Life Inspiring Art — Artist Michael Irvine

A question often asked by people is where I get my ideas from.

At a few years ago, at an event in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, I had a conversation with a gentleman named 'Jerry' who took interest in my 'Muscle Car Landscapes' Series paintings.

'Jerry' asked me where, specifically, the settings were located. I explained that all are fictional locations and don't really exist, except in my mind and then on the watercolor board. He then asked if I was familiar with "The Field of 10,000 Cars", located in North Carolina. To which I responded, "No, I'm not." He went on to describe the area and the cars, some of which are more than 75 years old today.

Over the years, I've heard a lot of these stories, and have learned to take them with a grain of salt. However, this one was different — the next day, 'Jerry' returned with a stack of photographs! They clearly showed hundreds of cars of all makes and models, just parked there in the woods. He explained that these were photos of just one of the many fields loaded with old cars. And, that there was one specifically full of just Corvettes — more than 500 in total!

"Come on," I said, "Corvettes!?" 

"Oh yeah," he said. "There's even a '67 427 Tri-Power just sitting there. And, it's complete!"

"Do people know about this?" I asked.

"Oh yeah. A highway goes right through there and you can see all these from the road."

This really peaked my interest. So much so, that I decided to create a painting of this location, based solely on my mind's interpretation of 'Jerry's' description. I personally have not seen this field of more than 500 Vettes, nor do I know it's exact location — I wish I did. So, please, don't call or email me asking for the specific whereabouts of this dream find as I honestly don't know! As with all my paintings, the scene is from my imagination, not from actual photos. All I know is that it's located somewhere in North Carolina and, well, it's real!! — Michael Irvine