NATCHITOCHES – Two art students at Northwestern State University were selected as winners of this year’s art car design competition and their work is being featured at the 2018 Washington, D.C., Auto Show that runs through Feb. 4.
“Rose,” a design by Taylor Zane Bush of Rogers, Arkansas, won first place and “Lines” by Sarah Hill of Boyce won second. Julien Montousse, head of design for Mazda North American Operations, chose the winning designs with his Irvine, California-based team. Mazda installed Rose on a 2018 Mazda Miata MX-5 RF that is on exhibit during the annual exhibition, one of the nation’s top five auto shows. The world class event continues to wow audiences with its cutting-edge exhibits, latest model cars and displays of historic vehicles.
This is the second year in a row that designs by NSU students were selected as winners of the competition. Their submissions were coordinated by Associate Professor of Art Collier Hyams.
Bush, who is majoring in Fine and Graphic Art, said that when developing the concept for his design, he thought of what kind of person would drive that type of car.
“I myself drive a mid-sized crossover, and I remember my friends referring to my ride as a ‘Mom Car.’ So, I began to think, ‘What do moms like? Maybe I can do some sort of pattern on this car.’”
Doing research, he found a unique chevron pattern, drawing the lines in rose gold, a color popular with women. In applying the design to the Mazda MX 5 RF, he adjusted his original concept to the car.
“I wanted the line to be somewhat reflective and/or have a shine to it. To get this look we then went for a gold as close to the rose gold as we could, which I think was a perfect fit for this car and its style,” Bush said.
“My design, ‘Stripes,’ for the Art Car Project was the last design I created,” said Hill, who is also majoring in Fine and Graphic Art. “My design is based off a minimalist representation of the reflection of sound. I came up with this idea while I was researching the theme or reflection based surfacing and listening to music. Which ultimately led to me approaching it with the idea of incorporating sound waves as my primary influence.
The 2018 Washington Auto Show is being held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Information is available at https://www.washingtonautoshow.com.
