Featured Artist:Ed Goldenwww.speedimagesart.comKKKKKOur favorite automotive artist, at least for this month, is Ed Golden. Golden was born in California and trained at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. As Design Director at Ford Motor Company, he worked on the Thunderbird and Mustang projects. He also creates and sells artwork depicting street rods, customs, dragsters, open-wheel race cars, and classics. His brilliantly colored, energetic prints are for sale here. In addition to several dozen illustrations, the site features Golden's black-and-white and color photography. His work is outstanding and expresses a love for the various forms of hot rodding.
R&C Book ReviewAdvanced Custom Painting TechniquesBy Jon Kosmoski, Wolfgang PublicationsJon Kosmoski, who established House of Kolor, is an expert on paint and painting. In addition to painting cars for almost 50 years, he's written a bunch of books on the subject, including Kustom Painting Secrets and How To: Custom Paint & Graphics. Kosmoski's most recent book, published in 2003, is Advanced Custom Painting Techniques. Here he once again dives into the subject of creating a successful one-of-a-kind paint job, this time using the newest paint products on the market. As always, the emphasis is on helping the reader do the job himself.
Before getting into specific techniques, the 144-page book covers three critical topics: setting up a complete paint shop that is safe and efficient, modern paints and related chemicals and products, and up-to-date paint guns and hoses and how to use them.
The latter section of the book gets into practical techniques for sheetmetal preparation, tricks for designing and creating graphics, spraying paint, and finishing up, as well as info on new paint technology, including color-changing materials and metallic basecoats. The information is presented in the context of four start-to-finish projects-two musclecars and two Harleys-following the process of painting these vehicles from bare metal to clearcoat, with every step in between. As with all of Kosmoski's, this one is well-illustrated-with more than 350 full-color photographs shot by publisher/photographer Tim Remus.
Advanced Custom Painting Techniques is available from Wolfgang Publications, 1310 Sunny Slope Ln., Dept. R&C, Stillwater, MN 55082, (651) 275-9411, or from the Web site at www.wolfgangpublications.com. The cost is $24.95 plus $5.50 S&H.
Yesterday's Young GunsThis photo of 18-year-old Denny McGranaghan, looking proud next to his '48 Chevy coupe, was taken in Oneida, New York, in 1959, the year he graduated from Oneida High School. The Chevy ran a straight-six engine with a split manifold and twice pipes. The lavender paint was a '56 Packard color. Denny's son Michael (who sent this photo to us) used some of the same paint to add a 'stripe to the hood of his own car when he was 18 and says he still has a pint of it on the shelf in his garage. Denny has passed away, but his love for cars continues with Michael, and now with his 5-year-old grandson Sean McGranaghan.
If you've got photos of you and your hot rod from the '40s, '50s, or '60s, mail them, along with a brief story, to: Yesterday's Young Guns, ROD & CUSTOM, 2400 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, CA 92806, or E-mail them to timothy.bernsau@primedia.com. Digital images must be jpegs, 300 dpi at 5 inches wide. Please include your address and phone number.
Watson's Wins Watson's StreetWorks of Bozrah, Connecticut, followed up their winning the NSRA Manufacturer of the Year award last summer by being named Business of the Year for 2003 by the Street Rod Marketing Alliance (SRMA) Council of the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA). The award is voted on by almost 300 SRMA membership businesses to award a company that exemplifies good business sense and ethics.
Car Clubs Do Unto OthersEarlier this year, Eagle One honored four car clubs with its annual Golden Rule Award for outstanding community service. The River Cruizers of Bullhead City, Arizona (shown); Nifty 50 Cruisers of Cloquet, Minnesota; Rock-N-Roll Capital Street Machines of Cleveland, Ohio; and Victory 7 Mustang Club of Richmond, Virginia, were each given 20 buckets of Eagle One car care products, 10 cases of Valvoline motor oil, a special plaque, and a $250 donation by Eagle One to a charity of their choice. Congratulations, clubs, and thanks, Eagle One.
Entry forms for next year's awards will be available for downloading in mid-September at www.eagleone.com.