What an adventure! The vision of stickers that brought me into the culture of artcars. I am only partly attached to that culture but it is fun! Both sticker cars met death in the flames but live on in the heart of the world.
Page down click here  to read of the original Sticker Car!
Go here for details of the Stickercar II

To learn more about what Conrad Bladey and Hutman Artcars are doing now go here! just click!

The Sticker Cross and Altar-
Linthicum, Maryland.
The Cross has on its top the original steering wheel of sticker car. The altar is from the front dash of the car. On each end of the cross colorful flowers are inserted in summer time. In the holes at left and right of the altar bunches of colorful flowers are inserted.
The cross is just below the evergreen which caught on fire which if it had not been put out would have surely caught our house on fire while we were asleep.
The altar receives visitors who pray for the deliverance of artcars and their owners everywhere from the wrath, intolerence and hatred of the societies in which we find ourselves. It is approprate also to give thanks for the goodness that all artcars bring to the world- those cheered on their weary way and those who have found comfort and expression through the medium.
This year we will accept votive candles for the base of the cross. Small pieces of cars which have been vandalized to death will also be accepted as well as small pieces or parts of cars which have had to be euthenized due to the inability of our society and culture to heal them.
As the altar is protected only by a short fence and is in the open we can not accept responsibility for anything left. But your thoughts and gifts of stickers or funds for the continuation of the new project will be greatly appreciated. Art cars do take up money and stickers are needed for the new project. Your help will keep us going. We will remember all donors on these pages and where possible with notes posted on the altar itself or with candles placed at its base.
All contributions can be sent to: C.Bladey, PO 268 Linthicum, Md. 21090 U.S.A

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My Name is Sticker I am a 1978 Dodge Omni-Car of the year 1978-NOW!:ART!

This vehicle has been over the past 13 years covered completely in stickers of all sorts. Some have been modified. The process of modification was not planned out. Stages in the process are apparent only in retrospect. Expressions may not be those of the car owner- they may be abstract, artistic or the views of others.

Phases of the Modification Process:

1.High School Would be Vandals:Awaiting costly repair being used as a parked storage shed, Andover High School students waiting for the bus attached "Andover" stickers for their own as yet unknown purposes. The Owner did not get upset, but added a few of his own stickers expressive of his own point of view. At this stage only political and unmodified stickers were used.

2.Interesting Commercial Expressions:"Couch Potato", "I break for Beer"-novelty stickers purchased to spruce up the car (to cover bad spots). These stickers started to create interaction from passers by and in traffic. Sticker collection then begins in earnest.

3.Advocacy Groups Pitch in: Frequenting festivals (Fells Point, State Fair, Artscape) I find unique expressions on stickers which I use unmodified. Stickers and at times modify them to indicate my own point of view on an issue. Woman's groups, Politicians, and the military are all great sources.

4.Bumper Sticker Scrabble: With the monotony of political slogans I began to cut and paste these abstractly and to express my opinions. Poetic lines emerged and extra artwork was used to brighten up small spaces. Panels of the car can be read in many directions and sequences to create new expressions can be created by the reader depending upon which way they read the car. The soon forgotten politicians and their slogans and artwork find new life on the car.

5.The Creation of Intense Human Interaction: The Omni starts to generate a high level of interaction with the culture surrounding it. Passers by stop to read and react. Sadness turns to laughter- conversation with complete strangers and stranger neighbors begins- "Hey have you got enough stickers on there yet!"- Others start walking on the other side of the street and suggest auto recycling for the car's future. Still others give written compliments and offer up their own stickers: " can ya fit mine in?".

6.Can we cover it?: The goal of covering the car emerges. To embed the vehicle form in another form but more so can we fit this one here and there and obtain others to cover the surface? A Challenge-provides energy for the work to continue. An ideal form of many tension filled ambiguous shapes and expressions emerges.

7. The Auto-Biography Car:"Mom" by mom's door, "My Daughter completed Potty training and doesn't even go to School" and "Draft Beer/ Can Perot. "Demon Resident" by my door and "Mary" on Mom's door. "Failure is Impossible" and "Don't Blame me I voted for Zippy" all identify the thoughts and character of the artist and occupants. I am a "Resident for Pints". The car records my journeys to events to fairs to Betha's.

8.Conversation Piece: An Oasis in the Suburban Cultural Wasteland:Vioces are heard in the silent and humanistically featureless bedroom and washhouse that is the Sub-Urban. A theatrical happening on wheels! The viewer becomes an actor and the car and driver the theater. As with a good folk tale the present realities are transcended and people speak and interact where they would not otherwise do so. This is the fuel of the process. A seemingly inanimate object causes real behavior. People are moved to act and react.

9Modification for the Blind: At artscape in 1995 I noticed a blind person having to have all the stickers read out loud. I thought that something should be done so that sticker could interact with blind people as well. I went out and purchased little stick on electronic music boxes and glued them all over the car. I then made modems out of pieces of hose and funnels. The car then became alive! Visitors to artscape soon were playing the car for each other . "Sounds pretty good for a 78 I would say! I have had up to 20 different music boxes on the car.

Sticker is indeed a dynamic artwork. It is constantly changing. It is also a running car which is used frequently to do the household shopping or for driving around town.

I leave you with some of Sticker's Poems:

Ice club from Price Club
Hark from Harken
A man is not a woman
lice Club from PriceClub
Failure is impossible
star and streamer on wheelwell front
president on window front brace
Bertha mussels eals
resident for pints-Draft!
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Tiger in center
pup club from price club
eat tha beer from berthas
must eat Bertha eat Bert has all from Bertha's
Muss on front
Batman
Fru is dead
Take photos not drugs
Welcome to the jungle....
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Males Earth Bus
More Balls
Bless Slums
Live for the End
Rime Solvers
We overlook the Point
Baltimore Harbor eats cats
A mussell ate Bertha
The only thing Baltimore Harbor Felt
Be the beers Mussel
Eat Bertha's Cat's Eye
Ill Week
Marines
Thank God I 'm Forgiven
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Gore Clinton
Bless our Troups
BUB
You can Immagine more land
Mussel Bertha
Fells is the only point we Overlook
Wear Ivory Elephants
Life is short Pray hard
Solve Prince George's County
S' s E
My other car is a Jet
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Pregnancies: the solution to unwanted abstinence
Only Plants should wear Ivory
Jesus Died for You
Bertha Shat at a Rat
Sex after marriage is only abstinence
Live better be fore
The safe and fun faith
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Cut out dissection
I'd Rather be shopping at Rice Club
Blues with a feeling
Eat humans
I love used Parts
Reside not on ill dent
Meat Stinks
The Eakness
Hot Talk
C U
Cur
At ye Pub
********
Edit me not
Elsewards Executive
County de grace
Celebrating 25 Happy Years
St. John's Nursery
Eat Bert
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Thanks in Advance!

For a pictorial page on STICKER go here: To Sticker!

Any questions or comments? Send me an e.mail! Send Mail