Janis Joplin expressed her opinions through her music and her 1965 Porsche 356convertible that Dave Richards painted for her. Her car represented symbols that both defined her as an individual and the period in which she lived in. When looking at the car, one is mesmerized be the bright colors and the great details that can be seen. Dave Richards used vivid colors like yellow, orange, pink and turquoise. The car’s hood has varieties of butterflies and small blue flowers (might be Forget-Me-Nots flowers).In the middle front, there are two faces, one looking to the right and the other to the left. In the middle of the two faces, there is an eye looking straight ahead. It is a gods-eye symbol that the band has identified. Also there”tms a missing chrome line on the left side of the car. Janis identified herself very much with her astrological sign. It might be a woman”tms body with veins running through it or thin rivers of blood. On the left side of the car, there are little brown shapes. Janis Joplin Porsche 356 represents that idea too. Finally, the one symbol that represents Janis Joplin is the sun with the Capricorn sign in the back of the car with the letter J on top. However there is a missing mirror on the right side of the car.
Several replicas of Janis’ beloved 356 have been built over the years. The original (itself restored several times) sits in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.
