Sam Bass (artist)
Sam Bass | |
---|---|
Born | Samuel Mark Bass November 20, 1961 Hopewell, Virginia, U.S. |
Died | February 16, 2019 Concord, North Carolina, U.S. | (aged 57)
Alma mater | Virginia Commonwealth University |
Occupation | Artist |
Samuel Mark Bass (November 20, 1961 – February 16, 2019) was an American motorsports artist known for being NASCAR's first officially licensed artist. A lifelong NASCAR fan, he began working on designing drivers' cars paint schemes with Bobby Allison in 1988. He later designed various paint schemes for drivers like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, and designed and painted dozens of Race program covers for races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and others.
Early life
Bass started following racing when he was young, attending races at Southside Speedway in Richmond, Virginia with his uncles. Eventually, he began drawing pictures of the sport; during NASCAR's offseason, he drew what he believed the upcoming Daytona 500's cars would look like; "Then, when the Daytona broadcast would come on TV, I would be like, 'Oh, so that's how it looks.'," Bass said in 1999.[1]
At 20, he worked for the government as a graphic designer.[2] He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a fine arts degree.[1]
Career
A year after graduating high school, Bass joined a friend at the 1981 Talladega 500 with the goal of getting his Bobby Allison painting autographed. At the track, he convinced security to let him access the garages, where he successfully had his painting signed by Allison and his crew. The art also impressed the teams of Darrell Waltrip and Terry Labonte, who requested paintings of their drivers.[2]
In 1984, he was hired by Charlotte Motor Speedway to design programs for the track's races starting with that year's World 600.[3] His studio Sam Bass Illustration and Design opened in 1991, located near the track's turn one.[1][4]
He was later commissioned by Allison's merchandise team member Hank Jones to create a poster of Allison to sell, followed by doing the same for fellow Miller Brewing Company-sponsored driver Bobby Hillin Jr.[2] In late 1987, Miller requested him to design Allison and Hillin's schemes for the 1988 season. Allison went on to win the Daytona 500 in his first race in a Bass-drawn car.[1]
In 1997, Bass was named NASCAR's first officially licensed artist.[5]
Bass was the designer for four-time
Other drivers who raced with schemes drawn by Bass include Dale Earnhardt, Tony Stewart, and Hendrick Motorsports' Nos. 24 and 88 teams.[1][6]
Bass also designed the cars and uniforms for the movie
Personal life and death
Bass' widow Denise is a paralegal. The two were friends in sixth grade prior to starting their relationship, eventually marrying in the early 1980s.[4]
During the later years of his life, Bass struggled with health issues including
Bass died on February 16, 2019, at the age of 57, of a kidney disease.[7] In April's Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway, Joey Gase and MBM Motorsports ran a tribute scheme to Bass on their No. 66 car.[11]
References
- ^ a b c d e Poole, David (December 23, 1999). "The art of racing: Sam Bass combines lifelong passion for NASCAR and painting". The News Leader. Knight Ridder. Retrieved February 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Smith, Marty (June 10, 2015). "For Bass, life imitated art too much". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ a b c Weaver, Matt (January 19, 2016). "NASCAR artist Sam Bass proud to be Jeff Gordon's rainbow maker". Autoweek. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ a b Ballard, Steve (February 14, 2000). "Painter-designer has racing in his blood". The News Journal. USA Today. Retrieved February 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Livingstone, Seth (May 16, 2011). "Labor of love: Sam Bass paints the pictures of NASCAR". USAToday. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ Hogue, Catherine (May 18, 2018). "Byron, Gordon, Bass reflect on 'iconic' throwback Axalta scheme". Hendrick Motorsports. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c Marusak, Joe (February 16, 2019). "Dale Earnhardt Jr. mourns death of NASCAR artist who painted portraits of his dad". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ The Earnhardt Connection. "TEC | Kannapolis Intimidators". Daleearnhardt.net. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (February 16, 2019). "Sam Bass, famed paint scheme and race program designer, dies". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
- ^ Bell, Adam (May 3, 2017). "Artist: 'Heartbreaking' to see bankruptcy auction of his NASCAR paintings, memorabilia". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on February 8, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ Utter, Jim (April 12, 2019). "Joey Gase honors NASCAR artist Sam Bass with paint scheme". Motorsport.com. Retrieved April 12, 2019.