Buick of Unconditional Love (1995-2005)

The Buick of Unconditional Love is now in pieces which will be on display at ArtCar World in Douglas, Arizona.

I started this car with a very definite design in mind, unlike the Truck in Flux, which constantly evolved. The Truck also had a strong fire element, so I wanted the Buick to feature water.

The hood was covered with mummified fish from the Salton Sea.

The theme, and the name, was focused on canines – dogs. Specifically, one dog looms large and his name was Fungus. A wonderful mutt that helped me meet my wife and lived with the two of us in LA, France and San Francisco. His ashes were in the back window area in a special sarcophagus. His head (with my eyes) graces the back seat window. Lots of canine imagery all over the car, as well as other snarling forms.

This artwork also explored male identity – the archetypes of aggression, strength, and dominance and how that co-exists with love and tenderness – through the prism of dogs.

The Buick was my Dad’s old car, and his presence as a strong male icon is part of the mix as well. Before Dad bought it, this car belonged to the chief engineer of Buick. It’s VERY comfortable, but made during GM’s “planned obsolescence” period.

This 1986 Park Avenue was not made to last a long time, nor was it made to be worked on extensively or modified, and it CERTAINLY wasn’t designed to tolerate having 1941 Buick front fenders and 1959 Buick Dagmars welded to it. I put in two engines, two transmissions, a truck radiator, truck shocks, truck brakes and raised the rear end an inch and a half. Like Daisy Singer and the Truck in Flux, this ArtCar featured a living garden on the roof

I had a lot of mechanical issues with the Buick (note: best mechanic in the world is Brake & Wheel in SF) and vowed to make my next ArtCar out of a new Honda. So begins the tale of Daisy Singer . .