MIKE ZELLER

Medium: Drawing & Paper Arts , Painting , Visual Arts

Contact Information

(864) 275-7624

Artist Statement

Vintage racing and sports cars are an eclectic composition of sculpture, engineering, aerodynamics, design and speed. All the way from the drawing board to the full-scale mock up to the finished machine screaming down the road, they are an art form. Constructed of exotic materials…hand shaped alloy bodies, chrome molly tubing, rivets, brass, copper, louvers, leathers, laced wire wheels and tires molded with intriguing tread patterns, this is subject matter for which I have great passion. The only thing missing is the blended smell of old cracked leather, motor oil and high octane racing fuel.

About Mike Zeller

Mike is a veteran marketing and advertising executive who’s been car crazy as long as he can remember. Growing up in a small Ohio town he and his buddies spent a lot of time cruising in hot rods and custom cars and going to sports car road races. Mike was also a doodler and loved photography. After graduating from Ohio University with a fine arts degree, Mike temporarily left the art world and transitioned into marketing and advertising working with ad agencies in Pittsburgh, New York and St. Louis before his family moved to Greenville in ’79. About five years ago the art bug bit him again, perhaps because of his involvement on the Metropolitan Arts Council and Artisphere boards. He began testing his skills with watercolors and rendering his favorite vintage racing car subjects, many from his own photographs. Recently retired, Mike is now spending more time experimenting with different watercolor and acrylic techniques.