, landscapes and abstract art, but it is vintage cars he finds satisfaction in, he says. 8220;Painting vintage cars has helped me grow as an artist. Because of the minute detailing, one begins to look at portraits and landscapes more carefully,8221; says Chauhan, who is planning his first solo vintage car painting exhibition next year.
The style of paintings differs from each artist. While Woodhouse infuses a psychedelic touch in his paintings, Singh tries to romanticise the cars by using softer tones and colours. 8220;These cars belong to a different era that evokes nostalgia in most of us,8221; says Singh. The pricing also varies. While some charge per square inch, others charge depending on the complexity of the work. Sixty-one-year old artist Zameer Hussain charges an average of Rs 30,000 per painting. 8220;The more complex the model, the higher will be rate of the painting. We have to increase the various components in exact proportions,8221; clarifies Hussain, who has done over 25 automotive works. Woodhouse on the other hand prices his works on the basis of Rs 10,000/ square foot and sold his most expensive work of a 8220;1912 Ford8221; for Rs 1.2 lakh to a collector in Baroda. After all, there is no better way to preserve your family car.
