1.        How long have you been doing art?  Well, Most artists have been doing it their whole life, myself included, but I didn’t follow my passion for custom cars and bikes until 2007. I never really had a set style or focus before then.

2.        How did you first get started?  I used to be a graffiti artist in a top crew but that ran its course. Around that same time, I started illustrating for Joyride Snowboards back around 1990 and worked crappy jobs while freelancing in the action sports industry. I’ve had over a hundred crappy jobs that had nothing to do with art or design all the way up through when I stopped going to art school. You wouldn’t believe some of the stuff I’ve done. I then got recruited by Arnette Sunglasses to be their Art Director in 2002. Worked in that industry for awhile but was never really happy. I left the industry and later went to work for Hot Wheels designing for everything “non-toy”, (clothing, skateboards, bikes, backpacks cake toppers, pencil cases, etc. etc.)

While at Hot Wheels, they asked me to help develop a new style of car illustration for their boy’s apparel line. I wasn’t used to Illustrator and wanted to learn it so I illustrated my first car at that point and loved the cleanliness of the program. They told me the look wasn’t what they were looking for, laid me off and then used that style a couple years later. That was a great job; I would have stayed their forever.

3.      What was your first commercial job?  Joyride Snowboards.

4.      When did you first start referring to yourself as an artist?  I’ve always referred to myself as an artist.

5.      What was the first piece of work you sold and do you know where it is today?  Snow board graphics for Joyride. It’s all in landfills across America. People don’t save old snowboards.

6.      Is art your primary business or is there anything else that you do for living?   Thankfully it is NOW. Like I said, I’ve had so many crappy jobs it’s great to finally be able to support myself doing car and bike stuff exclusively. I’ve got some projects on the table right now that may take away from my illustrating time this year but it’s all stuff related to the custom bike and car industry. It’s going to be an interesting year.

7.      Are there any special works that you would like to share with our audience or perhaps some new ones that have not been published elsewhere?   I pretty much post everything on my site as soon as I finish it. I have some cars coming out for Jada toys, Johnny Lightning and Hot Wheels this year.

8.        What’s your media of choice?   I work in both traditional as well as digital media. I don’t really have a preference; I do however like the final work to NOT look computer generated. I use a lot of pen and ink, pencil, Illustrator, Photoshop. I am going to make a serious effort to paint this year but we’ll see if that happens or not.

9.      What are some other tools/supplies/mediums that you primarily use for your work?  I love to sculpt but don’t do it very often. I dabble with pinstriping but there’s already a ton of amazing stripers out there, so for me it’s just another thing I can do in my personal work to add another layer of interest. I’ve had an airbrush for a year now and haven’t used it yet.

10.      What, besides your art, brings you creative fulfillment?  I don’t know about “creative fulfillment”, but I spend a ton of time on car, van and bike blogs pulling references and seeing what’s going on in the scene. I go to shows as often as possible, and have been focusing a lot of attention on our van club and working on my 74 Econoline. I also like video games and naps!

12.      How do you know when a piece you’re working on is done?   When my deadline is past due.

13.      What are some of your artistic goals for the future?   My brain is reeling every day with new ideas of projects and things I’d like to do so it changes constantly. I’m a Pisces man; I can never make up my mind. I’ve got 3-5 business possibilities on the table right now and I haven’t decided which ones I’m going to pursue. Whichever option I choose will determine the bulk of my work for the next couple years. It will definitely be car and bike related though.

14.      What other artists or movements influence your work?  Oh man, Williams was hands down the biggest. I had a few of his posters when I was little that my dad bought me. I used to stare at them for what seemed like hours picking out all his detail and brush strokes. I used to collect David Mann centerfolds as a kid as well. Later on it was dudes like Coop, Weesner, Shawn Warcott, Alan Forbes, and Schorr.

Nowadays, I am more influenced by time periods specifically the sixties and seventies. For me, the seventies was the last great decade for this country. Before MTV, computers, cell phones, the “war on drugs”, and everything else that sucks nowadays. People appreciated things more. Time moved slower. You had to really search for stuff that you thought was cool. People actually spent time together. Sure things were gaudy, but I personally love that era. It was all so much more interesting than the way things are today. People took pride in developing skills and talents. That’s another interview though. When I create a piece, it kinda takes me back in time for a second. I want to push that even farther this year with my work. I want my art to ooze the time period I’m depicting. I’m not quite there yet, but that’s where I’m heading.

15.      When you start a new design, no matter whether it is for work or your own personal portfolio, what are the first things you do?   I spend days researching people or cars or letter styles. Once that’s done and I’m happy with the direction, I research a little more until my wife kicks me off the computer and makes me spend “quality time” with her.

16.      I know it’s probably hard to pick, but do you have a favorite out of the work that you’ve done?  Probably the poster series for Dice Magazine. I’m proud of the work I’ve done for Cardboard Robot clothing as well. I like it all, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t show it.

17.      What kind of projects are you working on of your own right now?   Well, I’m about to start working with Matt and Dean from Dice on a van magazine called “Slot Mag”. I’ve also got a 50cc motorbike company called “Veteran Black” that’s in development right now and there’s a partnership with some automotive apparel lines coming out this year that I may be involved in. I have a signature die cast car coming out from Johnny Lightning later this year and a few other things I can’t mention yet, he he he. People can check my site for updates in my news section. And I’m still freelancing!

18.      What advice would you give for artists who are just starting out?  Don’t waste your money on art school unless your parents are rich, focus on subject matter you love and your whole world will open up, take as much figure drawing as possible, (I can’t stress that enough), surround yourself with like minded hard working people, and don’t let the computer become a crutch!

19.    And lastly, a fun question! All artists have their quirks. Name one of yours.  I love vans, trikes, gassers and bell bottoms way too much.  …now if I could just find some bell bottoms.

1.    How long have you been doing art? I started drawing when I was 6 years old.

2.    How did you first get started?  Started drawing?  My Dad encouraged me and my brothers and I just kept at it even thought my oldest brother was the best.

3.    What was your first commercial job?   5^th grade.  A school mate paid me 25 cents to draw an Impala racing a Camaro.

4.    When did you first start referring to yourself as an artist?   Just in the last few years when I began painting subjects for myself. My school training was in design, so I referred to myself as a designer.

5.    What was the first piece of work you sold and do you know where it is today? In 1974 I sold a painting of Don Schumacher’s “Super Shoe’ Funny Car Vega for $30 !  Maybe it’s in his attic or shed.

 6.    Is art your primary business or is there anything else that you do for living?   I’m an Art Director for my day job.

 7.    Are there any special works that you would like to share with our audience or perhaps some new ones that have not been published elsewhere?   I just completed a piece for a show at the M Modern Gallery in Palm Springs, it’s titled ‘Moonrise 2080′. It’s of a fat cat and sweetie hovering through the Southwest in a flying car.

8.    What’s your media of choice?  Most of the paintings I do are acrylic. But I still like pencil or charcoal sketches the best.

9.    What are some other tools/supplies/mediums that you primarily use for your work?  At work I use hand drawn sketches which are colored in Photoshop.

10.  What, besides your art, brings you creative fulfillment?  Doing art projects with our kids.

11.  What are your motivations for creating?  Seeing other people build, paint, write and sculpt exciting objects. Anything with unique character or vision.

12.  How do you know when a piece you’re working on is done?   When I’m tired of working on it. I like focused ideas. If there’s too much going on in a piece it becomes jumbled and confusing.

13.  What are some of your artistic goals for the future?  To be able to make a comfortable living off of my art (at a young age) the way my Father did.

14.  What other artists or movements influence your work?  There is so much talent to tap into, I don’t have a handful of artists that I can name. I know music is a good source of inspiration for me, as well as nature. I just keep one eye on the past and one on the future.

15.  When you start a new project, no matter whether it is for work or your own personal portfolio, what is the first thing you do?   I think my process is pretty standard. I think for a while about the theme, who’s the audience. Gather reference images for inspiration. Turn on some music and go.

16.  I know it’s probably hard to pick, but do you have a favorite out of the work that you’ve done?  The one that jumps to mind was a painting which ended up on the cover of Juxtapoz magazine back in 2003. That painting and article really propelled my personal art career. I feel very fortunate.

17.  What kind of projects are you working on of your own right now? I have a gallery show coming up at the Gasoline Gallery in L.A. so I’m nearing completion of 8 paintings for the show. I’m also doing designs for my friend’s speed apparel company, ‘Wicked Quick’ .

18.  What advice would you give for artists who are just starting out? As with anything in life, there are no shortcuts to success. You have to truly enjoy what you do otherwise it’s just work. The best designers/artists are the ones with the best memories.

19.    And lastly, a fun question! All artists have their quirks. Name one of yours.  I like eating canned spaghetti and chocolate milk while soaking in the tub.

1.    How long have you been doing art?  Since before I was old enough to remember.

2.    How did you first get started? My mom has some drawings I did when I was two or three years old, and you can tell they are helicopters and airplanes, etc. I would draw on pretty much anything Mom or Dad would let me… used grocery bags, scrap wood, parts of cardboard boxes… anything.

3.    What was your first commercial job?  In seventh grade, a rich kid in my class paid me $30 each to do pencil renderings of his dad’s Porsches.

4.    When did you first start referring to yourself as an artist?  Some kids in grade school called me that… so I just kinda went with it.

 5.    What was the first piece of work you sold and do you know where it is today?  I don’t really do “gallery” work, but I’m considering that as a possible direction I’d like to pursue. Everything I’ve done has been for commission, and occasionally something for me or something to give as a gift.

6.    Is art your primary business or is there anything else that you do for living?  I work for “The Man” as graphic designer, but do freelance illustration on the side.

7.    Are there any special works that you would like to share with our audience or perhaps some new ones that have not been published elsewhere?  I sure wish I could, but a couple pieces I really like aren’t “public” yet, as the client has requested that I don’t show it until he gives the green light.

8.    What’s your media of choice?  For personal work, I like watercolor… for commissioned work, I usually go digital.

9.    What are some other tools/supplies/mediums that you primarily use for your work?  Prismacolor Pencils… and I like drawing on marker paper or just regular tracing paper when I want to draw on both sides of the paper.

10.  What, besides your art, brings you creative fulfillment?  Working on my 52 Chevy Fastback… especially the sheet metal work.

11.  What are your motivations for creating?  It’s just sort of a need… like when you get hungry, you eat; when you’re sleepy, you sleep. The need to do something creative is kinda the same. There’s just pent-up creative “energy”, and I release the pressure by making art.

12.  How do you know when a piece you’re working on is done?  I guess I just sense the point that when additional work on that project starts to make the piece weaker instead of stronger. Then it’s time to stop.

13.  What are some of your artistic goals for the future?  I really need to get better at drawing people & animals. There’s the gallery work thing, and I’d also like to do some children’s book illustration.

14.  What other artists or movements influence your work?  This is gonna sound like a cop-out, but I have to say that pretty much any art I’ve ever seen has had some sort of influence on me — some positive and some negative. But my college painting professor, Melvin Stanforth, has had the most direct influence on the way I make art and the way I think about it.

15.  When you start a new design, no matter whether it is for work or your own personal portfolio, what is the first thing you do?  First, I research. Usually I just search my own personal archives or the web for reference images, but I also look for informational aspects of the subject - how it works or if there’s any history of note, etc. Sometimes I’ll need to take photos or have my client do so if it’s something unique about a specific car. Then I sketch things out to see if I can make it work visually. The sketching process also lets me kinda get acquainted with the subject of the piece. Like if it’s a car, I’ll usually draw it from a couple different views before I settle on the one that gets used in the final art.

16.  I know it’s probably hard to pick, but do you have a favorite out of the work that you’ve done?  Yeah, but I’m not allowed to show it publicly yet! (See #7.) Not sure if I would call them a favorite, but there are a pair of watercolors I did in my last year of college, and for some reason, I still really like them. They were both based on my own photography of a 47 Chevy Coupe my Dad and I had just gotten. Those paintings just sort of went so smoothly, and it was one of the most satisfying art projects I’ve ever done.

and

 17.  What kind of projects are you working on of your own right now? Working on my own line of t-shirt art, and illustrating some passages from the Bible.

18.  What advice would you give for artists who are just starting out?  Something they don’t seem to tech in art school is business skills — that’s something I’ve really had to learn on my own. Fortunately I’ve had the opportunity to work for people who have helped me learn a few things. But I still have a lot to learn! I would encourage new artists to try to take some business classes or read some books on the subject, etc. And never stop learning: read and get involved with other creative people (not just visual artists, but writers, musicians, designers, etc.)

19.  And lastly, a fun question! All artists have their quirks. Name one of yours.  Wow… I don’t know… I’m sure I have more quirks than I realize, but one thing is that I’ve noticed I’m way more productive with less clutter in my workspace. I’ve become almost vindictive about keeping my work area free of things that are not directly related to the project I’m currently working on.

1. How long have you been doing art?  I suppose the answer to that is I really don’t know for sure. I know that my parents put crayons and markers in my hands from the time I could close them around something. I know for sure that there was never less than a stack of paper in front of me so I could always have something to draw on. Was it all art? Hell no. It was a way to keep me out of trouble.

2. How did you first get started?  As I mentioned in Q1, I always had crayons, markers, paper and pencils around me to keep me occupied from the time I could close my hands. From there I suppose a lot of encouragement goes a long way too.

3. What was your first commercial job?  First commercial job, or first job I got paid doing? I illustrated a few books when I was in high school, but didn’t receive any pay for it. Later I went on to do some illustrations for local Detroit music zines. I think the first one officially I was paid to do was a corporate identity for a start up computer service company that no longer exists.

4. When did you first start referring to yourself as an artist?  I still don’t refer to myself as “an artist”. I feel there is something pompous about the term that I can’t really get over.  As cliché as it is I feel like I should be wearing a beret and painting or something that you’d see in a cartoon. I refer to myself as a graphic designer, photographer, and the closest I get to that term I suppose would be “Artisan”… but I tend to just use the term Designer. Those two terms are a little less threatening and don’t have the same flaunting sound to them that “an Artist” seems to have. Maybe I need to get over that?

5. What was the first piece of work you sold and do you know where it is today?   When I first started off in college I took an oil painting class and my teacher insisted that I put a bunch of my work in the student show. I really didn’t want to participate and I wasn’t ready to sell anything yet as it wasn’t up to my own standards. The instructor was persistent and I buckled to their requests. All of the work went to the show (not for sale). The show ended after a month and all of my pieces went “missing”. I left that school after that without even photos of my paintings and no money, but apparently they went to someone who really wanted them.

6. Is art your primary business or is there anything else that you do for living?   Times are really tough right now I think the world over, let alone here in the Motor City! I will literally do just about anything to make some money for my Family. I worked part time in a Custom Car shop for a while and also made Carbon Fiber one off hoods for high end racing Mustangs. I like to work with my hands and I get a good feeling from a hard days work. Currently I’m also holding down the fort as Mr. Mom to our new son Cass Victory.

7. Are there any special works that you would like to share with our audience or perhaps some new ones that have not been published elsewhere?  Though I’m probably known better for photography and graphic design work, I love to paint, but I really tend to take my time on pieces, so there isn’t a massive collection of them. Painting take time to work on and it’s nothing that can be forced for me to work faster or harder. I just take my time and let them come along when I feel like it. I think that’s my favorite part about painting. I have a painting of a Cadillac that I’ve been working on for some time that isn’t finished. Maybe 2010 for the finished Cadillac painting.

8. What’s your media of choice?  I dabble in a little of everything. I think media choice is a matter of what I’m creating. I will fully admit that I love the idea of being able to undo on the computer which has changed me forever now. I wish in many ways that I wasn’t exposed to computers for artistic purposes, but now it seems like it is a necessary evil in what I do commercially.

9. What are some other tools/supplies/mediums that you primarily use for your work?  Pens, Pencils, Markers, straight edges, brushes, Rapidographs, Sharpies, My cameras, a crazy homemade Light table, 3M enlarger, I’ve used coffee mugs to get circles from.  I like making my own textures out of everything that I can use for final application on the computer to distress work. It’s a big combination of low tech and high tech ideas used together.

10. What, besides your art, brings you creative fulfillment?  I don’t tend to think of what I do as ‘art things’, and ‘non-art things’. I suppose playing music is probably the next best thing for creative fulfillment to art. I play some guitar; years ago I played in a few different bands. Over the summer I completely renovated my barn (the speed barn) and found that I also got the creative feeling that I get from my art pieces. Same with my ‘49 Ford and my roadster project (the “Gow Cart” ‘29 Roadster); they are incredibly fulfilling in the same way as my art, and equally frustrating too. All of these things I can stand back and admire them at the end of the day and feel good. Though my son is less than 6 months old, I know he will also provide me with creative fulfillment as well.

11. What are your motivations for creating?  I would say my surroundings here in Detroit are enough motivation to create. So much is run down and destroyed; once beautiful buildings have been stripped and trashed and I feel I can feed off that as a motivation to stand up against that thought process as it’s so easy to destroy and very difficult to create. And probably much like when I was little, art has kept me out of trouble even as an adult.

12. How do you know when a piece you’re working on is done?  I don’t! I have a good feeling when something is close, but refinement can go on forever. I try not to beat myself up over a piece and convince myself that my energy is better used in other ways. Sometimes it all comes together quickly, and other times I can wake up in the morning and not find any motivation to work on something, so it’s best to not force yourself I’ve found.

13. What are some of your artistic goals for the future?  Bigger pieces are one goal. I would like to focus more on painting large pieces and working in some new mediums. I would like to get back to doing more limited run Silkscreened posters (50 pieces only) I’d like to keep doing small runs and move on to the next piece rather then have stock in something for years to come. It helps me keep fresh and not grow tired of my own work. I’ve dreamt of doing a coffee table book of photos involved in the new generation of Hot Rods and Customs as well as the people who are making it happen. I have some ideas for apparel lines that I’m getting ready to launch.

14. What other artists or movements influence your work?  I’m highly influenced by the movements that came along with the Industrial revolution: Constructavist, Bauhaus, Art Deco and Pictorial Modernism is perhaps what I mimic the most in what I do, but trying to manipulate in a modern way. Artist that inspire me are A.M. Cassandre, El Lisssitzky, Alexander Rodchenko, and Herbert Matters. The one movement that I enjoyed the most was the Futurists who admired speed and machines, and if it weren’t for their equal admiration of death, war, and fascist views, I think they would have been the perfect art movement. I get super excited when clients come to me with requests for these styles of work. I feel like it’s my wheelhouse.

15. When you start a new design, no matter whether it is for work or your own personal portfolio, what is the first thing you do?  Clean up! I know its more customary to clean the space when something is complete, but as in question 12, I don’t tend to know when projects are done, so I also don’t clean up! Sounds funny now that I think about it, but it makes sense to me now.

16. I know it’s probably hard to pick, but do you have a favorite out of the work that you’ve done?  I often tire of my own work after it’s complete. I don’t marvel at the work that I have done, but rather the work I can do. Every once and awhile I will come across something that I did in the past and want to keep in my personal portfolio, but that’s seldom.

17. What kind of projects are you working on of your own right now?  My free time has pretty much gone to the wind for personal projects. I have some plans for painting projects. I want to paint my old bullet riddled doors off my roadster in hopes to sell them for new doors. I also have a Taylor Tot from the late 30’s that I want to customize for my son, but I have a little time before he’s sitting upright to use it. I have still a lot of work to do on the interior of the Speed Barn, but I’m OK taking my time.

18. What advice would you give for artists who are just starting out?  To be a working artist, you need drive. You need to be constantly working on something all of the time. Constant practice helps a lot as well. School is up to the individual as far as if it will help you or not. There are plenty of people out there that never needed it, but even with lots of practice, it’s good to be exposed to other artists work and fellow students of art as well. I feel it was very beneficial to me.

19. And lastly, a fun question! All artists have their quirks. Name one of yours.  It’s hard to identify your own quirks as they are idiosyncrasy all unto yourself. To me it’s all normal. My wife tells me that when I concentrate very hard on something I either bite my lip or stick my tongue out between my lips slightly. Is that weird?

A few pin-up gals braved the wet weather and were gracious enough to have their photo taken in front of our booth.  Thank you Ladies!

Even though we got soaked, we were pleased that some hardcore attendees came by our booth and bought some ACME items!   Thank you!

Chico & The Mooneyes crew really put on a great show.  It’s one of our favorites.  If you have never been, put it on your calendar for next year.

1.   How long have you been doing art?  I have always loved to draw. I remember as a kid, with crayons, drawing animals on the wallpaper, much to the dismay of my mom and dad. I had a fair amount of talent and in school, I was always referred to as “the boy that draws so well”.  I’ve been doing art professionally for eight years, the first five years working a job as a technical illustrator and the last three years as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. 

2.   How did you first get started?  From the kid’s drawings, there’s just a seamless progression to the the art and illustration work I’m doing now.  Besides being good at drawing, I was a pretty good student in school as well. As I had never really thought of making a career out of my drawing talent, I went to Business School instead of Art School. I trained to be a sales and marketing manager. When I was in Business School, I was asked to come work for the school paper doing layout and illustration which I did.  I had a lucky break when I landed my Business School traineeship at a correspondence school where they had an in-house graphic studio, reproduction darkroom and printing shop. It was a pretty cool place to work. Pretty soon, I was doing illustration and layout work for their courses and advertising, besides conducting the marketing research that I was supposed to be doing for my graduation. They were preparing, believe it or not, a correspondence course on the Art of Juggling. I did all the illustrations for that course, you know, drawing a lot of hands holding playing cards and coins and all that. It was pretty funny.  In that correspondence school graphic studio, I was first introduced to desktop publishing and computer drawing. I bought my first MacIntosh computer: It only had a very small black and white screen but it was a start. 

3.   What was your first commercial job?  I think the first time I did artwork for money was a commissioned airbrush piece that I did for a brother of a buddy of mine. The guy was an amateur scuba diver and he wanted me to paint an underwater scene of a diver fighting a shark on his scuba bottle. The artwork came out very nice; I think I spent 30 hours on it. However, in the end I managed to spoil the whole effect: I felt the airbrush art needed to be protected by a nice heavy coat of clear varnish butI didn’t have a spray gun large enough to clear coat the piece, let alone clear coat the whole bottle. So what I did was mask off a square around the airbrushed piece with masking tape and apply some heavy coats of clear with a paint roller.  The art was well protected now alright (like it was under glass) but when I removed the masking tape the edges of the clear coat laid on so thick that the whole deal looked like a cheap sticker instead of a one-off custom designed airbrush paint job-the guy was not happy at all but he paid for the work anyway.  Here’s a picture of the piece-the photograph was taken before I messed it up with the clear coat.

4.   When did you first start referring to yourself as an artist?  After graduating from Business School, I got my draft notice and had to join the army for a full year. I’m not exactly the military type you know: I’m just no good at taking orders. Like every real Dutchman, I’m always questioning authority. They made me a desk clerk, sitting at an office desk all day long. That gave me a lot of spare time to do some drawing. In those days, I was into Ed Roth style monster drawings and I started to do my own versions of the black and white T-shirt designs of the weirdo’s in the hot rods. My drawing didn’t stay unnoticed: Eventually, I was doing T-shirt designs and tattoo designs for my army buddies, “nose art” for the trucks, as well as painting a large mural on a wall inside the bar room of the unit.  After my service in the army was over, I went home and had a stream of odd jobs: Some were graphic-design related, some not at all; I worked briefly at a McDonald’s restaurant, at a textile screen-printing shop, as a factory worker in an anodizing plant for aluminum and as an upholsterer at a furniture factory. I never lasted long and never really fit in any of the positions. Here in Holland, we use a specific expression when a person has this type of ‘career-pattern’: “Twelve Trades and Thirteen Disasters”.  I was unemployed and without income between jobs several times, living at my parents’ house, just concentrating on my artwork.  By that time, it was pretty evident that I would never be an executive/corporate guy and that I would never be a marketing manager or a sales manager or any of that, in spite of finishing that education. At that point, I wished I had gone to Art School instead.  So all the while that I had been working these odd jobs, I had been creating artwork in my spare time. I had a nice little portfolio of hand drawn black and white cartoon stuff and I had done some color paintings as well. I went to a job interview looking for desktop publishing work. The job interview was at a start-up firm specializing in technical documentation. They produced documents like operating manuals and spare parts catalogs for the machine building industry… so I’m showing them my portfolio filled with monster art and car cartoons… play a tiny bit of bluff poker about my computer skills maybe… and guess what; They hire me for the full-time position of technical illustrator… I would be doing the drawing in Adobe Illustrator… oh oh… gulp… I had no technical drawing experience whatsoever, no Adobe Illustrator experience and really didn’t have a clue what I was getting myself into.  In a very short period of time, I had to teach myself the basics of technical isometric projection drawing and catch up on my computer skills. But everything came together fine and it worked out alright for me. I really liked the job and I ended up working there for five years before their main client decided to farm out the illustration work to India where labor is a lot cheaper. Sadly, they had to let me go.  With my new-found computer skills from that job, I had built a little home-page for myself to showcase my artwork and paintings; I wrote a little biography for that home-page and I think that is the first time that I actually referred to myself as an artist. 

5.   What was the first piece of work you sold and do you know where it is today?  I never was into the gallery circuit where original art is marketed but I do get a lot of invitations to participate in shows now, mostly kustom kulture art shows. Since most all my work is created digitally now, I usually don’t have much original art on display. Instead of original work, I usually have some very high quality art prints on canvas on display of my digital stuff. It is not my primary objective to sell these canvas-prints but rather to promote my illustration work in general with a view to generating some leads for future commissions.

6.   Is art your primary business or is there anything else that you do for living?   We have two little kids now, a boy and a girl; Koen and Vera. Since my wife Claudy is very professional and has always held good, steady jobs, we decided that I would become a stay-at-home dad after I got fired from my technical illustration job. That is when I founded my freelance studio “Dutch Courage Graffix”. I work on my artwork when the house is quiet. The artwork is all I do besides the housekeeping… thank goodness for my professional wife or we would all be starving hahaha… I hope to expand my illustration and design business further and work it full-time after both kids are older and are off to school during daytime.

7.   Are there any special works that you would like to share with our audience or perhaps some new ones that have not been published elsewhere?  Eh, yeah, as a matter of fact I do; I have a couple of bad-ass new hot rod T-shirt pieces that I finished recently: One is a design for ladies shirts and the other a wild “punk rock” piece… I’m kinda on the look-out for a buyer… thought maybe you guys might be interested hahaha… Anyway, I took the liberty of adding the ACME lettering to present them here…

8.   What’s your media of choice?  I used to work in traditional media like enamels, india ink and oil- and acrylic paint. I also had a friend of mine weld me a screen-printing press and I printed some T-shirts of my own designs. I used my airbrush to color in the black line-art on the shirts.  Today, most of my work is commissioned artwork for clients and rendered with help of the computer.  Ninety-five percent of my work is done in Adobe Illustrator. Other applications that I use are Photoshop and recently Painter. Being the freak perfectionist that I am, Illustrator is the ultimate tool for me: You get the precision of vector graphics combined with multiple Undo’s…

 9.   What are some other tools/supplies/mediums that you primarily use for your work?  I use a light table to trace my sketches and stuff; I still like to do my sketches by hand.  My computer is an old Apple iMac with a pressure sensitive graphic tablet from Wacom for drawing. I also use a scanner/printer and that’s pretty much it these days.

 10. What, besides your art, brings you creative fulfillment?  Gee, dunno really; it’s pretty much the artwork 24-7. But I have a hot rod project sitting in the garage waiting for some creative input; it’s a 1930 Ford Model A coupe but that project is sort of on hold for now; waiting for time and money and a sense of urgency.

 11. What are your motivations for creating?   The creative urge is an ‘intrinsic’ thing; it has always been a part of me. I think I’m a bit of an alchemist in a way; you know, trying to make gold out of lead… or an animated soul out of mud… I’m always thinking about my projects and working; it’s what I am about.  There is indeed a metaphysical aspect to creating: When you’re all by yourself and undisturbed, working, sometimes on rare occasions, you arrive at a state where it is no longer your conscious you that is performing and working… the work just ‘happens’ all by itself. You’re in this “flow” so to speak, where you find yourself transcending space and time. You are at peace with yourself and the world and feel connected to the universe… I guess only those who have experienced it will know what I’m talking about; many will probably write this off as a load of utter BS… I’m fine with that.  Other artists that I have talked to and who know it have referred to this state as “The Zone” or “The Fix”.

 12. How do you know when a piece you’re working on is done?  Yeah, it’s that old dilemma: “a painting never gets finished, just abandoned”. I guess you just keep adding strokes until you see no more improvement. With digital artwork it’s just the same really; I just keep adding stuff until I start deleting everything that I’m adding. The level of detailing depends on the purpose the piece has to serve of course. Actually, I spend a huge amount of time perfecting stuff; making minor “improvements” no one will ever notice. But that’s just me. 

 13. What are some of your artistic goals for the future?  The challenge for me is find more of a healthy balance between traditional media work and digital work. It sometimes bothers me that, at the end of the day, you hardly have anything to show for all the hard work and the countless hours you have spent in front of the monitor. All there is some digital file in some virtual reality… Maybe I should dust off my old oil-paintbrushes or try my hand at pinstriping… not sure yet.  As far as artistic goals go: I just want to keep improving my skill level and maybe add another drawing style or technique to my repertoire: I like looking at old magazine ads and illustrations as a source of inspiration and to study the style and technique of vintage graphic design and illustration. I’m sure some of it will eventually find it’s way into my own work.  In general, I’m just striving to produce stuff that has some kind of ‘wow-factor’ to it, no matter if the work is in traditional media or digital.

 14. What other artists or movements influence your work?  When I was a kid, I was very much into cowboys and indians. I remember a library-book that I borrowed over and over again; I loved it for the illustrations, a lot of them reproductions of paintings by famous western artists Charles Russell and Frederick Remington. When the custom-van craze hit Holland, I was heavily into the fantasy art of Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo: Their paintings were often copied on custom painted vans by airbrush artists.  Later, I found out about car builder/innovator/artist Ed “Big Daddy” Roth from the American custom van and hot rod magazines that I read. I guess I got a bit ‘under the influence’ of Roth’s alter ego Rat Fink. I ordered some Roth ‘how-to’ books on airbrushing and pinstriping and some Rat Fink paraphernalia from MoonEyes.  Then, late one night, as I was zapping television channels, I dropped right into the middle of this show where a Dutch TV-journalist was doing an interview with some artist from Los Angeles who also drove a hot rod. I only saw a glimpse of that television show and I didn’t catch the name of that artist, but what I had seen about this guy and his art intrigued the hell out of me. As I found out later, this artist, of course, was the founding father of Lowbrow Art: the infamous Robert Williams. The oil paintings by Williams just blew me away.  Later still, I wasn’t just looking at car-magazines but also at comics, tattoo and biker magazines, skateboarding and surf magazines and experimental graphic design magazines. Many titles that I used to buy back then have long perished: Sin, Hypno, Beach Culture, Bikini, Raygun and ART! Alternatives for example. Later, I subscribed to Williams’ lowbrow-art mag Juxtapoz Magazine which is still in circulation.  It were these magazines that really introduced me to what was going on from a cultural perspective in the US, most notably on the West Coast with it’s unique mix of Psychedelic, Hippie, Surf, Custom-car, Hot-rod, Tattoo, Chicano, and Rock ‘n Roll/Rockabilly subcultures.  Some other heroes besides Ed Roth and Robert Williams; the usual suspects: Ed Newton, Rick Griffin, Stanley Mouse, Kenneth “Von Dutch” Howard and The Pizz, among others.  Lately, I’ve been looking a lot at the work of our very own Dutch underground artist of international fame: Peter Pontiac.. These artists all have had a huge influence on my work.  Today, I look at the art of many kustom kulture artists; from pinstripers to photographers and from sign painters to graphic designers. I spend many hours looking at other people’s work, just absorbing it.  The Friday Art Shows on the H.A.M.B. message board where artists from around the globe show off their creations, have been a very important opportunity for me in getting to know other artists and their work as well as in getting international recognition for my own work.

 15. When you start a new design, no matter whether it is for work or your own personal portfolio, what is the first thing you do?  A new project usually starts with an idea or mental picture that is strong enough to get me into gear and grab a pencil and a piece of paper… If it’s commissioned work, the client usually provides a description, sometimes with accompaniment of photographs or examples. If I have to, I scout for reference material about the subject in either books or magazines or on the internet. After that, I start some sketches and try to ‘capture’ the original idea into a visual representation without losing too much spontaneity in the process… The first sketches are very quick and small, just thumbnails really. Sometimes, it is hard to get it just right right off the bat; it may take several sketch sessions to come up with just the right ’snapshot’.  After I have come up with a thumbnail sketch that I think will work, I scan it, enlarge it and print it in order to trace it on a new piece of paper on my light box while refining and adding detail. I may repeat this process until I have a drawing that is detailed enough to use as a template and/or to show to the client as a rough draft in the case of a commissioned piece.

 16. I know it’s probably hard to pick, but do you have a favorite out of the work that you’ve done?  A favorite piece…? It is always your next piece that you promise yourself will be the ultimate masterpiece.  I don’t have a favorite work really; I work in several different styles, depending on what is required for a particular job; I give it my very best shot each and every time and I try to make every single piece of artwork ‘count’. But of course, there will always be pieces that you get a bit frustrated with after a while. I sometimes rework older work to improve things and bring the piece up to par.

17. What kind of projects are you working on of your own right now?  I have a couple more ideas for hot rod T-shirt art that I’d like to get cracking on but I’m too swamped with client work right now. But then, of course, there’s always the website that needs to be updated… and then there’s the house that needs a new coat of paint… and the hot rod project that has been on hold for far too long.

 18. What advice would you give for artists who are just starting out?  I would recommend anyone who aspires to be an artist to very closely study the work of other artists. Especially pay close attention to the artists who rank at the top in what they do. Then be determined to be at least as good as they are - eventually. Get to work and hopefully, a personal and unique style of your own will start to emerge.  Use the internet to showcase your work. Join online social groups and message boards. Work hard and put in that little extra effort in each piece you do. If you have to, get a side job to at least have a steady source of income to pay the rent, especially if you have mouths to feed… Art supplies and computer equipment or whatever else you might need to produce the work often aren’t exactly cheap either… Don’t be at all surprised if suddenly you find that the old cliché of the ’starving artist’ applies to you.

 19. And lastly, a fun question! All artists have their quirks. Name one of yours.  Gee quirks… I dunno… But let me tell you about a practical joke me and a buddy pulled over a decade ago:  I was still living at my parent’s house back then: we lived in a tiny town in a rural part of Holland. The townspeople, for the most part, being pretty narrow-minded, God-fearing and law-abiding citizens… well, you get the idea, right? Anyway, I became curious about marihuana but I didn’t know where to get it, other than grow it myself. So I went to the city and got myself 10 hemp seeds in a back-alley grow shop. They were the real deal and cost their weight in gold: Top notch Dutch “Nederwiet” (Nether-Weed) cannabis seeds. My parents had a large garden where they would grow fruit and vegetables; I put the seeds in the earth, not expecting much really but lo and behold, the 10 tiny seeds quickly became seedlings and started growing like crazy; within no time, there was a giant bush of enormous marihuana plants in the back of our garden. My dad was not amused but since the plants were not visible from the road, he left them alone.  I didn’t know the first thing about growing weed… later someone pointed out to me that  the male plants need to be removed from the seedlings to prevent the female plants from getting fertilized and running into seed later on. And sure enough, that’s what had happened: The giant plants had ran into seed and were useless. So that was the end of that experiment and I kind of lost interest.  My dad was an avid fisher and hemp seeds can be used as fishing lure. So when my dad cleared the plants, he harvested the seeds with the intention of using them for fishing bait. He collected almost a bucket full of seeds, dried them and put them away.  The next year, I had a buddy over at my house one night and we were talking when we came up with the prank: The idea was to take the marihuana seeds that my dad had saved and ‘Dust the Town’… So that’s what we did: We waited till after dark and started walking down town, our pockets chock-full of marihuana seeds. We dropped a little handful in every bare spot of earth that we could find: We ‘dusted’ the church yard, the municipal flower beds, private gardens, the park, stray flowerpots; everything until we ran out of seeds.  Perhaps you can imagine the bewilderment of the townsfolk a few months later when marihuana plants had popped up all over town… People wondered what the heck had happened and if the town had been taken over by some kind of drug-cartel.  And thus my buddy and I instigated the “Big Municipal Weed Eradication” of 1996:  They’re still talking about that.

P.S. By the way; I’m not into drugs or anything; I don’t smoke and hardly even drink any alcohol.

Always fun to chat with fellow vendors - Jenny Tanner (Trophy Queen), Max Grundy & Candace, Jack Hamilton (Jack’s Graphic Station), and our new friend, Dwayne Vance (Masters of Chicken Scratch).

Here’s the ACME family of four portrait.

Our 1st customer was none other than John Parker - one of the show promoters!  Thanks John!

We came up with the idea to do an “ACME Likes It” award.  We’d like to give these out at any other shows that will let us show our appreciation for the cars people are building.  Drum roll please….the 1st award went to Bryan Thompson with his red 1957 Ford Ranchero mild custom.  What an awesome car!