About Me
Sometime in the 1970s
It started when I was about 4 years old. I was sitting in the back of my parents’ car when we came up to a stoplight. I could barely see over the window, but what I did see was a 60 something Camaro. I remember saying to myself, “When I’m 16, I’m going to have that car.”
It took slightly longer than that, but when I was about 22, I finally got one. A gold 1969 350 Camaro. It looked awful but for $2000 (a loan given to me by my mom), I knew I could fix it up and that’s exactly what I did. I started restoring it as money permitted, taking it over to my mechanic’s shop in San Antonio, Texas and working alongside him over 19 years, we transformed it together.
An Idea Is Born
In 2012, I went to a Barret Jackson auction in Arizona with my dad. I brought my camera and took hundreds of photos that day. When I reviewed them, I noticed I had taken a lot of pictures of emblems. Or maybe I took some of tail lights, grills or smaller parts on the cars. They came out really well.
That’s what gave me the idea that people who know and love these cars, know exactly what car it is when they see that emblem or that tail light. They can envision what that car looks like to THEM when they see that logo on the quarter panel. I like to leave a little to the imagination, I guess.
Perfect Imperfections
You won’t find a photo of an entire car for sale here. You will find a gas cap or a wheel or a hood pin…all of the little things that made that car what it was. You’ll also find all of the perfect imperfections that I don’t intend on trying to cover up. Paint chips, orange peel, dust, dirt, rust, speckled chrome.
These cars were loved, driven, sometimes wrecked. They are meant to be imperfect, just like us. I’ve done minimal post-processing because it makes them more ‘real,’ if you will. A car may look great from 20 feet away but when you get up close to it, you’ll find all of these imperfections and that’s how it should be. Nothing is EVER perfect.
Not Just For Men
While I’ve created this site as artwork “for men,” of course I realize women like cars, too – I’m one of them! I don’t mean to exclude women and I hope you have a browse and that one of my photos catches your eye. I poured a lot of sweat and elbow grease into my car and I’m sure there are other women out there who have as well. So please don’t be offended, sister…this site is for you, too!
My Camaro of 19 Years
Maybe this resonates with you, as well. We’ve all heard the stories of why someone had to get rid of their car. So I hope that you find what you’re looking for here. Or maybe you recognize a little piece that was important to you. Possibly it rekindles something in you that you lost a long time ago. I hope you can bring it back and hang it on your wall. Tell that story again…remember the good times you had…and revel in the moment.
