by Garrison Frost

For many, including this writer, the use of the term "concours d'elegance" is merely a way for rich guys to avoid using the term "car show." We can only imagine that the term "classic car show" falls somewhere in between.

Anyway, as we approach the 2003 Acura Palos Verdes Concours d'Elegance this weekend, the Palos Verdes Art Center is hosting a show of work that celebrates, you guessed it, the car, or more accurately, the vehicle. The PVAC is one of the primary beneficiaries of the annual event.

The linking of a show about road vehicles and the fund-raiser might have been risky if not for the ready availability of Portuguese Bend resident Stephen Shriver, who has perfected the art of drawing and painting cars and everything having to do with them. His show, entitled "10,000 Vehicles," is a pleasure to view. Our only complaint is that there just wasn't more of his work on display.

The name of Shriver's exhibition refers to the artist's goal of creating 10,000 drawings of individual vehicles. Judging by his current work, he can't be far from that goal. In fact, the most intriguing works on display were "100 Bugs" and "100 Buses," both of which feature Volkswagon products predominantly. In the case of "100 Bugs," Shriver has painted in watercolor 100 tiny front end views of Volkswagon Beetles in a grid. Each car is slightly different, and the repetition really makes the viewer appreciate the personality of the species. "100 Buses" does exactly the same for Volkswagon buses.

Also interesting were Shriver's depictions of freeways and tunnels. It's hard to put into words, but something about the colors and style of his paintings gives each subject a sort of casual joyful quality. His drawings of freeways might even possibly change what has become a cold architectural subgenre.

Shriver's work is in the PVAC's Beckstrand Gallery. Downstairs in the Stewart Gallery, one finds Redondo Beach resident Jeff Matsuno's "Walls of Venice." It's kind of hard to describe what Matsuno is up to hear, but suffice to say that we like it a lot. By depicting in three dimensions the walls from the city of Venice, Matsuno could be taking the diorama highbrow.

Our particular favorite was "Fondamta dei Socorso," what looks to be a warehouse wall with wooden shutters and electrical lines dangling. All of Matsuno's details are accurate, and placing the thing on a gallery wall really highlights the beauty of decay in the Italian city in a way that most paintings of Venice are unable to capture. "Fondamenta dei Tolentini" is another standout piece. Both subjects are somewhat ordinary. Matsuno doesn't give the viewer the sides of churches or cafes or anything one might recognize from a postcard. Rather, he gives us the ordinary pleasures of the city that really make it special.

Both "10,000 Vehicles" and "Wall of Venice" will be on display until Sept. 17.

(Sept. 10, 2003)

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