We met Yvonne during a private tour of the Lions Drag Strip Museum in Rancho Dominguez, California. Inspired by the world class murals in the museum, we asked her to send a few images of her work and bio. Enjoy!
Yvonne Mecialis, began her showing her talent for drawing and painting at an early age. Born in Ingolstadt, Germany, she and her parents immigrated to the United States when she was three years old. Her family settled in California, where she still resides. Yvonne began drawing as soon as she could hold a crayon, and her mother enrolled her in private oil painting classes at age 10. Yvonne went on to earn her BFA in Illustration from CSU Long Beach, and continued to create her own style. She used various media, including oil paint, acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, and pen and ink, but she began to focus on airbrush as her primary tool of choice.
Yvonne’s love of sci-fi and fantasy have a strong influence in her work. She finds inspiration in the Art Deco and Art Modern styles, as well as automotive and industrial designs. Her work reflects sleek lines, smooth surfaces, as well as the play on light and shadow. Her artwork has been shown in galleries in Los Angeles and Chicago. Her work has been published in various magazines, including HEAVY METAL, EASYRIDERS, SAVAGE, AUTO ART, AUTO GRAPHICS, AIRBRUSH ACTION, PENTHOUSE (Holland), and LA FILM & MUSIC. One of her paintings also adorned the main entrance kiosk at the LOOOAPALOOZA concert in 1997.
In 2018, Yvonne was asked to lend her painting skills to create full-scale murals, to adorn the walls of the Lions Drag Strip Museum, in Rancho Dominguez, CA. The museum is designed to resemble the famous drag strip in every detail, including cars lined up at the starting line. It is the largest project she has ever worked on.
Yvonne has contributed her artistic talents to the world of custom painting as well, and has painted motorcycles, cars, boats, helmets and guitars, and has designed her own set of freehand airbrush templates, called “Metropolis,” for Artool Company. She has also been featured on the automotive TV show, RIDES, were she showed her custom airbrush skills. Yvonne often reflects her skills as a custom painter, by creating original art on metal panel with urethane paint. Samples of the work of Yvonne Mecialis can be viewed on her official web site, at www.yvonnedesigns.com