Executed in 2010, this oil on canvas work numbered #196 depicts a vintage car underlined by text reading "Dear Andy, a 50s Car Parked in Back- Mel". The bright colors of the car offset by the paling blue setting, allow the imagery to pop into the foreground and discern elusive Campbell's Soup Cans in background.

Known for his captivating work which seeks to produce a visual dialogue from correspondence with artists, Brooklyn based painter Mel Smothers (B. 1947) combines text and images together in a highly personable scene which speaks of the influence and impact made by his predecessors. His most significant pieces are his “Dear Andy….” works which are addressed to the famous pop artist and adopt a postcard format within each of his compositions. Completed in paint, each one appropriates the notorious imagery synonymous with the works of Andy Warhol in order to create a posthumous discourse with the artist. Smothers has exhibited at venues throughout the United States including Chelsea Art Museum (New York, NY), Atmosphere Gallery (Chicago, IL), and Pence Gallery (Davis, CA), among others.

Select Museum Collections:
Brooklyn Museum (New York, NY)
Whipple Art Museum (Tampa, FL)
Higginbotham Museum (Tazewell, VA)