Visual Artist Dave Ford Uses Penske Trucks to Create Innovative Drawings

READING, Pa., JUNE 6, 2012 - When it comes to the art of the move nobody does it quite like visual artist and former professional truck driver Dave Ford. He takes a unique approach to his innovative creations by using a Penske rental truck to create amazing works of art. For more than a decade, Ford has rented Penske trucks and driven them across the country to simultaneously create and display his work.

"Utilizing personal environments and their found energy has been the focus of my work for several decades," said Ford. "As a truck driver, I was able to harvest an empty load return trip into an opportunity to create an interesting drawing."

Within the box section of the Penske rental truck, Ford uses a special rigging. The floor of the rental moving truck is lined with a special art paper over which he has placed some 100 pencil-tipped water bottle pendulums. During his travels, Ford arranges the bottles to maximize the paper markings and document movement of the truck. Once completed the final drawing created is approximately 11 feet wide by 7 feet tall.

This June, in association with Packer Schopf Gallery of Chicago, Ford will once again set up his Penske rental truck drawing in Chicago. He'll then drive to Philadelphia and return to Chicago to present his drawings at the 8th annual Guerrilla Truck Show held in the Fulton Market June 12. Both Chicago and Philadelphia will host events where the public can view the truck drawing in progress and talk with Dave Ford about the project. Ford also plans to stop by Penske's corporate headquarters in Reading, Pa., June 8 to display his work in progress and meet with its employees. Penske is covering the cost of the truck rental for this year's trip.

"We saw Dave's artwork online and were all really impressed with the approach he uses to create it," said Don Mikes, Senior Vice President of Rental for Penske. "We look forward to meeting with him."

Visit www.fordart.com to see and learn more about Dave Ford's artwork.

Penske Truck Rental is a service of Penske Truck Leasing. With one of the newest fleets, Penske Truck Rental provides do-it-yourself movers with clean, well-maintained and reliable trucks as well as moving equipment, packing supplies and accessories. Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P., headquartered in Reading, Pa., is a joint venture of Penske Corporation, Penske Automotive Group and GE Capital. As a global transportation services provider, Penske operates more than 200,000 vehicles and serves customers from more than 1,000 locations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Product lines include full-service truck leasing, contract maintenance, commercial and consumer truck rentals, used truck sales, transportation and warehousing management, and supply chain management solutions. Visit www.GoPenske.com to learn more.