Paul McRae explains the Houston art car community with a saying that is popular within this circle. 'Our cars get 60 smiles to the gallon,' he says. Houston's Art Car Parade,…
Paul McRae explains the Houston art car community with a saying that is popular within this circle."Our cars get 60 smiles to the gallon," he says. Houston's Art Car Parade, the largest of its kind…Photo: Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographerThat’s Paul McRae, an affable Santa Claus of a man who refers to the annual Art Car Parade held in Houston as Christmastime for the artists and craftspeople who create the distinctive rides.
Ribbons is a delight, a brightly painted sedan decked out in wavy rainbow stripes. McRae was inspired to paint his car, which he uses as a daily driver, by Woody Guthrie's“This Land is Your Land. He considers the folk song the true national anthem. Ribbons replaces his previous art car, Dragonfire, with a working flamethrower.
“I just feel like most people don’t want to stand out, and that’s all right, but there are people who want to put their own stamp on who they are,” he says. “People do it with their vehicle, like Jeep people, and they’re letting Madison Avenue decide how to express themselves. We create our own expression.”
“As I was doing shows and galleries and things, I always felt a little like an outsider because the arts community can sometimes have a bias against people who have been in the military,” she says. “On the flip side, there’s a bias in the military against the arts. ... In both communities, you feel a little othered. After COVID happened and I was contemplating what I wanted to do with my life, I realized Houston is the largest city without an arts organization for veterans.
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