ArtMartyr is a gallery we opened up in a warehouse space in 2002 in Costa Mesa California. It has since become a part of the Blacktop Media Network and resides on Facebook and in posts here on Blacktop Magazine.
A Legendary Story told by Mike Hembree A Blacktop Book Report I’m a fan. A fan of racing and always the good race. I never had a specific driver or team to root for. I rooted for the excitement of a grill to rear bumper race and the sweeping pass no matter if it was […]
We all have those stories. When we first saw a Corvette. America’s sports car. Maybe it was in black and white on the the CBS series “Route 66” with Martin Milner and pals for 4 seasons from 1960 to 1964. Or, like me a decade later when my next door neighbor roared home in a […]
From First Ride To The Road Ahead. A book by Steve Krugman A Blacktop Book Review… In 1977 I bought a brand new Foxi GT Moped. My very first powered vehicle. It was a blast as a 15 year old to cruise around town, to school and explore more of my county. Just before I […]
A Blacktop Book Review Randy Leffingwell authored an amazing detailed history of the Porsche 911 in this beautifully hard-bound landscape book. The photos compliment the incredible detail as if we are a fly on the walls of the development studios in Zuffenhausen. The text achieves a sense of “being there” as Ferry and his team, […]
A Motor Minute Piece Today at the Historic Main Street Garden Grove Friday Night Car Show we catch up with resident Artist; Doug DoRr. He brought out his ’58 Pontiac to the event. And what a stunner. A 1958 Pontiac Star Chief 4-Door Sedan. A bird takes a dump on the front right fender as […]
An ArtMartyr Short Story While most of Southern California was in a drunken, coke-infested nightclub haze in the 70’s and 80’s there was one family that escaped that scene and took off on the weekends to hit the sand at Rosarita Beach two hours south on Hwy 5 and into Baja California. A small beach […]
A Brief History of Raymond Loewy Associates “Never Leave Well Enough Alone.” Raymond Loewy When I was studying design at Laguna College of Art & Design in the 1980’s my dad gave me a special edition magazine that featured American Design of the 1930’s through the 1970’s. One of the four articles in this 50-page […]
How do you push the limits? Is it that short blast of energy railing down the quarter-mile? Is it pulling some G’s around the corners at Laguna Seca? Or are you struggling to keep two wheels on the ground as you zip through the Isle of Man? There is no doubt that each of those […]
An ArtMartyr – In Memorial repost of his article in Issue #26. When I first met Rich it was at BYOB Bring Your Own Boogie Van In and Show. He was displaying his t-shirts and artwork next to his ’64 Dodge Van that’s as cool as his drawings. In-fact he ended up drawing the artwork for […]
Here’s something new. I call it Man on Main Street. Kinda like the old Man on the Street stuff from late night television, but it is me asking friends about a particular Blacktop Topic. This time it is all about Rat Fink!…
10 Years Of The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride A Blacktop Magazine Book Review. While I am reading this really nicely designed coffee-table book, the 12 annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is happening all around the world. Wait, all around the world? Yep! If you haven’t heard, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is an annual motorcycle cruising event as […]
I have known Linda now for geez, it has to be 20 years or more. As a rep for a top printing company, I would rely on Linda for guidance and expertise through the printing process for many of my design clients. She was also a big supporter of the AIGA/OC (American Institute of Graphic […]
