- MISC. FINE ART

- LOGOS/VECTOR GRAPHICS


-PUBLICATIONS

--Hydraulics/ Air-ride

KREATIVE AUTO
Airbrush & Design Studio

Kreative Auto was established in 1996 as the result of a passion for customizing anything on wheels. At the time there was an explosion of custom lowrider shops and rides on the east coast and it was full on mania. Unfortunately, while trying to put together my first full on lowrider, my experiences with these establishments was less than satisfactory...I soon realized I had the same talent and ability as the people I was shelling out top dollar to, just not the knowlege.... So my journey began, customizing my first ride, through trial and error, I moved from project to project, each presenting a different challenge, from body work and sheet metal, to welding fabrication and suspension. With the support of my family, I enrolled in a formal mechanic school for over a year and a half, studying at night after a full day of work. I honed my skills and knowlege with the guidance of some great instructors. So armed, I set out to make my mark, I grew a reputation for quality work, and good service, from once doing it as a hobby, graduating to a full on buisness. During a trip to Las Vegas we landed a distribution deal with the best adjustable suspension supplier on the market, Pro Hopper Hydraulics. We expanded gradually to all types of Low Rider accessories and was doing very well. As the level of my customization grew, so did the need for even more show points beyond mods and slammed suspensions! The next level was custom paint. By now I had developed a strong do it yourself attitude.

Airbrushing and custom paint soon became my holy grail, it was by chance that I discovered the airbrush. During the early years of doing suspension work, my cousin, who at the time was working to establish his own customization buisness in Maryland, would supply me with hydraulic work on the weekends, but would always tell me, "he knew I had a talent, and how I liked to draw, and there was tons of demand for airbrushing on helmets and the like." I was skeptical of course and blew him off at every opportunity. Then one day a button went off in my head. There was a hot lowrider club in New York, blowin up the show scene. Drastic AutoCLub, Every show I went to I was impressed and amazed by the artwork and custom paint on all the clubs vehicles... not only were they slammed, but flaked out, candy painted graphic masterpieces that just made my mouth water. I wanted one, they started to ignite the hunger inside to have my own vehicle like that. Above the caliber of what I was doing at the time. I read and clipped out a magazine feature article about the club, describing how they put together there rides on there own. One name stood out. My now good friend Marvin Shivnarain. One of many inspirational people that gave me the courage to pursue my dreams. At every show I went, he was there, yet seemed larger than life, unapproachable! Winning trophy after trophy, I hesitated about talking to him the whole season, as the club was very impressive, finally working up the courage to call the club number listed in the article of Scrape Magazine. I was out of town at the time, fatefully I called him up out of the blue, and they were hosting their first annual barbecue. He invited me down unselfishly and I was quite surprised and disappointed that I was unable to make it, feeling like I had missed my opportunity. Upon my return to New York, I called him again and he invited me down to his shop, a 3 bay garage & office where the club did allot of their work and home to his graphics studio. Game on! Seeing his setup and the projects he was involved in, all the invaluable information from talking to him, started my journey to learn all I could about the craft of custom paint.

My wife was doing nails for a company at the time and airbrush was taking off there too. It was the undiscovered tool at that time. I bought her a nail kit from Pearl Paint in canal street, compressor, Iwata HP-A and nail paint and we played with it for a while. Not really knowing anything, but just messing around, spraying her toe nails and hands, then wiping it off and doing it again. I would also use paper and try to experiment with it, but found it very hard to manage. I picked up Airbrush Action Magazine and a Craig Fraser video and it was on from there. I realized I needed different paint and a different brush and bought my first Eclipse HPCS in for my birthday September 2001.

Over the next few years, I attended every seminar I could, bought every Airbrush Action how-to video, and magazine or book available, and practiced like a man possessed. It was soon to be an obsession that changed mine and my families lives forever. With my appetite wet... I sought out every guru I could find including industry greats like Craig Fraser, Steve Vandeman, Vince Goodeve, Jonathan Panteleon, Javier Sotto, Wizard, Bob Spenna to name a few.... all played a big influence on me, teaching me a solid foundation in the basics, until one fateful day I met Mike Learn at a seminar in Las Vegas. The things he was doing captivated me, his methods of using technology stuck in my brain, and I was instantly hooked. I flew out to Phoenix Arizona, and attended a couple seminars with Mike and Krash at their shop, and from that day forward Mike became a mentor, close friend, and inspiration to me, and Krash Daddy is like a Krazy Big Brother from another mother. In a crazy move orchestrated by Mike and his wife Diana, "The Chief",I left everything behind and moved to Arizona to immerse myself in the custom paint industry and have been doing it ever since. I now work full time as a professional artist, pinstriper and graphic designer for one of the prominent custom paint shops in the valley, and continue to also work from my own Studio on select projects, fine art and computer graphics!

STILL HUNGRY, STILL HUMBLE & STILL HERE!