#15. Jean's 1991 Toyota Corolla

November 2010

As Jean – ever an optimist – said, "Clearly, we don't understand each other." I had delivered her painted car to her, but it's not what she had in mind. Once this lettering enamel is on, it's on, so the only remedy is to add more paint. We'll do that when the weather warms up. Until then, here's her car, which I like very much. Still, I don't want anyone driving a car she doesn't love, so I'll show the AFTER pictures, um, AFTER I repaint the car!

And here they are:

Jean felt that the contrast of the black paint and the silver car was too much, so, at her suggestion, I lightly sponged lavender over most of the black and the dark blues. I had real reservations, but she's the boss, and behold! she was perfectly correct! My personal taste runs to high contrast and plenty of bold, but this tamped-down version of the car is really, really pretty.

Well done, Jean!

#14. Julie's GeckoMobile

October 2010

Julie's 2005 Scion xA was a ball to paint. In the first place, she has bought at least one – and usually more – of almost everything I've ever made, so painting for a fan is wonderful. She won the bid for the gecko I painted as a fundraiser for the Gulfport Merchants Association at the Geckos in Wonderland Ball in 2010, and placed it at Peg's Cantina (www.pegscantina.com) so the whole public can enjoy it. Now that's a patron of the arts.

And after I painted that gecko (on both sides, as shown above, along with my right foot), Julie decided she wanted a GeckoMobile, so that's what she got.

She chose orange and gold, with black for the background of the critters. I do wish the photos would show how gorgeous those colors are against black, with the texture of the sponges. I threw in bits of Tulip brand 3-D blue glitter paint. That turned out to be a very nice touch. I used gold Tulip, too. I'm turning into a crow: If it sparkles, I like it!