F1 Historic and Spa Six Hours 2011

After our weekend as art vendors at the Goodwood Revival, my friend Nicolas Cancelier treated me to a visit of the historic Spa-Francorchamps track to take in the sites and sounds of the historic races on Saturday September 24th.

We walked around the famous track, and I felt I was walking on hallowed ground …

The elevation changes were dramatic and the scenery was stunning; it helped that to day was warm and sunny. We came across a large number of rare beautiful race cars, and managed to catch some being driven in competition.

We visited the vendor area and met well-known and respected Belgian artists Claude Viseur (Clovis) and his spouse, along with artist Benoit Deliège. They treated me as one of their own, for which I am deeply grateful.

I even managed to realize my dream of sitting in my all-time favorite Grand Prix car, the Maserati 250F. I have to say that it was very difficult to not play the role of the determined racer at the wheel of that lovely car.

Interestingly, we came across 1957 pontoon-fendered Ferrari Testa Rossa, which has sporting a custom-made fast-back detachable roof! I had never seen such a thing, so I would appreciate any information you’d have on it.

This was an adventure that I will never forget.

All photos courtesy and © of Nicolas Cancelier 2011

Grand Prix History Calendar for 2012

I’ve created a jewel case calendar featuring Grand Prix racing through the ages.

Starting with Philippe Étancelin’s win of the 1930 French Grand Prix de Pau, it wraps up with the famous Gilles Villeneuve/René Arnoux battle for second in the 1979 French Grand Prix at Dijon.

The calendar has a different illustration for each month, with illustration details on the back; it retails for $25 CDN plus shipping/handling. The calendar size is 5.59" x 4.98" x 0.36" (14.2cm x 12.7cm x 0.9cm).

The Holidays are just around the next turn!

Spitfire 75th Anniversary

On my way to the Goodwood Revival, I had quite a long stop-over in Montréal (plus delays caused by a thunderstorm.)

Knowing that I would be there long, I brought some reference images and drawing materials, and did a freehand sketch of a Spitfire while sitting in the terminal.
Pen&ink and archival markers on archival watercolour paper 12"x 9" (30.5cm x 22.9cm)
Original sketch available for sale.

A retired Québecoise on her way to Paris stopped by to chat when she saw me sketching; she also liked to sketch, but not normally in airport waiting areas!

François Cevert 1944-1973

"Il y a 38 ans, une étoile s'est éteinte".


Sadly, today marks the 38th anniversary of the passing of the great François Cevert at Watkins Glen.

The Goodwood Revival 2011: An Artist-vendor’s View

This year, my good friend Belgian artist Nicolas Cancelier and I decided to take the plunge and show our art together at the 2011 Goodwood Revival.

Me and my good friend Belgian artist Nicolas Cancelier
© Dirk de Jager 2011

I have to say that it was an experience I won’t soon forget.

Here, we are joined by fellow artist Anna-Louise Felstead.

Dirk (centre), a friend, and I help chop down a small forest of Chimay.
 
The traffic in our booth’s alleyway was less than we anticipated, and I think it hurt all our neighbour vendors too.

Even with this fact, we had a good enthusiastic public, some of them even seeming shocked at the idea that two artist friends could show their art together, and that there could be such a large variety of artwork.

We also had drop-ins by Facebook friends, like David Anthony Betts, photographer/journalist Dirk de Jager and videographer/photographer Ralph Colmar, along with fellow artists Anna-Louise Felstead, Debra Wenlock, and Richard Wheatland. Due to a little creative marketing on our part, we also had a few celebrities drop by. I can safely say that the days weren’t boring.


Tiff Needell, Arturo Merzario and Paul Lovett all benefitted from our little limited edition gifts.
  
As exhibiting artists, we didn’t have much time to really take in any of the event and activities, but it was exciting non-the-less.

At the end of the day, we became regulars at the Bell Inn in Chichester. It’s a wonderfully friendly laid-back place with great food — the perfect escape after our 13-hour days!

Goodwood Revival 2011

Well, the clock is ticking down for the world's best vintage racing festival, the Goodwood Revival.

I will be sharing a vendor booth there with my good friend Belgian artist Nicolas Cancelier, and we are both anticipating a wonderful time at this premier event.

It takes place over the 16th, 17th and 18th of September, and ticket sales have already surpassed last years attendance figures.

If you are lucky enough to be there too, please drop by Revival Market Stand #61, and say "Hello".

Phil Hill – America's First Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champion

This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Phil Hill’s Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship.

1961 Formula 1 World Drivers' Champion Phil Hill and the Ferrari 156 F1 "Sharknose"
Pen& ink and Prismacolor pencils on white archival stock 
© Paul Chenard 2011
Available as a limited edition of 50.

50 years ago, there were more Americans involved in Formula 1; Phil Hill was joined by Dan Gurney and Richie Ginther in high echelons of international racing, and more were to follow.

Hill made his mark successfully racing sports cars, including Ferraris. This got the attention of the man himself, Mr. Ferrari, and Hill was recruited to the team. He started racing in Formula 1 in 1958, finally winning his first race in 1960 at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

The following year, he took the Championship, racing the famous Ferrari 156 F1 “Sharknose”.

Phil Hill’s accomplishment is being celebrated at the Danville Tours D’Élégance on September 17th and 18th. Please try to attend this wonderful event; proceeds from it will go in support of Parkinson’s research and patient care.

I’ve had the honour of designing the poster for the event; Phil Hill is one of my heroes, too!

"Boys of Bonneville" Documentary Film

There is a new documentary film out entitled "Boys of Bonneville". Though I’ve yet to see it, it looks quite promising.


Here is the movie’s synopsis, taken from the website www.boysofbonneville.com:

Boys of Bonneville: Racing on a Ribbon of Salt is about an America that has all but disappeared, when lucrative business deals were cemented by a handshake and state of the art automobiles were designed on the backs of envelopes. It tells the story of an unsung hero and self-made man, David Abbott Jenkins, who, with almost superhuman stamina and boyish charm, set out to single-handedly break every existing land speed record on his beloved Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah. More than a century later, many of “Ab’s” records remain unbroken and the legacy lives on in his custom car. Looking like something Batman would have owned, the story comes full circle when Ab’s son Marv, restores the 12-cylinder, 4800-pound “Mormon Meteor” to its glory days for a ceremonial lap on the salt.There is a new documentary film out entitled "Boys of Bonneville". Though I’ve yet to see it, it looks quite promising.

The film features pristine archival footage of Ab, Marv, and their races, as well as recently shot HD interviews with a stellar list of car and racing aficionados (including Jay Leno and Col. Andy Green, the current land speed holder). The car resides in Salt Lake City’s Price Museum of Speed (www.pricemuseumofspeed.org) and will be visiting select cities as part of its Film Festival tour.

The movie’s director Curt Wallin and it’s producer John Greene are both being interviewed this evening on SPEED Channel’s Wind Tunnel, hosted by Dave Despain at 9:00 pm ET.

I think this might be a movie worth paying attention too.

More package art ...

In the past week, I've had more orders for my book, so I did a few more package sketches ...

Eau Rouge

Ken Miles - Cobra

Farina – Alfa Romeo – Silverstone 1950

The art of packaging art …

When I first started selling my art worldwide, I was (and still am) absolutely thrilled.

The idea that someone shares my vision and likes my art enough to purchase that art is completely rewarding.

I was so happy that I started to do “bonus” sketches on the outside of the packages to reward my clients for their support. It had an unexpected added bonus of the couriers and postmen taking better care of the packages.

I don’t always have the opportunity to add a sketch to the package, but I try.

Here are a few of the “package” sketches I’ve done over the past couple of years …

Juan Manuel Fangio - El Maestro

Today marks the 100th anniversary of Juan Manuel Fangio's birth. This five-time Formula 1 Drivers' World Champion from Balcarce, Argentina passed away on July 17, 1995.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, El Maestro!

Bira the racing Prince

Born in 1914, Birabongse Bhanudej was a Grand Prix and Formula 1 racecar driver from Siam (now Thailand).

Better known as Prince Bira, or his racing name "B. Bira", he raced a Riley, Maseratis, Connaughts, Gordinis, but is best known for successfully racing E.R.A.s.

After his formal education in the United Kingdom, he raced with his cousin Prince Chula Chakrabongse's White Mouse Racing team. In 1935-36, the team started acquiring E.R.A.s, and Bira gave a name to each; first was the R2B "Romulus", followed by R5B "Remus", and lastly, R12B "Hanuman".
Bira racing Romulus

14.5"x 11" limited edition print

© Paul Chenard 2011

I did this sketch on the outside of the package of my new book and an original art-piece that a client had ordered. He owns the car in the sketch, so I thought I'd thank him with a sketch of it. Couriers also take much better care with the package when I do that.

Prince Bira found most success racing "Romulus" throughout 1936, with 3 wins, including Monaco and Brooklands, and a second and third place finish.

Post-war, Bira won the Grand Prix des Frontières on the Chimay road circuit in 1954, racing a Maserati 250F and the New Zealand Grand Prix in 1955. He retired at the end of the 1955 season.

Prince Bira died of heart failure in London in 1985 at the age of 71.

Les 24 heures du Mans 2011

The 24 heures du Mans is coming up this weekend, at the same time as Grand Prix du Canada. Talk about over-stimulation!

The 24 Heures du Mans race is the world’s oldest sports car race, with the first race being held in 1923.


The race is organized by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and it is run on the Circuit de Sarthe, about 2.5 hours south-west of Paris.


On the world stage, the race equals in stature to the Grand Prix de Monaco in the Formula 1, and the Indianapolis 500 in Indy car.


There have been cycles of consecutive winners starting with Bentley in the late 1920’s, followed by Alfa Romeo through the 1930’s, and two Bugatti wins late in the decade.


 The war years stopped the race until 1949, with the advent of Ferrari’s first win there. There was mostly Jaguar dominance through the mid-1950’s. Ferrari came back with a vengeance, winning six years in a row, 1960 through to 1965.


At this point, we were well into the Ford/Ferrari war, with Ford taking the next four years. Please read A. J. Baimes’ great book “Go like Hell” to get fabulous insight on the battles.





1970 heralded the Porsche years at Le Mans, with sixteen wins until 1998. These were interspersed with wins by Jaguar, Mercedes, Mazda, Peugeot, Dauer, McLaren, and BMW.


Since 2000, we have been in the Audi years, with the exception of Bentley (2003) and Peugeot (2009).


Aston Martin has returned “en force”, so this year is looking like a three-way battle between them, Audi and Peugeot.


Le Mans has never been so exciting!

Silver Clouds: The 1934 Grand Prix Season

It was inevitable that my love of drawing would one day lead me to express artistically my passion for Grand Prix racing history.

In researching the racing history of the 1930s, I came across material that captivated me. There were many stories about technological developments, about political manoeuvres, about rivalries between racecar teams, and, above all, about drivers.


In particular, the 1934 Grand Prix season formed a turning point in Grand Prix racing history. Disrupting the ebb and flow of the established racing teams’ fortunes and successes, two new, powerful teams suddenly joined the fray of the 1934 season. These teams would establish clear and total Grand Prix dominance from 1935 to 1939, but their auspicious performances in 1934 did not go without notice.


With the idea of passing on these great stories, I decided to write a little book and provide an illustrated overview of the season, with a focus on the 9 key races and 12 of the people who were part of it.


After months of research, writing, creating art, design, layout and finally, assembly and packaging, my little less than perfect book on the 1934 Grand Prix season is ready and available. It’s published as a limited edition of only 50 copies, signed, numbered and custom wrapped.


It’s been a stimulating exercise of tying it all together, visually and narratively.


I hope that the story, the art and the package will offer the reader a memorable experience.


Please contact me at paul.chenard@hotmail.com if you are interested in purchasing a copy.

Sir Moss takes Monaco 1961

50 years ago on the last weekend in May, everything pointed to a possible Ferrari sweep of the Grand Prix de Monaco.

Ferrari had introduced their new Formula 1 contender the 156 “Sharknose”, which carried a distinct horsepower advantage over the competition.

Ferrari was running two engine configurations; a V-6 with a 65 degree V-angle (180 hp) and one with a 120 degree V-angle (190 hp). Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips raced 65 degree V-6’s and Richie Ginther the 120 degree V6.

Sir Stirling Moss - Winner, Monaco Grand Prix 1961
Prismacolor pencils on gray archival stock, 10"x 8"  © Paul Chenard 2009
Private collection. Available as a limited edition.

Sir Stirling Moss was driving the Rob Walker Lotus 18 F1 car which ran with a 1.5 litre Climax inline-4 engine producing only 174 hp.

Lotus was also there with Jim Clark driving the Lotus-Climax, with Jo Bonnier and Dan Gurney racing the Porsche 718’s.

From his pole position, Sir Moss took an early lead from Ginther and Clark, and retained it to the end. He drove at 10/10’s for the whole race, keeping just ahead of the very persistent Ginther and Hill in their more powerful cars.

Sir Moss is quoted in saying that this was his best race ever, and in seeing the machines and talent he was up against, one can only agree!