the weekends whenever I could fit one in. This leaves no time at all for projects or side work of my craft. Now with an oppor- tunity like this at hand, I needed to figure something out. Then like a bolt of lightning it hit me. How did I get into this situation in the first place? What chain of events was to blame for such a bitter sweet chance to paint a car of such importance to my career? It was Ed Gross of VOO DOO graphics from Keene, New Hampshire that lead me to this situation and its Ed Gross that can get me out!

High performance engine that runs on alternative fuel. ( Ethenol )

Now, he was thinking of taking it much further and would like some ideas that would really represent the movie more. I was flattered of course and once again my wheels began to turn. I had always wanted to paint a filmstrip down the side of a vehicle and inside each cell I wanted to display the images of famous actors and actresses. I began to explain this to them with the twist that I could place scenes from the movie Pump- ing Iron, instead of just single actors portraits in each cell. I also explained that I was also capable of making the film take up reel in the back on the trunk lid and morph it into a lifting plate to represent body building. They all looked at me like I had 3 eyes, and was crazy. Then one of them said, “You can do that? How big would the film have to be? Is it going to look gaudy?” I explained to them that I am plenty aware of their concerns for the gaudiness and would make sure to keep it looking very classy and stylish. I went on to tell them about one of my biggest concerns in taking this project to that extreme. Do I have enough time in my schedule to pull something of that magnitude off? I wasn’t to sure I physically had the time. I explained to them that in the next 3 weeks prior to the re- vealing of the car, I only had 2 weekends available and that I had technical school demos scheduled for all of the days in between. That would only leave me 4 days to possibly be able to pull this off, and that just wasn’t going to be enough for the difficulty of the movie scenes, backgrounds, the cutting out of all the film strip, and of course the portraits that where going to be the size of half dollars. The excitement in their faces was draining away as well as mine. Mike Katz then said, “Wow Rich, if there is any way you could possible pull this off it would re- ally make the whole project more than I had ever anticipated.” I then left them with the notion that I would see what I could do and get back to them. “What could I possibly do though?” I thought. Even if I were to work around the clock for 2 week- ends I couldn’t possibly pull this off in time. I now had to figure out how I was going to fit this into my already full schedule. For the past 4 years I have been giving presentations that demon- strate my career as an airbrush artist and graphic designer. I was doing anywhere from 90 to 100 presentations in the schools both morning and afternoon and automotive shows on

Arnold and Mike uncovering the car at the Arnold Classics

I immediately dialed his number and got through within min-

utes. I started the conversation by asking what he might be doing for the next couple of weekends, and then explained how one thing had lead to another ever since he had thrown me under the bus with Archie to paint the Devil’s Ride, (which I was more than grateful for) and gave him a run down of the situation now at hand. I needed his help to get the job done! At first he didn’t know what to think, but soon realized this was an opportunity to boost both of our careers. We went over some of the details for the project at hand and freed up our schedules. I then scheduled time with the body shop that had so flawlessly pulled off the preparations, clear coating and finish work for the Devil’s Ride (Bodyworks Unlimited of East Longmeadow, MA). I spoke with Tony Bordoni, owner of the shop. He under- stood the opportunity at hand, and after filling him in about the tight schedule and urgency of the project, his excitement was evident when he replied “Bring it down Rich, and we will get it done.” For the next 2 weekends Ed and I (like Batman and Robin)

tore into that project and worked diligently through the morn- ings, afternoons and nights until we had completed the project. The clear was literally being applied when I was leaving that Sunday evening for my next week of demonstration in Michi- gan. At the end of that week, I rented a car and drove from Michigan to Columbus, OH. Ed flew in from New Hampshire and together we shared one of the coolest experiences of my whole 21 year career.

But there’s more………to be continued……… Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36