Sebring’s Artist: Roger Warrick

The 2016 poster for the Mobil One 12 Hours of Sebring by Roger Warrick

“I love Sebring” artist Roger Warrick has told me numerous times. If you look at the poster art he has created for the Mobil One 12 Hours of Sebring since 2005, that love of Sebring and its history is obvious.

Roger has once again been commissioned by Sebring Media Director Ken Breslauer to produce the poster and program cover art for this year’s race and just like his previous efforts, this one is outstanding, depicting the field entering the hairpin.

The process of producing these outstanding tributes to the history of Sebring begins every year in November, when Ken contacts Roger and they discuss what the next year’s art might look like. Roger starts by producing a number of sketches and then he and Ken work through the process of determining what the final painting will look like.

Of course, one of the problems is that until the beginning of the new year, both Ken and Roger usually don’t have a clear picture of what the next season’s cars will actually look like, which complicates the task of putting a painting together by January, so that the poster and program can be produced.

Fortunately, since the GrandAm and American Le Mans merger, the task has gotten a little easier for them, since the season now starts with the Rolex 24 at Daytona and many of the cars and their color schemes are known by the first part of January when the Roar Before the Rolex 24 takes place at Daytona.

Still, the pressure is always on Roger to get the painting finished, and he has put in many all-nighters to get the painting done by the deadline so that the image can be used on the poster and program cover for Sebring.

This year marks the 12th consecutive year that Roger Warrick has been the official artist for Sebring, which is quite an accomplishment. That is more program and poster artwork for Sebring than even artist Michael Turner did for Watkins Glen for the US Grand Prix in the 1970’s. The Sebring posters and programs featuring Roger’s artwork have become collector’s items, and fans look forward each year to seeing his latest creation.

The 2016 original painting will be on display during race week at the Hall of Fame in the Sebring paddock and will be auctioned off to benefit the Hall of Fame. Roger will be on hand at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Mobil One 12 Hours of Sebring, doing live paintings on site during race week at both events. Be sure to stop by and say hello and support the artist by buying a print, poster, or even an original painting.

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