Automotive Fine Arts Society member Bill Neale will honor two of the greatest European marques, Jaguar and Bugatti, with new paintings at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. 
“Salute to a C-Jaguar” and “Earl and His Yellow Bugatti” will debut at the 24th annual AFAS exhibition, sponsored by Lincoln, on August 16. The AFAS is comprised of automotive artists worldwide who create masterpieces in watercolor, acrylic, oil, wood and various metals.
“Salute to a C-Jaguar,” a 24″ x 36″ acrylic on canvas painting, features a 1955 C type Jaguar underneath a soaring de Havilland Tiger Moth airplane. The 1930’s era biplane and the classic Jag are clad in traditional British racing green. A retired pilot and racer, Neale has been enamored with this airplane and sports car for quite some time.
“Many British fighter pilots trained on the Tiger Moth and its classic lines inspired many car designers after the war,” said Neale. “In my opinion, both the C type Jag and the Tiger Moth are beautiful, purposeful icons that symbolize the innovations contributed by the Brits to advancing aviation and motoring.”
Though Neale never piloted a Tiger Moth, he has enjoyed a C type Jag at speed.
“The C type in my painting was inspired by a fortuitous occasion during the Colorado Grand,” added Neale. “I’d been admiring a particular C type in the rally, which looked and sounded so good. I was delighted when the owner invited me to spend an afternoon in its passenger seat. That ride through some of the prettiest country in Colorado is etched in my memory.”
Neale’s second piece, “Earl and His Yellow Bugatti,” is a 12”x 19” acrylic on canvas that is the second to feature a fictitious man alongside a French masterpiece. In the painting, a young man stands next to the Bugatti, hands in the pockets of a classic brown suit, tie relaxed and a fedora framing his youthful face.
“The idea for this piece came when I spotted a yellow Type 57 Bugatti on a street in France,” explained Neale. “I was forever smitten by its elegance. For fun, I added a fictional character to the piece who my wife, Nelda, named ‘Earl’, who was in a previous Bugatti painting of 
mine. Like the famous New Orleans ‘Blue Dog’, he’s become a whimsical addition to my pieces featuring French cars, as these vehicles are often flights of fancy, too.”
Bugatti is one of the feature marques at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours and many hope to see a Type 57 on the storied greens. The cars were built from 1934 through 1940, with a total of only 710 examples produced. Most classic car enthusiasts consider it a treat to see one of the rare cars. In addition to his piece featuring the Type 57, Neale will also debut a painting that honors the Bugatti Type 37 and the new Bugatti Veyron, which is considered the fastest street production car in the world today.
As a founding member of the AFAS, Neale’s paintings are treasured centerpieces in many exclusive private and museum collections across the globe. The decorated artist recently captured Mazda’s “The Emotion of Motion Award” for his painting, “Aston Martin and Friend,” during the 14th annual AFAS art show at the 2009 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. He has also been commissioned to create the artwork for the Colorado Grand several times over the past 20 years. A contributing artist for Cavallino and AUTOMOBILE magazine, he is best known for his private commissions of cars ranging from old Ferraris to the newest models out of Munich, Detroit and Tokyo. Neale resides in Dallas with his wife Nelda. Additional information and a gallery of his pieces are available at www.billneale.com.
For more information, visits www.autoartgallery.com or www.pebblebeachconcours.net.
[Source: AFAS]
