Cape Breton painter creates car art

N.S. artist paints on canvas and cars David P. Stephens creates beautiful works of art on canvas and on cars.

Oftentimes David P. Stephens will be working on a painting on a traditional canvas when he will be struck by an idea to work on something completely different.

“Something will come to my mind that I’d like to do this on a Volkswagen Beetle door,” he said. “Art comes to me in many shapes and forms.

Stephens, a Cape Breton artist, uses cars as his canvases, creating new paintings with the hoods, doors, and bumpers of classic vehicles.

“Creating this art car is going to be something I know I’ll treasure for the rest of my life,” he said, referring to a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle. “If a friend had a door off an antique vehicle (and) if that caught my eye and it brought a spark out in me, right away I’d paint on that piece because I’d be drawn right into it.”

Stephens said his work usually provokes a strong reaction from audiences.

“They were generally well-received,” he said. “One definition of art is anything that stirs an emotional response in a viewer. Oftentimes the emotional responses can be, ‘What’s that piece of junk?’ or, ‘Who would do that to a Camaro?’ and, ‘You ruined a vehicle.’

“That’s okay it caused that response.”

Stephens said he enjoys following his artistic inclinations wherever they may lead him.

“It’s that freedom of going down the road and the unknown that’s over the next hill.”

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