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ABN "THIS IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM CREATING PAINTINGS FOR FINE ART. Moving beyond the canvas impacts A custom bike, courtesy of Lee Bridgers takes" to paint planes, vans and other vehicles safely and well. Personal safety must be considered by all artists mounting work on unusual canvases that require special paints, such as those that are solvent- as opposed to water-based and those that include materials such as acrylic, polyester and polyurethane. For Stahr's planes, he must make sure that his work resists the eff ects of jet fuel and hydraulic fl uids, so coatings, epoxies and chemical-resistant paints, which require proper and careful handling, are oſt en necessary. Custom bike painter Lee Bridgers, owner of DreamRide (DreamRide.com) in Moab, Utah, encounters similar chal- lenges in his work. He emphasizes that when working with potentially hazardous materials, one must "Always use a respira- tor!" Not all unusual objects require such heavy-duty accessories, but it's always ad- visable to err on the side of caution. Beyond the actual paints, tools range from typical brushes and sponges to larger equipment. Stahr makes use of au- tomotive paint guns, airbrushes and let- tering and striping brushes for his work. For her work, Borden uses traditional brushes but has learned to work within the confi nes of her pieces. "[It] has been an interesting challenge to fi gure out how to get under the keys and all of the parts [of the instruments]. It sort of feels like you're trying to paint inside a car engine, in between two parts, without getting paint on other areas." 52 a painter's practice in other ways, too. Whitworth's toys and sports equipment provide a fresh fl ow to the skills he uses daily at his job while still allowing him the freedom to make his own decisions outside of client expectations and to ex- periment with form and content. Custom paint jobs allow Stahr to be a vibrant part of a group he greatly respects: "[Aviators] are a special breed of people. As an aviator and aircraſt builder myself, I am qualifi ed in a spe- cial way as an artist to help people turn "THE GALLERY BUSINESS IS LIKE THE MATCHMAKING BUSINESS. " their dreams into reality. I have specifi c knowledge of aircraſt , systems, weight and balance, wear and tear and opera- tional specifi cs that have visual ramifi ca- tions for regulations and safety." " Likewise, Bridgers connects with fel- low cyclists and draws creative inspira- tion from their collective spirit. "I try to elicit an excitement for riding and a sense of pride in the machine," he says. "It is more like an abstract portrait that is completely personal. T is is totally diff erent from creating paintings for fi ne art, though I consider some of my work on frames to be fi ne art as well." Borden also enjoys being a part of an appreciative community and has found great satisfaction in creating commis- sioned pieces for musicians and music afi cionados. "I believe each piece has an owner and that they will fi nd each other, as the gallery business is a bit like the matchmaking business… A large num- ber of the pieces are commissioned, so there is a great interaction between the client [and] myself, bringing their vision with my vision to a fi nal piece." Branching out onto unfamiliar can- vases has opened up Borden's practice and instilled in her a gratitude for all of her work. "I feel very lucky to work in an industry that welcomes my imagination and asks for more. What could be better than that?" ABN Aviator/artist John Stahr has made a career doing what he loves WINTER 2012