The Automotive Fine Arts Society in association with the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance : The 23nd Annual Exhibition of the Automotive Fine Arts Society.

Artists: Larry Braun, Dennis Brown, Harold Cleworth, Ken Dallison, James Dietz, Ken Eberts, Art Fitzpatrick, Tom Fritz, Tom Hale, Jack Juratovic, Jay Koka, Charles Maher, John Francis Marsh, William Motta, Niles Nakaoka, Bill Neale, Richard Pietruska, Stanley Rose, Barry Rowe, Tony Sikorski, Craig Warwick, Bruce Wheeler, Nicola Wood.

Comment: The Automotive Fine Arts Society, a select association of artists who specialize in art of the automobile, was formed in 1983 and they've been exhibiting at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance since 1986. The setting for this annual event is a large tent just off the fairway of the famed 18th hole at Pebble Beach Country Club, the exhibition featuring a choice cull of paintings, sculptures, prints, and mixed media works by AFAS members from here and abroad. The society itself is one of the best organized groups of artists I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, and a testimonial to what artists can accomplish when they work together-- not just for a show or two, but for decades. I'd like to thank the AFAS, and Tony Sikorski in particular, for inviting me. Absolutely excellent-- and packed to the rafters with automotive fine art aficionados.

As for the Concours d'Elegance-- the finest collector car show in America-- I can only describe it as stunning, from workmanship and rarity standpoints as well as from the perspective of sheer kinetic sculptural beauty. Many of the cars on display are handmade one-of-a-kind originals, and the rest represent historic high points of the industry. The most entertaining part of the whole deal? Looking to see who's driving what as they pull up in front of the Lodge. Yes, the cars not in the show are nearly as good as those that are.

Ron Santarsiero hawks his "Predator" in the Lodge parking lot for $100K. He designed and built it himself on top of a Corvette chassis, if I recall correctly. The driver's seat is in the middle, so you can have a babe on either side when you're driving (or a dude on either side, if you're a babe) (or vice versa if you're gay) (or one of each if you're bi).

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