street art SSRs

Chevy "Street Art" SSRs Journey Across America

Twenty Artists Commissioned to Capture the Spirit of America and the SSR

DETROIT - Twenty artists, four from each of Chevrolet's five U.S. marketing regions, have been commissioned by Chevy to create original works that capture the spirit of America and the SSR as an American roadster. "Street Art" is one of eleven "pedigree" themes for the SSR Signature Series, the marketing program developed around the first 25 saleable Chevy SSRs.

One Signature Series SSR will be dedicated exclusively to each of General Motor's five U.S. sales regions. Each vehicle will embark on its own unique journey throughout the region, appearing at music festivals, art festivals, state fairs, air shows and sporting events. Along the way, Chevrolet representatives will collect memorabilia, photographs, autographs, news clippings and other keepsakes that capture the essence of the vehicle's travels. These collectibles will help create a "pedigree" specific to each SSR. All four commissioned pieces of artwork and the other memorabilia gathered for the pedigree will be auctioned with its particular vehicle at the conclusion of the program later in 2003.

"The look of the SSR is inspired by the late-1940s/early-1950s Chevy 'Advanced Design' pickups, its feel is of a modern day open-air roadster and its heart is all American," said Janet Eckhoff, Marketing Director for Chevrolet's Mid-Size Trucks. "By commissioning artists from different parts of the U.S. who are inspired by the spirit, people, culture and landscape of their area, we hope to capture the essence of what makes our country wonderfully diverse as well as what makes the SSR uniquely American."

"Street Art" artists (listed by region):

North Central: (Signature Series SSR vehicle #008)

Pegi Ballenger, Lakeville, Minn.
David Chapple, Grand Blanc, Mich.
Gordon France, LaGrange, Ill.
Gregory Gove, Chicago, Ill.

Northeast: (Signature Series SSR vehicle #006)

Michael Leu, Forest Hills, N.Y.
Andy Russell, West Seneca, N.Y.
Jane Stoddard, East Amherst, N.Y.
Curtis Woody, Upper Marlboro, Md.

South Central: (Signature Series SSR vehicle #007

Jerry McClanahan, Corsicana, Texas
Jane Pronko, Kansas City, Mo.
Eli Rodriguez, Jr., Dallas, Texas
Dave Stefaniak, Carrollton, Texas

Southeast: (Signature Series SSR vehicle #009)

William Kwamena-Poh, Savannah, Ga.
Dennis Lighthart, Hertford, N.C.
Tere Pastoriza, Miami, Fla.
Patrick Sullivan, Wilmington, N.C.

West: (Signature Series SSR vehicle #010)

Stan Cline, Winnetka, Calif.
Patty Forte' Linna, Brier, Wash.
Mark Keller, Sausalito, Calif.
Keith Wicks, Somona, Calif.

The Unique "Signature Series"
All 25 Signature Series vehicles will be identical in appearance and feature content that is not available on any other 2003 model year SSR. These features include Ultra Violet exterior paint; chrome Signature Series badge on the "waterfall" interior panel "signed" by GM or supplier team members directly associated with the SSR program; silver stitching on the black leather-wrapped steering wheel and seats; addition of the SSR logo on the VIN plate; Signature Series badge on the tailgate, body-color engine cover with silver insert and billet aluminum strips; and body-color auxiliary gauge package located on the floor console, floor mats which include the SSR logo, and cargo compartment trim with wood strips, lights and drop-down storage.

Part roadster, part pickup
There is nothing else like the SSR in the market today. It's part roadster, part pickup and is a completely innovative expression of Chevy's proud heritage. A highlight of SSR's design is a unique power-operated retractable hardtop that stores vertically and out-of-sight between the passenger and rear stowage compartments.

The frame and chassis of the SSR are similar in design to Chevy's mid-size TrailBlazer family of sport utilities. All major exterior panels are of one-piece stamped steel. Under the hood is a new aluminum-block version of GM's Vortec 5300 (5.3-liter) small-block V8 that drives the rear wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission. Rounding out SSR's sporty street machine appearance are 19-inch front and 20-inch rear tires and wheels.

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Editor's Note: For the most up-to-date Chevrolet media information and photography, please visit our web site at http://media.gm.com/chevy

Chevy SSR Signature Series "Street Art" Program -- Artist Bios

NORTH CENTRAL REGION

Pegi Ballenger
Pegi Ballenger resides in Lakeville, MN and works with pastels. She illustrates for children's publications and teaches pastel classes at her studio, at the Sheppard Art Institute in Colorado Springs and in special art programs at local elementary schools. Ballenger is a founding member of the Pikes Peak Arts Council, a nonprofit organization serving the arts community of the Pikes Peak/Colorado Region, and a member of the International Association of Pastel Societies. She also has a 15-year career in graphic arts, radio and television.

Gordon France
Gordon France resides in LaGrange, IL and works with watercolor. He retired from a 40-year career working as a studio artist and art director, and since 2000, has painted full-time. A painter of city "life & activity" and cityscapes, his watercolors show emotion and activity drawing the viewer into his paintings. Since resuming painting in 1994, France has displayed at art shows across the Midwest and has had several successful one-man gallery exhibitions.

David Chapple
David Chapple resides in Grand Blanc, MI and works with acrylics. He describes his work as electric, colorful and glitzy, with automobiles playing an important role in his paintings. With his in-your-face style and use of dramatic colors, Chapple has won numerous awards and has held several successful one-man shows. His work has been featured on the covers of nine Old Car Weekly, two Ward's Automotive, and five DuPont Registry publications; on the 1996 Miami Auto Show poster; and on one million Pepsi® cans in 2000.

Gregory Gove
Gregory Gove resides in Chicago, IL and works with acrylics. Working in a variety of styles, shapes and sizes, Gove prides himself on his ability to adapt to the needs of the client and project. He acclimates his pieces to work within the context of environments, which include hospitals, hotels, restaurants and retail spaces. His mural located in the Sears Tower will be featured in an upcoming Warner Brothers film featuring Michael Douglas and Candice Bergen.

NORTHEAST REGION

Jane Stoddard
Jane Stoddard resides in East Amherst, NY and works with watercolor. From a technical point of view, she goes off the beaten watercolor path to achieve realistic detail in her favorite subjects such as market scenes, shop windows with complex reflections and Victorian architecture. She is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and a fellow of the American Artists Professional League and the Hudson Valley Art Association. Stoddard is also listed in 1999-2000 Who's Who in the East and Who’s Who in American Art.

Michael J. Leu
Michael Leu resides in Forest Hills, NY and works with watercolor. Merging architecture and art, Leu’s work is inspired by the vibrancy and activity of New York City. He has received numerous awards and recognition for his New York cityscape paintings and has been commissioned by Rudolf Guliani, Ford Motor Company and numerous commercial endeavors. In addition to having an established group of collectors in both the United States and overseas, thousands of people own his original watercolors, Serigraphs, etchings, photographs and prints. He is also a trained architect and accomplished photographer.

Curtis G. Woody
Curtis Woody resides in Upper Marlboro, MD and works with pen and ink stipple and watercolor. Pen and ink stippling is one of the most demanding and time-consuming drawing techniques. Woody devotes hundreds of hours to developing images that are honest in their portrayal of ordinary people. A recipient of numerous awards, Curtis' talent and subject choices have moved art lovers for three decades. His career is characterized by his continuing allegiance to his cultural heritage.

Andy Russell
Andy Russell resides in West Seneca, NY and works with acrylics. Inspired by his dreams, surroundings and travels, Andy creates imaginative lands of peace, beauty and tranquility. Using the glazing technique of layering thin washes of color to achieve a soft illuminated enhancing the work’s dream-like quality. His artwork is displayed in the United States and abroad in corporate and private collections, including GTE, Aero Instruments, Armand Castellani (Castellani Art Museum) and celebrity artist Peter Max.

SOUTH CENTRAL REGION

Jane Pronko
Jane Pronko resides in Kansas City, MO and works with oils. Pronko tempers commercial, industrial reality with a softening impressionism. She has had five one-women exhibitions and several group exhibits and her work is currently featured in galleries in Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Kansas. Pronko's work is represented in numerous public and private collections at banks, colleges and museums and have been used by Hallmark® greeting cards.

Jerry McClanahan
Jerry McClanahan resides in Corsicana, TX and works with watercolor. Fascinated with Route 66, he began extensively photographing, mapping and researching the old highway and its landmarks in 1981, and painting and writing about it in the early nineties. The former staff artist/writer for Route 66 Magazine, McClanahan's articles, artwork, photos and maps played an important role in developing the magazine's style. His artwork and photos have appeared in such publications as Historic Traveler, Popular Mechanics, and Playboy of Brazil, and can be found in private and corporate collections throughout the United States and abroad.

Dave Stefaniak
Dave Stefaniak resides in Carrollton, TX and works with watercolor, pen and ink, colored pencil and gouche. His work is on view at galleries in Sedona, AZ and Dallas, TX.

Eli Rodriguez, Jr.
Eli Rodriguez, Jr. resides in Dallas, TX and works with watercolor and pastels. With its loose style, symphony of colors and unique brush strokes, his work can best be defined as "contemporary impressionism." Significant themes in most of Rodriguez's work are the barren tree and mountains, which he describes as "ancient and all-knowing." In 2001, the Presidential Inaugural Committee commissioned him to produce pieces for President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney for presentation at the Inaugural Gala in Washington, DC. He was later called back to the White House by the committee to present yet another painting to Chief Council Al Gonzales.

SOUTHEAST REGION

Tere Pastoriza
Tere Pastoriza resides in Miami, FL and works with oils. Her work has been described as possessing inherited warmth and sensuality, while remaining rational and modern. Born in Cuba in the 1950's, her love for painting eventually led her to resign from her position as an account executive to paint full-time. A recipient of numerous awards, her work is displayed at numerous exhibitions and private collections in North America and Europe. She is currently a resident artist at the Latin American Museum of Art in Miami, Florida.

William Kwamena-Poh
William Kwamena-Poh resides in Savannah, GA and works with watercolor. Born in Ghana, West Africa and moving to the United States in 1980, Poh tries to build a bridge between African and American cultures through his art. Using color and design to get his message of Africa across, he has built a strong reputation nationally and internationally and is the recipient of numerous awards. His work has been used in such television sitcoms as the Cosby Show, Martin and Living Single; in such movies as Losing Isaiah; and can be seen in corporate and private collections owned by Disney Corporation, Amoco Corporation, Black Entertainment Television, Angela Bassett and Forest Whitaker.

Patrick Sullivan
Patrick Sullivan resides in Wilmington, NC and works with watercolor. His paintings of the beach, tropical animals, ocean piers and other coastal scenes have made him a popular artist along the east coast. With an extensive background in drafting, commercial art and engraving, he is a self-taught watercolorist with more than 60 published prints to date.

Dennis Lighthart
Dennis Lighthart resides in Hertford, NC and works with acrylics. He has mastered the uncommon art of airbrushing with acrylics, which produces remarkable works of art. He has been the topic of numerous newspaper and magazine articles and his work is collected in the United States and abroad. His paintings are currently featured in seven galleries around the world.

WEST REGION

Mark Keller
Mark Keller resides in Sausalito, CA and works with oils. He has enjoyed several distinguished careers, including musician, art director, illustrator and commercial music producer. He has created award-winning ads for Nocona Boots and Levis® Strauss & Company and wrote music for hundreds of national television commercials. As a painter, his work often reflects how much music has impacted his life. From smoke-filled tango bars in Buenos Aires to jazz clubs in Paris and street musicians in New York subways, his paintings convey an audible as well as a visual emotion. In 2002, he earned first place in the New Art International art competition.

Patty Forte' Linna
Patty Forte' Linna resides in Brier, WA and works with pastels. Her work shows the depth of her emotion and her passion for painting. Linna has won several awards and her work is currently featured in a gallery in Oregon.

Keith Wicks
Keith Wicks resides in Somona, CA and works with oils. His paintings capture the essence of the moment with a clarity and intensity rarely seen in today’s impressionistic works. His work is exhibited in several San Francisco-area galleries and permanent exhibitions as well as collected nationally and internationally. Wicks will be featured in an upcoming edition of American Artist magazine and for two consecutive years, he has been commissioned for the American Heart Association poster.

Stan Cline
Stan Cline resides in Winnetka, CA and works with acrylics. Realizing that many of the cherished old landmarks of Los Angeles were rapidly disappearing, Cline was inspired to capture nostalgic scenes of the city and its surrounding areas on canvas. His one-man show entitled, "L.A. Yesterday" has been seen throughout southern California and he was commissioned by the Southern California Rapid Transit District to paint a series entitled, "Transportation in L.A. Through the Years." His work is displayed around the world in corporate installations, private collections and public galleries.