The premier airbrush instruction event for 2007 would have to be the “Ultimate Air Affair” hosted by ASET at their headquarters in the Salt Lake City, Utah, suburb of West Valley City, Utah. ASET is the US distributor for Iwata airbrushes and air-guns along with Artool brand hand-held shields and masking materials.

PPG, DuPont and Sikkens are on hand to support the event.

Class dates were 8/29 – 8/31/07, but many of the artist instructors arrived a few days early to begin painting their art panels that will be displayed at the show and eventually reside in ASET’s awesome airbrush art gallery in suburban Salt Lake City.

In the past this event was held after the SEMA show in Vegas, which starts at the end of October and runs into the first few days of November. The Ultimate Air Affair dates usually fell in the days immediately following the close of the SEMA show. For 2007, the date for the Ultimate Air Affair was moved up to August.

The workshop instructors for 2007 include; Craig Fraser, Dean Loucks, Steve Vandemon, Bob Soroka, Deborah Mahan, Bones, Paul Quinn, Pamela Shanteau, Ron Gibbs, Mike Lavalle, Jason Doll, Gerald Menendez, Fonzy, Dennis Mathewson and Steve Driscoll. Each instructor demonstrated their specialties in hands-on classes for the show attendees.

Ron Gibbs-Pam Shanteau-Dean Loucks working on demo pieces.

As the artists began airbrushing their panels, the fun started. Whenever another artist arrived the party just got bigger and more rambunctious. After a day of preparation for the classes all of the artists and ASET staff members partied hardy.

ASET’s Frank Tucker and Pin-striper Paul Quinn discussing clear coat processes

Bones-Jason Doll-Bob Soroka airbrushing demo panels.

ASET workshop/classroom area.

Dennis Mathewson painting wood grain effects.

Pam Shanteau and Deb Mahan (standing) discussing painting game-plans.

Bones and Steve Driscoll confer.

Dean Loucks and Craig Fraser catch up on old times.

Event Hosts Sheri Candland and Bill Williams along with Ray Odette know how to put on a first class event and keep things interesting. Between the art, food and fellowship, it is and will be a time to remember.

Steve Driscoll’s Dodge van hood mural.

Steve Driscoll volunteered to airbrush the hood mural that depicts a montage of classic movie stars.

Nick and Gene are on hand to clear coat items and assist the artists.

L.A. airbrush artist Fonzy begins airbrushing his demo panel.

Airbrush great Gerald Menendez lays out his design.

Instructors relax a bit after preparing for the beginning of the event.

Sheri Candland welcomes the event attendees.

Guest instructors assembled on-stage.

Deb Mahan shows the basics of airbrushing to start the program.

Dean Loucks details his demo piece.

Paul Quinn creates a sign commemorating the event.

Dennis Mathewson shares his wisdom on creating wood grain effects.

Chrysler provided a mini van for all of the artists to work on also. Each instructor painted a film strip cell on the exterior of the van in a classic movie motif.

PPG reps on hand to talk paint.

DuPont rep (Gene) with Ray Odette.

Bob Soroka creates his own air source for the airbrush.

Fonzy rendering another masterpiece.

Steve Vandemon ready to get down with the airbrush.

Jason Doll painting a sexy lady.

Ron Gibbs paints the Wizard of OZ with a twist.

Pamela Shanteau’s Blue Man /Aset tribute in progress.

Gerald Menendez airbrushes with style.

Dennis Mathewson’s Tiki-Wood Class.

Deb Mahan’s Birthday celebration at the Ultimate Air Affair 8/29/07.

Mike Lavallee’s Dragon painting starts to take shape.

Pamela Shanteau teaches her secret methods to the class.

The Dragon Class makes progress.

Lavallee airbrushes Dragon.

Dean Loucks barbed wire demonstration.

Pam Shanteau talks shop with attendees.

Fonzy’s girl takes shape.

Menendez’s girl takes flight.

Bones doin’ his thing.

Doll’s baby.

ASET’s “Super Mike” does it all for the artists.

Ron Gibbs explains flames.

Pamela Shanteau with Mr. Artool” Gabe McCubbin.

Batting clean-up for day 1 was Ron Gibbs demonstrating his method of flame layout on a car hood. Ron’s rock solid instruction made it possible for a novice to get professional results.

• • • • •

Photos and text for this post courtesy of Donn “Too Tall” and Pamela Shanteau, copyright 2007 Air Illusions Studio.

Stay tuned to AirbrushTour for ASET Ultimate Air Affair 2007 - Part 2

A.D. Cook with the notorious Team Dirty Girls. First off, get your mind out of the gutter. Team Dirty Girls Sports were set up next to us at Custom Corners at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and are a great bunch of ladies who manufacture apparel for dirt bike riders. Check out the complete team, along with their line of duds for chicks (and some for guys) at TeamDirtyGirls.com or check out their MySpace page.

Celebrating 10 Years!

Just a quick announcement to let you know that A.D. Cook will be doing a one-hour signing at the Oh My Godard gallery at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas this Saturday, September 1, 2007 from 7 to 8 pm.

If you are in Vegas for the holiday weekend, stop in and join A.D. for an hour of art appreciation.

“I can’t paint my Originals fast enough to keep up with demand. It is a great position to be in for an artist,” states artist Chris Palin.

With a vivid imagination and a broad stroke of creativity, Palin contemplates his next project. Collectors marvel at the young artist’s ability to have fun with a brush, never taking life or art too seriously. “Between the art and my stay at home dad duties, I don’t have the time to be serious. Some days I don’t know if I am holding a paint brush or a toilet brush,” the artist deadpans. “I paint what makes me happy. If I can laugh at myself, someone, somewhere, is having a laugh with me,” chuckles Palin.

“Chris Palin is not a painter, he is an artist. He does not paint to coordinate a design theme in your living room, or to pull complimentary colors out of your throw pillows. Chris Palin’s art is the room. When you own a Palin original you own a piece of his mind, a unique creative thought, brought to life on canvas,” shares gallery owner Don Dufek.

(above: The Urban Edge and A.D. Cook pose for a photo in N.Y.C.)

Thought of as an Urban Contemporary Artist, Chris Palin is a student of the dramatic and a believer that “life is art.” Inspired by the life that swirls around him, Palin a self-proclaimed perfectionist and type A personality, pours his energy onto the canvas bringing every brush stroke to life with color and intensity. In a collision of brilliant color and texture, imagery and acrylic paints become one, giving birth to a whimsical feast for the eyes, creating an energetic flow that resonates from every Palin canvas.

C-Scape, a Palin original, bursts with this creative energy. A light hearted jab at traditional seascapes, Palin’s rendition is comprised entirely of the letter C, in fact there are over eighty. It is this kind of ingenious stroking that sets Palin apart and people are starting to take notice. Serious collectors, investors, and corporations are starting to gravitate towards Palin’s Art. “Sometimes when I pick up the phone and I hear who is on the other end, I think my friends are pulling a prank on me,” states Palin.

If you want to get excited about art again, check out artist Chris Palin. If you want a landscape, a seascape, a Tuscan village or a Paris café scene, go to the 25 galleries next door.

About Chris Palin…
Originally from Texas but now residing in Scottsdale, AZ, Chris Palin’s work can be found in some of the most prestigious galleries across the United States.

Photos courtesy of Chris Palin copyright 2007. Visit the online gallery at ChrisPalin.com.

Chris Palin | Founder | Chris Palin Fine Art

A few Wednesdays back we found ourselves on a quest to find some fresh, beautifully executed airbrush work on bikes. Okay, we were going a taste of motorcycle withdrawals (this was before Sturgis where we got a good fix). Anyway, we figured this is Vegas, and anything worth seeing has to be found in Vegas, so we set off in our journey - one of many - to see what the local motorcycle community has to offer. Our excursion lead us to Fat City Cycles in Vegas.

Fat City has a nice showroom full of bikes, many with custom paint. We found in particular featuring a ton of airbrushed art so we’re sharing it here.

Visit Fat City Cycles online.

This is just a taste - Visit them in person at
Fat City Cycles - 2246 N. Losee, Las Vegas, NV (702) 399-8963

Part 2 of Tanked in Sturgis features more amazing art on bikes. If a picture is worth a thousand words, these speak volumes, so scroll below and enjoy the eye candy of American iron in excess.

We hope you find the art and bikes as inspiring as we did. Scroll below to view Tanked in Sturgis - Part 1. And hang in there - Part 3 is in the works.

One of the great thrills for me, as an airbrush artist and motorcycle enthusiast is checking out the amazing art on motorcycles. The tanks especially provide a great canvas for detailed illustration and graphics, and go a long way in expressing the personality of a bike and rider. So, given that, we thought we’d share some of the more creative tanks we saw at the 2007 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally - tanks as art. Hopefully, you’ll find them to be as cool and inspiring as we did.

We’ll bring you more the rolling iron and the artists who create them soon. Watch for tomorrow’s post - Tanked in Sturgis, Part 2.

A.D. Cook with Jessica (our model), Robert Nootnagel aka ‘Noot’, and Bob Spina at the A.D. Cook Fine Art Booth - Custom Corners - 2007 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

• • • • •

Happy Birthday to Wayne Cook Sr. - In loving memory 1941 - 2001

Sometimes we all need space. A.D. Cook finally joined the ranks of the many and set-up a MySpace page. View it anytime at MySpace.com/ADCookFineArt.

Dennis Mathewson recently had a show at the gallery in Waikiki, HI, so fans that we are, we thought we’d bring you some pics of his new jelly fish art that he debuted there.

Wow, these are cool. Dennis’ vibrant colors make for beautiful rendering of these mysterious creatures. It’s something of a departure from the tikis that Dennis most known for.

The details are fantastic and really show all that he puts into these beautiful paintings on metal.

The rising bubbles are especially cool.

Congratulations Dennis on your show. We’ll look forward to seeing, and sharing, more from future shows.

• • • • •

All photos for this post are copyright © 2007 Dennis Mathewson - Cosmic Airbrush

Robert Benedict, one of our industry’s great kustom painters, died Sunday, August 18, in Ithaca, New York. He was 43.

Dennis Mathewson despondently reminisced, “Our friendship goes pretty deep. Robert is the only person I ever worked with who made me grow daily as an artist. He had a great sense of humor, and was a huge talent. Personally, my life will never be the same from this day forward. I’ll miss him.”

Jeff Wilkie, a friend of Benedict’s for 15 years, lamented, “Robert was an awesome friend and excellent artist, and became one of the most dedicated Airbrush Getaway instructors.”

“Bob was a very talented artist who was also very approachable and humble,” according to Alan Pastrana. “He was generous with his time, and always willing to share his knowledge with both instructors and students at the Getaways. He’ll be greatly missed by all of us, and our hearts and prayers go out to his wife and two sons.”

Blake McCully was also deeply moved by the sad news. “I cried when I told Robert that one of his projects was the best I had ever seen, and I teared up telling my class the same. I have so much respect for him as an artist and as a person. The custom culture world has lost an amazing artist and human being. The best to his family. I’ll miss you, Black Dog.”

“I was introduced to Robert three years ago by Dennis Mathewson,” shared Cliff Stieglitz, Airbrush Action’s publisher, “and was amazed at how such a great talent had gone under the radar for so long. Our readers and seminar attendees were just really getting to know and appreciate Robert’s magnitude as an artist, instructor, and person. Robert and Sandra Benedict became my very close friends, and the shock of this will ripple through all of us for a long time to come.”

Click logo above to visit Black Dog Custom Paint & Airbrush
BlackDogAirbrush.com

You may send correspondence and donations to:
Sandra Benedict
115 East 300 North
Santaquin, Utah 84655

Announcing the new A.D. Cook web site - ADCook.com - showcasing Artist Fusion™ and Metal Fusion™ artworks on metal found in galleries.

Also presenting A.D.’s gallery video…

Click PLAY BUTTON above to watch A.D.’s new streaming gallery video.