Designer Camilo Pardo stages 'Fuel Injection' art show in Michigan

Automotive designer Camilo Pardo's greatest work of art may have been the Ford GT, but those interested in seeing his work in mediums other than sheetmetal can attend his solo exhibition, titled "Fuel Injection," premiering this weekend at the 323 East gallery in Royal Oak, Mich.

Running from June 11 to July 2, Pardo's show will include silk-screened images on repurposed materials such as wooden doors and aluminum signs, and it will revisit his favorite subjects--cars and women. The exhibit recalls the pop art of Andy Warhol's era, Pardo says.

"When you put a stripe on a car, it enhances the shape of the car and amplifies the form of the vehicle," he says. "When you put a stripe on a dress that goes over a girl, it does the same thing--emphasizes the curves and the positive and negative shapes. They are both very organic and both have a great sense of geometry."

Car lovers will especially enjoy Pardo's pieces featuring classic 1960s Formula One images from Pebble Beach and hot rods on the salt flats. And anyone will enjoy the images of models in racing suits.

"I love automotive design and I've grown up with an intense passion for racing and cars. Also, I've done figurative painting since I was very young, and that is probably one of the most challenging things," Pardo says. "You put that ability together with auto, and you get some really sexy combos of cars and figurative art."

The 25 items in the show are priced to sell, Pardo says. While his paintings typically fetch up to $14,000, these are all priced for less than $2,000.

By Julie Alvin