Ken dallison american illustrator minimum

Monterey Car Week 2024 Perspective

Story and images by Rob Alen

Monterey Car Week is getting bigger and bigger with more events. This year Laguna Seca celebrated its 50th anniversary of historic racing which started with the Monterey Historic races that's become today's Rolex Motorsports Reunion.

Road racing on the Monterey Peninsula goes back to the 1950s as a means of promoting real estate properties in the Del Monte Forest. It transitioned to Laguna Seca in 1957,which has seen many famous cars and drivers who now appear at the Historics and Reunion. The 1989 Historics marked Aston Martin with a recreation of the 1959 Le Mans pit stands honoring their 1959 win with Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvatore and teammates Sterling Moss, Paul Frere, Jack Fairman, Maurice Trintignant.

In 1991 it honored an individual for the first time: Juan Manual Fangio, 5-time world driving champion, a record lasting for 46 years. Fangio, Jack Brabham, Dan Gurney became a Mount Rushmore of motorsport. Jack Brabham, the only F1 World Champion to drive a car of his own manufacture, and Dan Gurney, the only American to win a Formula One race in a car of his own manufacture.



World class racing at Laguna includes Indy Cars, Can-Am series, GTP sports cars in the 1980s like this Lowenbrau 962. A moving memory for some, a moving museum piece for the younger enthusiast. Still popular on the historic scene, is the Trans-Am series which had all major manufacturers, like the Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, Dodge Challenger and drivers like Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Mark Donahue, Sam Posey. The same cars returned in the hands of talented gentlemen drivers.

The popularity of Monterey Car Week has various factions trying to claim the title, from the common Monterey Car Week, to Pebble Beach calling it Pebble Beach Car Week, and Carmel has adopted Carmel Car Week. Whatever you want to call it, it feels like the week is in transition. An inflection point is

Longtime Hemmings Classic Car readers know that honoring cars for their undeniable affect on culture, as well as for providing us with transportation and sport, has been a tenet of this magazine from its first issue. While the influence of cars on culture has been expressed artistically for more than a century, automobiles haven’t always been recognized as “worthy” artistic subjects. It’s an honor to recognize the group that shares our love of everything related to cars, and has made the legitimization and promotion of automobiles and related motoring topics as valid subjects of master-quality fine artwork its key mission: We salute the Automotive Fine Arts Society.

The seed that would grow into the AFAS, as it’s colloquially known, was planted in 1981, when three talented automotive designers-turned fine artists— Ken Eberts [HCC #149], Jack Juratovic [HCC #6], and Tom Hale [HCC #5]—met with artists David Lord, John Burgess Sr., and Joe Henning, during that year’s Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance. These men pondered how to bring their work up to the caliber of preeminent motoring artists like Peter Helck and Walter Gotschke, and further validate this as a genre worthy of respect and collecting. They noted the strong prices the popular genre of Western art was commanding, borne by the esteem in which its creators in the Cowboy Artists of America were held, and mused on how automotive art would benefit from a similar professional organization.

They got a push in the right direction from Robert “Bob” Larivee Sr., the Meadow Brook Concours chairman who was both a client of Ken’s, and collector of Western art. “He said, ‘You guys ought to do something like that—form a group to exchange ideas, like a Kiwanis Club, that would be good for your art, and would help each other,’” Ken tells us. Bob would introduce Ken to Cowboy Artists founding member Joe B

Many of you are familiar that we do a monthly book club here at Lars. Along with featuring a new book, we collaborate with a new artist to create a print and bookmarks inspired by the book. They always turn out so beautifully and appropriate for each title! We decided it was high time that we start providing more in-depth insight into the beautiful work they create! We wanted to pick their brains a bit and get a peek inside their lives and their creative process as it might inspire you on your artistic journey or at least provide more appreciation and inspiration. We’re kicking off this new artist interview with the talented Argentinian, Josefina Schargorodsky, illustrator of this month’s book art. She has a lovely, unique style that is sure to brighten your day.

Continue for the full interview!

1. How did your illustrative style develop? Have you always been drawn to stylized representations?

Ever since I was a kid Iʼve drawn people and have always experimented with proportions. Sometimes Iʼd draw them super tall, super thick or with giant heads and tiny bodies. It was fun for me. I went to the local Academy of Fine Arts here in Buenos Aires (UNA National University of Arts), but it was there that I realized that I didn’t like the fine art world. Then I decided to make a change and started Fashion Design. Now I can see how much fashion illustration has influenced my work.

2. What do you doodle when you aren’t making anything for a specific project or client?

Plants, cats and women faces are my go-to doodle. Lately Iʼve been trying to change that, making an effort to try new things like…dogs!

3. How do you stay original, and what tips on the subject do you have for other creatives?

I believe that in order to stay original you have to surround with new (for you) exciting things. Going to museums, traveling and meeting new people. New ideas usually come form different sources and hav