“GATOR CHOMP”

2007

Dimensions: 54” X 84” (Life Size)

Medium: Axalta Cromax AT on Aluminum

Artist: Peter Maier

Gator Chomp roars before it whispers. The slick fenders of a hot rod stretch like the jaws of a machine-born beast, chrome reflecting crimson like a flash of danger in a bayou night. Here, Maier taps into the pulse of American iconography—speed, muscle, and myth—all without a single visible brushstroke.

What appears at first glance to be photography dissolves under scrutiny. The reflection, distortion, and layered paint technique—executed with custom automotive pigments—give the car an almost reptilian vitality. The predator isn’t just the car. It’s the feeling it evokes.

More than a tribute to vintage engineering, Gator Chomp is a study in seduction and surface, aggression and grace. It invites us to see not just what a machine is—but what it becomes when translated through Maier’s obsessive lens.