News & Events
Kolor-ific Custom Artists at the ACE
Tuesday 29 January 2008
The Automotive Centre of Excellence was a flurry of flames, wild animals and eager artists when airbrushing equipment manufacturer, Anest Iwata and number one custom finish company, House of Kolor, teamed up to host a three-day custom paint workshop in January 2008.
Presented by Anest Iwata with the support of House of Kolor, renowned US custom paint artists, Craig Fraser and Steve Vandemon, presented a hands-on workshop to over 50 custom paint and airbrushing enthusiasts.
If having the Californian-based artists on hand wasn't inspiration enough, a Ford Territory that was custom painted at Summernats over 12-gruelling hours was also on display.
Custom painting is sweeping the US, thanks to popular television shows like 'Pimp My Ride' and 'Rides' – shows where Craig and Steve are regulars.
Participants learnt about airbrushing, pinstriping, graphics and metal effects in Australia's newest state-of-art training facility.
Iwata's Karl Isherwood said 'We wanted a centralised location with enough space to house the workshops. The Automotive Centre of Excellence was a perfect venue.'
Craig Fraser, known for his signature skull designs, was actually educated in architecture and engineering before taking up airbrushing.
'Engineering was too structured for me,' he said. 'I like to make up my own rules. But I actually like the functional side of engineering and the creative freedom of airbrushing.'
When not teaching or working as a freelance automotive journalist, Craig is the in-house airbrusher, pinstriper, and co-designer for Kal Koncepts – one of the driving force in the automotive, and motorcycle custom paint industry.
Steve Vandemon has been painting for about 11 years. He is an accomplished airbrush artist, sculptor, pinstriper, designer and self-described 'all-around trouble maker'.
The passion Craig and Steve have for airbrushing and custom painting definitely rubbed off on the participants!
As one participant said, 'This was a fantastic opportunity to learn from the best of the best in custom paint. I've had a great time over these three days. I hope to take a lot of what I've learnt here back to my shop.'
Anest Iwata and House of Kolor kindly donated panels and finished artworks from both Craig and Steve to the Automotive Centre of Excellence after the workshop concluded.
