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Supercool realistic car sculptures

April 15 - 21, 2015
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Gulf Weekly Supercool realistic car  sculptures

Gulf Weekly Mai Al Khatib-Camille
By Mai Al Khatib-Camille

MOTORING enthusiast and acclaimed sculptor Dennis Hoyt aims to carve his way into the hearts of race fans by exhibiting his car creations at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) during the 2015 Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.

For more than 30 years, the American artist has been defying the concept of speed and motion with his art by shaping and moulding wood and metal into race car-inspired figurines ranging in size from desktop pieces to large-scale wall mounts.

The 68-year-old from Oregon has designed 150 stunning sculptures. He has been driven by the Trompe-l’œil art technique concept of using realistic imagery to create an optical illusion that depicts objects in three-dimensional form.

He has exhibited his works at classic car shows and conventions such as the Pebble Beach Concour d’ Elegance, the Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach, the Meadow Brook Concour d’ Elegance, as well as in the Austin Art Museum in Texas.
 
They have featured in group shows, which is why he is so thrilled to be staging his first solo exhibition entitled Art of Speed in the kingdom. Dennis said: “I’m absolutely elated to be coming to Bahrain and deeply honoured to be asked to exhibit here.

“It will also be my first time exhibiting outside the US. Words cannot express how happy I am to be able to showcase my work in this part of the world. Bahrain was the first nation to host an F1 race in the Middle East and this is the first time I’ve had a solo exhibition!

“I cannot thank His Royal Highness and the CEO of the Bahrain International Circuit Shaikh Salman bin bin Isa Al Khalifa enough.  I’m overjoyed with this opportunity and I hope it is the beginning of a long-standing relationship. I’m truly humbled.”

Dennis will be displaying nine sculptures including a striking two-metre long Psychedelic Porsche 917, alongside Seven, a similarly-sized tribute to Michael Schumacher’s seven F1 world championship crowns, as well as his only glass work of art, entitled The Grid, and a beautiful image of the Aston Martin CC100.

He will also be showcasing a ‘never-seen before’ sculpture at the Sakhir venue. Dennis said: “Once again, since Bahrain was the first, I wanted them also to be the first to witness my latest work. If possible, I would like to premier a new major work in Bahrain every year from this time forward.
 
“Aside from Seven, The Grid, Aston Martin CC100 and Hippie 917L, I will also be displaying my Mercedes 300SLR, 5th Jewel of the Crown, Night Flight and Phil’s Favourite. I will also be exhibiting some sketches of a very large, up to 10-metres long, piece that I have started working on.”

Each creation is close to his heart but his favourite is an impressionistic piece entitled The Ragged Edge, because as he explained, it was his ‘first attempt to go beyond the literal’.

“The most difficult piece was probably the Porsche 917L the ‘Hippie Porsche’. I got the insane idea to create this piece basically out of two pieces of wood - one piece being the car and the other the blur, to elongate the car, to depict speed,” he explained.

“If I do this in another version someday I will construct it out of more than just two pieces of wood! It took me way too long to finish. One of my later pieces, Seven, the tribute to Michael Schumacher, was equally as difficult, but in a different way.”
His art work can take up to three weeks to complete for a small desk top figure or up to 11 months for larger sculptures.

Those large offerings measure anything from two metres to just under four metres although he has designs to go larger, maybe up to 20 metres long, using a variety of materials including wood, steel and coloured glass.

He has bigger plans too. Dennis said: “I really want to wrap my head around some large works that will enable the viewer to become part of the sculpture. 

“Turning this idea into reality is one of my greatest goals in life.  I want the audience to become one with the work, to understand through the tactility of the surfaces of what I am trying to say.”

The talented craftsman had been carving cars out of wood and other left-over building materials since the age of eight, pieces brought home to him by his late father, Delmar, a carpenter.

He says his father was a motivating spirit, urging him to make the best use of his skills because every job or occupation had value and everyone had value too.

Dennis, a chip off the old block, always kept those inspirational words in mind as his career took off. But it wasn’t until he met his wife, Susan, that automobiles became the core subject matter.

He said: “I have been a sculptor all my adult life, but it was not until I married the most wonderful woman in the world that it took shape. In fact, we will be celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary in Bahrain on Friday.

“During the early years of my marriage I had always talked about creating some kind of sculpture with an automobile as the subject matter but could not think of a starting point.

“I have always loved cars. My parents told me that when I was three I could name every car on the road. One day my wife Susan said to me: ‘You ought to stop thinking about it and just do it’. That really got under my skin and I set out to show her I could do it.

“I started working on a small piece depicting the rear view of a Porsche which I called 911 Oblique and we still have it today.

“But Formula 1 has always been my passion and I want to further explore the thought of speed and motion and how best I can make each piece totally unique and even more visceral than anything that I have previously done.

“This will include introducing new and different mediums to aid in the illusion of speed. Coloured and fused transparent glass is one material I think could greatly enhance this idea, experience, or direction. I will do my best to stay ahead of the pack and never stop challenging myself.”

In 1988, Dennis created is first large piece called Fire and Reign and was  also the first artist to be unanimously elected to the Automotive Fine Arts Society. In terms of awards, he was the first recipient of the Raymond E. Holland Award for Vision and Creativity and has also received the acclaimed Peter Helck Award and five Athena Awards of Excellence.

Dennis hopes to involve art fans in Bahrain in the future too. He said: “I would love to talk with students and give presentations to those who might not be able to attend the race.”

As an art curator for 17 years at the Cavallino, he set up a student/artist work study group at entrepreneur, businessman and TV celebrity Donald Trump’s estate.

“The idea was to get students together with a professional artist so as to give the students somewhat of an idea of what it takes to be successful. This work study group was well received by Mr Trump as well as the students from the Palm Beach School of the Arts. 

“I always try to instil in young minds that there is nothing you cannot do if you never give up. I always tell them to never think you are the best, but always try to be the best. I guess you would say that started with my dad.”







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