Handmade gifts

High-quality handmade gifts are all the rage now. They can't be found in big box stores, and are meeting the demand for gifts that say something special about its recipients. I've gotten several commissions from clients across the country over the last year and the orders just keep coming.

My clients proudly share photos of them displaying their handmade gifts - license plate guitars that tell their stories.

Customize your handmade gift

I love how my clients see my artwork , then work with me to add their own personal details. They tell me their ideas, whether it's from a trip they took, places they've lived, or people, animals and things they love. I encompass all of it into a special handmade gift that is like no other.

The reactions of my clients are fantastic when they receive their unique, handmade gift. As an artist, I have to say this is what drives me. Being able to create something so special is special in itself.

'63 Corvette art for Corvette museum

The National Corvette museum contacted me in March after seeing this license plate art I created in 2014. The 3D picture shows a 1960 Corvette racing threw the mountains. They wanted to display the piece at their Inspired Tires art competition sponsored by Michelin tires this fall.

Unfortunately, I had to tell them that piece was sold at Ray Evernham's auction, which benefits IGNITE, a community center for young adults with Autism in Charlotte .

Undeterred, my contact asked if I would be interested in creating a new piece to be auctioned off at the conclusion of the Inspired Tires show. She suggested a piece that represents the 1963 Split Window Corvette because it's a a crowd favorite.

After doing my research I decided to go with the rear image of the iconic Corvette. I also wanted to take advantage of the highly reflective quality that license plates have. I knew that when the lights hit the piece, the flash back would illuminate the qualites that make the 63 split window America's favorite. 

Here are a few shots of the creation of the piece as it progressed in my studio. The first few have the lights on and the next sequence has the lights off to show those reflective qualities.

If you are interested in bidding on the piece, or would like a print please send me an email or give me a call at 516-376-6499.

Wedding gift tells couple's story in license plates

My client, Robin, and her fiancé were at their favorite bar during a trip to in Nashville when she saw a piece of my artwork hanging on the wall. She was immediately captivated.

After returning home, she googled "license plate guitar" and found my website. She asked about creating a piece to tell their story as a wedding gift.

I quickly agreed. My artwork is perfect for telling a personal story about people and the things they love. This one-of-a-kind, handcrafted piece of art can't be bought in a store.

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During a phone interview with Robin, I learned about all the places the couple have lived and visited over the years. Than I added elements that are special to them in a priority order on the face of the license plate guitar.

Robin told me they are from North Carolina, Michigan and Pennsylvania. They've been to Tennessee. love Nashville and Estes Park CO. I used all those states on the face of the piece. They've taken many trips to the Outer Banks NC - often known as “OBX”. I featured their wedding date at top on the keys June 13-2015. Pirates is written in license plates down the neck because they are big baseball fans. The number 57 appears in the center hole because it holds special meaning to them.

On the bridge I spelled out their names Robin + Sean. At the bottom appears their family name Cowan.

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The guitar was a hit. You can read how much the custom wedding gift was appreciated in their testimonial, which appears here on my website. Thank you, Robin and Sean, for allowing me to create this gift as start your lives together.

License plate guitar on Please Subscribe documentary

A few years ago, I made a custom license plate guitar for You Tube star Joe Penna, aka MysteryGuitarMan. He has featured it on his videos in the past. Like this shot from this clip:

And this one.

When my daughter told me the guitar art I created for him was on You Tube, I assumed it was another one of his videos. I was wrong.

Joe Penna is featured in a new documentary called Please Subscribe:  A Documentary About You Tubers. My guitar is shown in the clip previewing the interview with Joe Penna. I am always thankful and grateful to see my work featured. 

Kenny Chesney license plate guitar

Kenny Chesney has always been a favorite of mine, so I was thrilled when a client asked me to create a license plate guitar featuring his favorite Kenny Chesney songs. I chose the acoustic model because I often see Chesney playing it at his concerts. And it has the most room to feature the song titles my client wanted. 

My client asked me to feature Flora Bama, Ivans , The Life and Boats. The last one appears on the side. I also added How Forever Feels because it's a favorite of mine. Palm trees, dophins, and the FL "One Happy Island" saying gives it a real, no shoes, no shirt' kinda feel. 

License plate art corporate gift

Recently I was contacted by a towing company who challenged me to move beyond guitars and create a meaning holiday gift for their owner. I loved their idea. She wanted the art to feature their new Mack dump truck. She sent me a few photos of the truck, and I created this 3D piece of license plate art that they could proudly display in their corporate headquarters. 

The piece measures 40x20x3 inches. I chose the green to match the truck, and painstakingly recreated the details, including the tires, the lights and the dark green shading on the truck. MACK is spelled out in license plates as well. I love the way the light reflects on the boom to make it look even more realistic. The photo below shows that the piece is 3-D. You can see the edge that brings this piece off the wall.

I just shipped the piece and can't wait to hear their response. This makes me want to expand my horizons even more with my license plate art. If you have any suggestions or ideas for corporate gifts for your business, feel free to challenge me.

License plate guitars from Red Robin Restaurant: customized with your plates

My client walked into a Red Robin restaurant in Florida recently, and saw one of my license plate guitars on the wall. She knew it would be a perfect Christmas gift for her music lover son. She did  a quick google search and found me. 

After visiting my website, she reached out and texted a photo of my Eric Clapton piece. Here's the photo:

She told me about the license plates she's saved over the years. She wanted to customize the piece and add her son's name. My answer? Yes you can! Here's a photo of the final piece:

Hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind gift

If you see a license plate guitar at a Red Robin and want to customize it for that special someone in your life who deserves a hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind gift, personalized with your states and sayings remember: yes you can!

Guitar Art Reflects Passions of Restaurant Owner and Patrons

My client, Justin, owns several popular restaurants in Montana. He wanted 4 custom license plate guitars to represent the passions his patrons. Justin is a big Toby Keith fan so we had our first piece set.

Than he stated he wanted to represent all the college students who come to the restaurant. The Cat Griz football guitar was born.

For the next piece, his employees came up with the idea to have all the high school teams from Billings Montana displayed around the outside body with the Billings logo in the center hole bringing them all together.

The last piece is an acoustic style that pays tribute to the Yellowstone River, one of the great fly-fishing spots in Montana. The colors on this piece are amazing - almost as beautiful as this state.

I would like to personally thank Justin and all of his employees who helped to make this beautiful collection of Montana-themed license plate guitars possible.

You and Me - Dave Matthews = Friendship

This License Plate Guitar Art tells the story of friendship.

When I first spoke to Bob he told me he wanted a piece that would showcase his personal connection with one of his clients. They had been to a Dave Matthews concert at the Alpine Valley in Wisconsin.

"That's where we really started connecting as friends, and it remains one of the strongest connectors we have," Bob said. It always comes back to music with us."

With Bob’s input, I added his client's personal information to create an amazing personalized gift.

What makes this guitar art special is its features:

• Where they met in Maine.
• Their wedding date and their children’s names.
• The states they've lived in are featured on the body.
• Around the right side are some of their favorite Dave Matthews songs, "41," "You and Me."

Thanks Bob for helping create this amazing gift.