Art Himsl
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Art Himsl is a famous custom painter from Concord, California.
Contents
Minnesota
Art was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota in 1940. He moved to San Diego, California in 1946. In 1949 he moved to Concord, California, where he has lived ever since.[1]
First Car
By age 10, Art was building model cars, customizing and painting their bodies. 13 years old he bought his first car.[1]
First Paint Job
The first car Art painted was a 1936 Ford. In an interview Tim Phelps did with Art for his book "Up in Flames," Art told Tim that he learned some valuable lessons from his early mistakes; "I used a pump garden bug sprayer, which didn't work so well. My second attempt was with spray cans. It took 13 cans of paint to do one fender, so I decided it was time to get a real spray gun and compressor."[1]
East Bay Rods
Busy working on and striping so he could buy cars and paint, Art ended up owning and customizing a lot of cars. He got a lot of speeding tickets, and his license plate was taken away several times. Art became a member of a club called the East Bay Rods, and he won his first trophy at the Old Kingdom drag strip in Lodi. His youngest brother had a hot rod called the Moon Shiner, that they used to race with the local hot rods. Art also had a BSA motorcycle that he raced.[1]
California College of Arts and Crafts
Art went part-time to the California College of Arts and Crafts for three or four years, studying color theory, sculpture, drawing, painting, and design.[1]
Own Shop
After school, Art went on to open up his own shop. He was 24 years old, and it was a big gamble to leave a good job.
Art Himsl's Cars
Art Himsl's 1916 Dodge Phaeton - The Painter's Bucket
Art Himsl's Alien
Cars Painted by Art Himsl
Andy Brizio's 1915 Ford Model T C-Cab Panel Truck - Instant T
Matt Taylor's 1927 Dodge Roadster - The Fool's Goldster
Frank Livingston's 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline - The Caribbean II
Richard Zocchi's Second 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix
References
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