Road Kings and Drag Queens

Suzie Harrison

The [seven-degrees] media center is revving up for its Thursday

opening of “Road Kings and Drag Queens,” which will feature recent

works by Ron Pastucha and Steve Metzger.

A resident artist at [seven-degrees], Pastucha’s art studio

indicates his affinity for wheels -- a vintage Harley-Davidson parked

near his front window, a classic car door propped on an easel

intermingled with his paintings of vintage cars.

“The vintage Harley, I am doing for the show,” Pastucha said. “I’m

painting the entire thing; I’m actually doing pinup girls from the

‘50s, which fits with the bike. A lot of that will actually be in the

gallery for this show.”

The coveted car door has been in his possession for about 16 years

and remains a staple in his studio. It was in line to be crushed at a

junkyard; he had to race to change its fate.

“It’s from an old ‘60s Chrysler Imperial,” Pastucha said. “It had

a great patina finish, and the character was so great. It was nine

cars back and that day it was going to be crushed. I had to borrow

tools to wrench it off one by one, the hinges were so rusted. I

finally got the door off and they picked it up.”

Pastucha’s interest in cars and motorcycles was sparked by what he

sees as their place in history.

“They’re so much a part of the American culture,” he said. “When

I’m looking at America, the automobile is very important; that and

the railway defined America more so than Europe and Asia. That whole

idea of travel -- the journey is such a metaphor for life, as opposed

to Europe’s different sensibility.”

Growing up in a small Canadian town, his mind was his main source

of entertainment. As a child, he would play in junkyards, which

sparked his imagination.

“I started to think what’s important and what’s not in terms of

disposable,” Pastucha said. “What was once a shiny new car becomes

disposable and tarnished. The junkyard, although lonely, held a lot

of stories. Each car is a story, a volume in somebody’s chapter.”

He likes to use American symbols in works such as the Mobile

horse, the Firestone tire logo and the Marlboro man.

Pastucha’s Americana iconic pieces are juxtaposed in his studio

with tranquil life scenes, which he calls “captured moments.”

“One thing I love to do is keep my work fresh,” Pastucha said.

“I’ll do Vermeer ‘tight’ renderings on copper panels, and then I’ll

go really loose and fluid with some things and keep it really rough.

But every one of the pieces is very story-driven and narrative.”

Metzger’s work is the drag queen element of the exhibit.

“He’ll have some portraits of drag queens,” Pastucha said. “Both

are great subject matter. I like the idea of all the characters in

life and the subculture in life.”

More than 24 pieces will be on exhibit, ranging from painted

Versace-like shirts and film to traditional and funky pieces.

The opening reception and exhibit is from 6-9 p.m., as part of

First Thursdays Art Walk. The show runs through June 1 at

[seven-degrees] 891 Laguna Canyon Road. For information, call (949)

376-1555.