ART for ALL: ART from All Perspectives

presents

an exhibition celebrating the artistry and passion of the automobile

featuring world renowned artists

Meet the Artists

Driven By Narrative

Cars are my muse, but it is the stories they carry that truly fuel my art. Each vehicle has a history, and my work uncovers and reimagines those stories through collage and assemblage. From afar, my pieces appear as striking portraits of automobiles; up close, they reveal photographs, documents, and ephemera that piece together a car’s unique journey.

I believe cars are more than machines—they are cultural artifacts, emotional vessels, and reflections of the people who built, owned, and loved them. By weaving research with illusion and symbolism—from butterflies that speak to aerodynamics to a Bugatti that vanishes into thin air—my art invites viewers to look deeper and discover the narratives that drive us.

Heidi Mraz is an internationally recognized automotive artist, documentarian, and guest curator of The Spark That Drives Us at Waterworks Visual Arts Center (2025–26). Based in Great Falls, Virginia, Mraz’s work is held in major international collections, and she is commissioned by top collectors, brands, and museums worldwide—including painting the winning cars of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Her art has been featured internationally in magazines and major automotive outlets, and exhibitions. She has served as an artist and judge at prestigious concours including RAC’s Motor Week in London and Motorcar Cavalcade in Miami. Beyond her studio practice, Mraz is a consulting curator for The White Collection, the author of a book on the 1951 OSCA MT4 Vignale, and currently producing Automotive Artifacts, a feature-length documentary exploring the stories behind her historically inspired assemblages.

STEFAN JOHANSSON

The Flow State

eeply rooted in the pursuit of flow and rhythm, those fleeting moments of complete immersion where time dissolves, and instinct takes over. Whether behind the wheel of a Formula One car or in the solitude of my studio, I am drawn to the edge where precision and chaos meet, where discipline gives way to intuition, and where the boundaries between control and instinct blur.

My background has profoundly inspired my artistic practice. Racing demands not only physical endurance but also a mental stillness—a singular focus that allows a driver to exist fully in the present moment. That same intensity defines my studio practice. The solitude of the track mirrors the solitude of creation: both are spaces where I confront myself, pushing limits to discover what lies beyond. In both disciplines, I find myself chasing something intangible—a perfect line, a fleeting feeling, or overcoming any fears.

The flow state is central to my process. On the track, it was about reading the conditions, feeling every nuance of the car, and breaking down every section of a corner into perfect abstracts that would result in that elusive perfect lap. In the studio, it’s about responding to the materials in front of me—paint, texture, color—letting them guide me as much as I guide them. Both require a surrender to instinct while maintaining a razor-sharp focus and knowing when to stop and not go over the limit.

My work explores themes of speed, motion, and stillness. Through abstraction and dynamic forms, I aim to capture the visceral energy of racing while also reflecting on its quieter moments—the meditative calm of preparation, the stillness on the starting grid before the lights go green, and the introspection that follows both victory and defeat.

Ultimately, my art is an extension of my life, my being—a dialogue between past and present, movement and stillness, control and freedom. It is an honest and ongoing exploration of what it means to push boundaries, embrace vulnerability, and find beauty in both precision and imperfection. Whether on the track or in the studio, I am always searching for that magic flow—because it is there that, I feel most alive.

MICHAEL FURMAN

Badass

Visual attraction begins my process of involvement—the more I look, the more I see. The more I see, the more I want to know. That is especially true when it comes to my interaction with cars. My appreciation is more visual than technical, and honestly, I would rather photograph a car than drive it. I hope that admission does not disqualify me from this exhibition.

Cars are an extraordinary subject to explore. Visually, they are stunning—their shapes, colors, highlights, and shadows are irresistible. But beyond aesthetics, cars serve countless purposes beyond transportation. They are personal statements. They express how we see ourselves and how we want others to perceive us. They reflect our personality, taste, ambitions, and identity.

Cars also carry stories. They embody 140 years of human achievement, conceived by forward-thinking innovators who imagined a better world with their creations traveling the roads. They represent the people who designed them, raced them, owned them—and sometimes even died in them. Their scars tell us where they have been and when.

Bringing cars into the studio to explore their essence feels natural to me. For this exhibition, I have chosen a perspective rarely celebrated—the rearview.

In 2021, I contributed to Badass, a book exploring the design and cultural significance of automotive rear ends. Famed designer Ralph Gilles noted, “Rear-end design is about leaving a lasting impression.” Louis de Fabribeckers, a European designer, called it “the cherry on the cake.” I see it differently: the rear of the car is one of the last spaces where we exercise our First Amendment rights. From bumper stickers to decals, we announce our beliefs, celebrate our schools, flaunt our humor, or proclaim our passions—all from the back.

The idea connects to an exhibition I saw over 50 years ago in Rochester, NY: a photographer displayed portraits showing only the backs of famous people’s heads. Those images revealed so much through what was not immediately obvious. That experience taught me a lasting lesson—be curious, look deeper, and seek fresh perspectives.

Through these rearview portraits, I invite viewers to do the same.

RICHARD PIETRUSKA

Essence of Form

Richard Pietruska’s Form Follows Fantasy is a sculptural celebration of automotive artistry. This collection showcases some of Pietruska’s most iconic works, each distilling the dynamic motion and design essence of the world’s most exotic automobiles. Through dramatic form and fluid lines, these sculptures capture the emotion, speed, and elegance that define automotive history and its continuing influence on innovation, fashion, and culture. Each piece is entirely handcrafted—no digital tools, no shortcuts.

Pietruska's meticulous process begins with concept sketches and scaled mockups, leading to a full-size prototype from which a mold is made and then the final fiberglass version is produced from this mold. The surfaces undergo painstaking preparation before the sculpture is ready for painting and finishing. Hundreds of hours go into each sculpture, some taking up to 6 months to finish. Custom-designed bases complete each piece, elevating them as objects of art.

Richard’s career bridges both creative practice and education. A native of Stamford, Connecticut, he began his journey in design as a national winner of the prestigious Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild. This honor enabled him to attend ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he earned both a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Design and a Master of Fine Arts. For over 50 years, he has served as a revered professor at ArtCenter, mentoring generations of top designers working today at marques such as Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche, Tesla, BMW, Aston Martin and just about every known brand today.

He is a member of the prestigious Automotive Fine Arts Society (AFAS) and has exhibited at premier events such as the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where he has received multiple Athena Awards of Excellence and the Peter Helck Award for three consecutive years. His sculptures have been featured in Road & Track, The Robb Report, Octane, Forza, and Rossa Ferrari, among others, and are held in private and museum collections around the world.

In Form Follows Fantasy, Pietruska invites viewers to experience the automobile not just as a vehicle, but as a sculptural object—a fusion of engineering and imagination brought to life through the artist’s hand, eye, and relentless pursuit of perfection.

DAN MCCRARY

Beyond Realism

What interests me most is composition. It could be an isolated section of chrome and color, represented in a very realistic manner - yet cropped, tilted, and manipulated in such a way as to present as an abstract composition. If I am successful, the fact that the subject is an automobile can be (merely) coincidental to a unique visual experience.

Dan caught the “car fever” at a very early age, in the mid-fifties when automobile design was in a period of exuberance; the visuals of color(s) and chrome, the noise and excitement of racing - it all gripped him and became a lifelong passion. He has been a full time automotive since 1980, locking in on watercolor as his medium of choice.

His work has garnered many awards over the years, being represented in quite a few prestigious exhibits, groups, and prominent collections: Automotive Fine Arts Society, American Water Color Society, National Watercolor Society, International Watercolor Masters, just to name a few.

He and Lynn are longtime residents of Charlotte, NC, as well as their daughter Danielle.