ABOUT THE ARTIST
AS a child of the fifties, I was naturally interested in cars, and anything else with wheels. I grew up, the son of a famous tap dancer, and spent my first dozen years tap dancing in many stage shows. It was a great childhood, and I got my first taste of 'show biz' at an early age. When I turned 16, my Dad bought me my first car; a 1950 Plymouth fastback coupe. I nosed and decked it, lowered and customized it, put dual pipes on it, and thought it was the 'coolest' car on the road. It was the beginning of a 'love affair' with automobiles that has lasted over 40 years. In the beginning, I would work weekends and all summer long to earn enough money to buy my next 'project'. I owned some beauties; starting with a '56 Chevy Belaire and two '57 Chevy Belaire 2 door hardtops. In those days, my Dad owned a Chrysler dealership, and I would lock myself up in the building at night, and spend all night sanding, masking, and painting my cars to become custom masterpieces. My custom painting and pinstriping began, here.
Over the years, I have worn many ''hats'' and worked at many occupations, but the creative juices of art and painting have outlasted everything else. I've been an entertainer/musician in Vegas, Tahoe, Reno and up and down the west coast; I've sold Insurance, automobiles, magazines, collections and martini's; I've worked for Fortune Companies and represented the largest security company in the world; but I still enjoy the creativity of ….free hand pinstriping!
During the years '65 through '67, I served in the U.S Army as an NCO combat medic in Vietnam. The war was still in it's infancy and everyone involved just wanted to get back home alive. It was an 'unpopular' war, and the country as a whole, was not in our corner. As soldiers in a foreign land, we could never understand why we didn't have the support of the American people. After 11 months on the line, I managed to get a transfer to Special Services, where I was promoted to NCO in charge of Entertainment for the 9th Division. I spent my last two months organizing soldier shows for the European tour circuit, arranging transportation for visiting celebrities, and personally handled all the logistics for the Charlton Heston handshake tour, the mini version of "Hello Dolly" from Broadway starring Martha Ray, and the annual Christmas tour for Bob Hope. It was my last official act while 'in country'. While I was there, I was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor, The Army Commendation Medal, The Combat Medics Badge, and the Silver Star. I received an honorable discharge. During the following 8 years, I was an entertainer/musician in various Las Vegas, Tahoe, and Reno show groups; traveling up and down the West coast playing drums with various show and Rock groups. I will always remember the thrill of creating great music with so many talented friends. Times were simpler then, life was fun and simple, and music was an important aspect of my life. It has always been my favorite occupation. It was NEVER a job.
For over 20 years, I was one of the ''Top Guns" of the striping business in the Bay area of S.F. I've painted nearly 40,000 cars and have enjoyed working for the top auto producers and dealerships in the world. Mercedes, BMW, Infiniti, Acura, Cadillac, Jaguar, Rolls Royce, Lincoln, Volvo, GMC and many more were among my 'masterpieces'; and it was great to see them rolling down the roads and highways of California, everyday. I've worked for many celebrities including many of the San Francisco Forty Niners, many Silicon valley executives such as Steve Wozniak of Apple Computers, Plastic Surgeons, College Professors, and many others.
In 1997, I decided to move to Phoenix, AZ., and begin a new phase of my life, continuing to pinstripe and custom paint automobiles for dealers and private owners. Again, I got the chance to meet some very interesting people who desired my talents on their cars. It was a great surprise one time, when I was asked to make a 'house call' to a client for the local Infiniti dealer. When the door opened, there stood Bruce Devlin, one of my golf heroes. It was a 'house call' that lasted all day, as we talked golf, other hero's of mine who were friends of his, and pinstriping, too.
The art of pinstriping is truly God given, and something you just don't learn from a book. It has to come from a natural born talent, and then be practiced and perfected until it comes to life on a 'canvas' of metal. It has been my "ten minutes of fame"…but has really been all about creating art for the enjoyment of others. Although I've been featured on the front page of a newspaper, had a film produced about me at Stanford University, and have been mentioned in several hot rod magazines, I simply wanted to make my 'mark' by leaving the world a little better with some beauty of my own design.
Little did I realize that when I asked a guy to stripe my '56 Chevy those many years ago, that I would follow his lead by buying my own brush and paint, and turn it into a lifetime business. I hope I still have a few good years left in me to create more ''works of art'' for those who care about quality.
I've always had a creed and belief about my craft and the way I treat my clients: " Give the customer MORE than he pays for, and he will ALWAYS be your customer!" It works.
