Sponsors and artist information

Check out the Hot Cars Cool Beaches sponsors and talented artists that made everything possible. You can even reward an artist by voting for your favorite Hot Car!

Thank you, sponsors!

We wish to thank the following people and companies for making the 2007 St. Joseph, Michigan, Hot Cars Cool Beaches art exhibit possible. They generously donated their time, talent and money. Please support them with your business:

Major sponsors:

and

Other sponsors:

Leroy’s Body Shop
Anchor Signs

Vote for your favorite

Four artists will take home the cup in our Hot Cars Cool Beaches awards, and you have the power to help decide in the People’s Choice and Children’s Awards!

Mayor's Award - $2,500
Selected by St. Joseph’s mayor, Mary Goff, and four city commissioners.
Car of the Year - $1,500
Selected by our sponsors: Schroeder Motor Mall, St. Joseph Today, and Leroy's Auto Body.
People's Choice - $500
Adults, children age 13 and older … vote for your favorite by filling out entry forms available around town. Entries due Aug. 8, 2007.
Children's Award - $500
Kids 12 and under … vote for your favorite by filling out entry forms available around town. Entries due Aug. 8, 2007.

So get an entry form and power your favorite across the finish line!

Artists

1. Driving Miss Dazey

Artist: Nina Burgardt
I was born and raised in Chicago, but moved to Michigan at a very young age. I’ve been interested and involved with the arts for as long as I can remember. Favorite artists/inspirations of mine include Kahlo, Dali and Escher because of their close attention to detail. I enjoy reading, writing, drawing, painting, various types of music and the entire creation process because what goes into art, all forms of it, is essentially what the finished project reflects. I’m thrilled to participate in the art displays in St. Joe this year.

2. Beautiful Birds of St. Joseph

Artist: Betsy Kerr Reif
A native of St. Joseph, Betsy studied illustration at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. She had a love for drawing at a very young age, and today, her favorite continues to be pen and ink. Betsy returned to St. Joseph to raise her two daughters. She works at Roy H. Liskey Insurance.

3. Ducky

Artist: David Wright
David Wright of Watervliet is a lifelong Berrien County resident. He graduated from Lake Michigan Catholic High School in 1986. He is a certified auto mechanic. He enjoys painting in all its forms, from hobby and art scenes to restoring classic cars, boats and motorcycles.
“I love kids, nature and cars. I couldn’t pass this chance to make people smile (and paint a rust-free car)!”

4. Going Places

Artist: Larry Easton

5. Going to Market

Artist: Ryan Schmaltz/Heidi Siewert
Ryan and Heidi are both farmers at Schmaltz Farms, Baroda, MI (grain & vegetables) and Siewert Farms, Stevensville, MI (grain & beef cattle). Inspiration for the Hot Cars Cool Beaches art display comes from a farm family heirloom, a 1947 Dodge pick-up truck. (pictured here)

This beloved truck has a rich history, including being sold and many years later being repurchased to rejoin the family, and of course, many trips to market. Through art we hope to help preserve and share our agricultural / farming heritage.

6. Something Fishy

Artist: Pamela Kirkham
A graduate of Kendall School of Design, Pamela runs her professional fine art company, Kirkham Fine Arts, from Bridgman, MI. She creates small detailed works to large multi-wall murals in many styles ranging from abstract to photorealism. She painted the Dairy Queen Kid's Zone mural on Niles Ave. in St. Joseph and the lobby mural for the newly built Pike Funeral Home in Bridgman as well as many others locally. The artist also paints faux marble/stone and gilds. She teaches classes, Art Touch, and Understanding Art at the Krasl Fine Art Center.

7. Joyride

Artist: Holly Hanes Barefield
Holly Hanes Barefield has been an artist from the time she was a small child. She has free-lanced as an Artist/Illustrator for the past 15+ years and studied art at Kendall School of Art and Design in her native state of Michigan, prior to moving to San Francisco, California in 1981. She returned to Michigan in 1997 and believes that she has come “full circle” by returning to live in her native state. Holly has a Bachelor Degree in Liberal Arts from Siena Heights University.

Holly tremendously enjoys being able to pursue her love for art personally and professionally. A traditional artist, she works from her home studio painting with water-based pigment such as acrylic, watercolor or gouache as her preference. She has worked for various publishers, advertising agencies, clothing manufacturers, packaging designers, as well as multiple private commissions.

8. Cruzin Memory Lane

Artist: Katrina Simoné Case

9. Built Wolverine Tough

Artist: Amber Robinson/Michael Tibone

10. Happy Times in my '57 Chevy

Artist: Joe Bosque
Hi, my name is Jorge Luis Bosque. I was born in La Habana, Cuba in 1960. Our family moved to Venezuela in 1961. We immigrated to Miami, Florida in 1963. We ended up in Niles, Michigan in 1966.

During Junior High School at Brandywine I became involved in art, drafting and wood- working. My interest in these areas carried on into High School. In addition to art and drafting I studied architecture. During my first year of college, Fall 1978 at Southwestern Michigan College I studied art, descriptive geometry and architecture. I transferred to Western Michigan University in 1979 and graduated in 1983 with a BAS degree. I majored in Interior Design and minored in Fine Art.

After College I moved to Los Angeles, California. I worked in the commercial art industry as a production artist for packaging designers. I learned about many aspects of art and printing. Ultimately, I worked as a pre-press production artist at a publishing company. Meanwhile, I was producing many fine art projects in my studio/apartment during my free time. I moved back to Niles in 1995. I joined the Niles Art Association in February of 2005. I have shown my art in The Fisher Gallery, The Mowitt-Drew Gallery, Springfest '06, Riverfront Cafe, Niles District Library, Buchanan Art Center, BTCU Credit Union, State Cafe and County Down.

I am most influenced by Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky, and Gerrit Rietveld. I like the universal abstraction of forms and spatial compositions. I mainly work with drafting and architectural tools to create my work. Asymmetry is evident in most of my work while sharp, hard-edged lines that form geometric shapes are also prevalent. I enjoy art and the therapeutic qualities it offers. Lately I have been very busy working on model car kits and small die-cast racing car restorations.

Just recently in January of 2007, I was elected President of the Niles Art Association. I look forward to an exciting year in the art industry.

11. Re-Tire-Ment

Artist: Midnite Remisoski

12. Lightnings #1 Fan

Artist: Rory Dickey/Jeff Bowen

13. NASCAR Great American Racing

Artist: Steve Breitkreuz

14. Old School

Artist: Dan McIntyre/Billy Dinges
Dan: I’m a life-long Berrien County resident. I work in construction and as a painting contractor in New Buffalo. I’ve collected and restored old Ford pickups and Broncos, raced sand dragsters and recently bought a 1967 Oldsmobile 442 that is a replica of my first car I owned at age 16 in 1968.

Bill: I’ve been doing automotive pinstriping and graphics for over 20 years. I’ve enjoyed working with Dan McIntryre on the artwork for the public art display. When not painting, I’m driving my red 1934 Ford street hot rod.

15. Ice Cream Man

Artist: Joshua Andres
Joshua Andres is a local artist whose primary focus is sculpture, steel fabrication to be more specific. He received his Bachelors degree in Art from WMU. He has been doing art fairs around the Midwest and has had his work featured in quite a few galleries. Currently he is planning to open his own gallery in Benton Harbor to focus his art locally. Joshua wants to grow the local focus on art and help create a known art community here, where he grew up.

16. Proud Mary

Artist: Jim Meister/Bill Durham
Jim Meister of St. Joe has been a professional photographer for 41 years. He enjoys collecting “50’s and 60’s” cars.

17. Spiderman

Artist: Tommy Lee Pease
With no schooling, all self-taught, the Lord blessed me. I really enjoy doing my artwork. I mainly work in pencil, pastel and acrylic paints. Pencil portraits are my best work. I’m really interested in airbrush with acrylics. That will be my next endeavor.

18. Wood You Like to Swim

Artist: Perry Ortlieb

19. Smmrlnd

Artist: Toni Smith
I am a full time artist living in Niles Michigan, working in paint, mosaic, fibers and mixed media. Also work in slab glass (Dalles de Verre) as "Hector and Smith Glass". I have a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Western Michigan University and graduate studies at the Chicago Art Institute. My work can be found throughout the area in commercial, residential and museums collections .

20. A Pirate Adventure

Artist: John Foster
I live in Baroda with my wife and six children. I specialize in colored and graphite pencil portraits. I’m a self-taught artist. I’ve been drawing since I was a kid, but put off an art career to raise my children. I joined the Box Factory in 2006 and hope to put myself into the public eye more now that my children are older and I can dedicate more time to my artwork.

21. Enjoy

Artist: Dirk Sorrells
Dirk Sorrells, artist (muralist, pinstriper, tattooer...), father, family man, "jack of all trades", and St. Joe townie!

22. Froggerific!

Artist: Ali Hansen

23. Since 1968

Artist: Mike Orlando

24. Flamin Hot Firetruck

Artist: Jeffrey Clark

25. Co-op Coupe

Artist: Chartreuse - A Local Arts Co-op
Chartreuse, A Local Art Co-op, is a gathering of 16 local artists, with artwork available at their gallery at 517 Pleasant Street, across form Cafe Tosi.

The Chartreuse Coupe is a labor of love by the Chartreuse members and our community. Stop by "Coupe Central", the former Tootie & Dreamer's store, and make your mark on this collaborative community coupe.

26. Escape Velocity

Artist: Susan M. Henshaw

27. Horse Power

Artist: Robert Sands
Robert Sands, Southwest Artist, was born in 1969 in Charleston, SC, raised in Knoxville, TN, and is now living in Watervliet, MI. He is a member of The Box Factory for the Arts in St. Joseph, MI. He has two children: a daughter, 15, and a son, 12. He also is a banjo player with a love for Bluegrass.

Sands' art career really started in the fifth grade when he won a city-wide contest for the best design of The Bank of Knoxville, TN. He moved to Las Cruces, NM, where he has family, and studied art at New Mexico State University. He is a dedicated artist working in oils, pastels, and computer animation. He has done forensic animation to assist court cases, and was once hired to animate the Frank Ghery Guggenheim museum for submission to the City of New York. (What a task that was, and yes, he still has his hair.) Sands is a caricature artist and has worked at Saturday Market, birthday parties, and recently made caricature art for the set of a St. Joseph High School Musical.

28. Children of the World

Artist: Peri Hansen
My husband, Mike and I have lived in St. Joseph for 20 years. We have 3 daughters, Kelly, Lisa, and Dana and one grandson, Dylan, whose footprints are on my painted car! Along with painting, I like to scrapbook. I sing in a small choral group called Joyful Noise at my church and I enjoy quilting with the Berrien Towne & Country Quilters Guild. Last year, I painted the "50th reunion - Graduation Bear"

29. Play

Artist: Kathy Burczak
Since moving to the area over 15 years ago, I have always enjoyed summers at the beach. The theme of this car is "PLAY" - Play should be an important part of all of our lives!

I am a Landscape Architect with over 20 years of experience. Through my work I have the opportunity to be creative on a daily basis. As my co-workers say, "she gets paid to color!"

30. Toy Truck

Artist: Beth Mandarino
Beth has been an Art Director at Perry Ballard for over 20 years. She's always enjoyed dabbling in the fine arts — acrylics, inks and color pencil her usual media. She and her husband, Jim, have lived in St. Joseph all of their lives. In addition to art, her favorite past times include spending time with family (especially her 5 grandchildren), enjoying the company of friends, boating, walking on the beach, cooking and shopping.

"I had fun working on the truck and hope the kids enjoy it. I would like to thank my husband, Jim, for his help throughout the project. Thanks to my grandkids, my inspirations, Zach, Sam and Ally Mandarino. Thank you also to Breanne and Mary Shine, Dana Skidmore, Heidi Hosbein, Elisa Brohier and Ken Peterson for their help at the crunch time in the end!