License Plate Art
Special people get special gifts. They also have great stories. License plate art is a reflection of their journey in more ways than one.
Here's what my client, Tracie said:
"Peter, it was really easy working with you. You understood what I wanted right away! All I can say is WOW!!!! The guitar is so amazing!!! Exactly what I had envisioned!!! Love love love it!!!
Today I learned that the license plate art guitar sculpture that I created for country music star Brad Paisley is featured in his exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN.
A few years ago, I had the privilege of recreating Brad Paisley's signature Telecaster style using his own license plates that he had saved and shared with me. I had read about his vanity plate, GTRPLR. which you can see in the center, and mentioned in a Southern Living article that I would love to use it in a guitar. That caught his attention, and the guitar was created. I met him in Raleigh when he played at Walnut Creek, and he was very gracious. (I had already delivered the license plate guitar art sculpture to him which is why I'm just holding a photo.)
Today I learned that Brad Paisley chose my license plate guitar to be included in his exhibit, Diary of a Player, which opened today at the Country Music Hall of Fame. My guitar will be on display from November 18, 2016 - May 14, 2017. If you're in Nashville, let me know if you see the exhibit. I hope to get there soon.
I have worked with Red Robin for the last three years on the remodel of their restaurants across the U.S. One of the great things about the experience is the opportunity it has given me to explore what makes each one of these little towns special.
I use the same process that I use whenever I create a guitar that has special meaning. I conduct research to find significant details and transform my findings to create license plate art that speaks to the people who live there.
Here is a license plate guitar that I created for the Red Robin restaurant in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Their motto is, "it's a good place to live." I also included the year the town was incorporated.
This license plate art was created for the 2016 Americarna live auction. The host Ray Evernham has recently restored the 1958 Impala featured in the hit movie American Graffiti.
The theme of the benefit is American Graffiti. So when i did my research I wanted to feature that iconic image of Mels drive in. The movie is about a few friends there cars and a last night in a small town in Californa
To say I was honored when the National GUITAR Museum asked me to create license plate guitar artwork for their traveling exhibit is putting it mildly. However, this experience wasn't just an honor. It was an opportunity to stretch myself and my license plate art; by placing license plates on an actual guitar, I was able to explore a new medium. (It reminds me of the time I created a laminate of my artwork for Taylor guitars. More about that here.)
Until now, my artwork have been sculptures of guitars that don't play, so this one is really special to me. I have been working about a year on this piece with the museum's curator, HP Newquist. When we first started talking, HP explained that the people at the museum really wanted a piece that would play, and asked me if I was up to this challenge. Being an artist is always challenging; I think it's one of the things that make it so special. I said yes.
The guitar, which arrived a few months later, is a Fender Stratocaster. The license plates were donated by people at the National GUITAR Museum. When I inspected the tags, I immediately noticed the Connecticut saying, "Preserve the Sound." How appropriate, I thought, since the tags are being used on my first piece that will actually make sound and be played.
I always find it interesting how the artwork takes on a life of itself and how the tags always tell the story of the piece. The guitar has a very interesting sound and the reflective qualities of the license plates really take it to another level.
HP was kind enough to share kind words about about and photos of my license plate guitar sculpture on display at the Butler Institute of American Art in Ohio through April 2017.
If you would like to see this true license plate guitar be sure to visit the National GUITAR Museum when this exhibit comes to your city. Until then, here's a video I created of the guitar in action. Hope you enjoy it.
I have been working with Red Robin gourmet burgers for the last three years by creating custom guitar art for each of their 500 restaurants across the US. The project has been a lot of fun. I have made several custom pieces for certain locations across the country. They reflect the interest of the Red Robin patrons and surrounding businesses.
For example, I recently created this custom wall art to feature Lehigh University for a Red Robin restaurant in Pennsylvania. Watch this video to see some of the details I created in the piece. it includes their logo, when the university was established, the name of their sports team and their passion for football.
I love working closely with my restaurant clients to create a unique dining experience. This really gives their customers a personal hometown feel. It reflects the people who visit their restaurants and the things they love.
I created this custom 40th birthday gift for my client who lives in North Carolina. When his wife contacted me, she told me during our interview that he is a big Rush fan and has been to many of their concerts over the years. On this custom gift, I cut, shaped and molded license plates to feature his favorite "Roll the Bones" tour and his favorite song, Xanadu. The license plate art uses a classic Les Paul shape to keep that rock and roll theme. This custom wall art uses license plates from the states he has lived to tell his personal story.
Want the perfect gift for that special Springsteen fan who has everything? This is it!! It's a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted piece of art created using vintage New Jersey tags that tells Bruce's amazing story.
This custom guitar wall art is the perfect gift for the music lover in your life.
I have to say it's really fun being an artist. I have made so many new connections and love sharing my work with everyone on social media. When I received an order for five pieces to commemorate a company milestone I was very happy. The hard part was not being able to share any of this while it was on the bench. So to everybody on the web I just want to say, No, I did not take the month of March off; I was working. But I did go back to NY to see my family at Easter. And, when my sister said to me, "Peter, you haven't had a job in 4 years," all I could think was, 'damn (Daniel) that's good.' I work harder now than I ever did, and love every minute of it.
Now, here's what I did in March. Read more details and my client's gracious testimonial here:
When clients see my artwork there's always some type of connection. Then when they look closer they see it’s not a real guitar it’s a sculpture made from vintage license plates. Then they get the story from the tags, the places they are from and the reflection qualities of the tags. The reflection is also a reflection of a life it's self.
Then they imagine what their story would look like in this format. They start to remember the places they have lived or traveled and music that has touched them along this journey called life.
Then I get the email about a request and the fun begins. This has been the best job I have ever had meeting so many great people along the way.
So here's another. Dan is from Illinois and spent most of his life in the Air Force and finished with the rank of Chief. The name of his company is "Prime Beef." He is a huge Johnny Cash fan, favorite song Get Rhythm. Being a loyal Cubs fan he wanted that featured too.'
I was contacted by a client who stopped in a Red Robin Gourmet Burger Restaurant and had seen my license plate art featured as part of their recent remodel project.
He said he had also seen me on TV a while back and always liked my artwork. While waiting for his food with his family, he realized my artwork would make a great custom piece to commemorate their summer family trip across the U.S.
They had taken their kids on a real patriotic journey. They visited many of the historic sites they would learn about in school. Th kids got to actually experience our American history instead of reading about it in a book or learning about it in a classroom.
Their stops included Ft. Henry in Maryland, Williamsburg, ,VA, Jamestown, PA, the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross' house, and Gettysburg, PA. They went to the Hershey Factory too, as well as Boston, MA, the USS Constitution and Plymouth Rock.
My job was getting all those sites on my artwork. I got to work.
I wanted a real patriotic feel to the piece and also wanted to highlight their family saying "5ISENUF." They have a personalized tag on there car that states this.The family is from NC and wanted this featured also.
I used license plates from all the states they visited, and put their kids' names around the outside and their photo in the middle. The flag theme ties it all together.
I'm often commissioned to create personalized guitar wall art that can be used as a raffle prize or in a silent auction. I've created pieces for companies to feature as raffle prizes at their annual events, charities that raise money for good causes, and other occasions.
This piece was created especially for Thomas Point Beach's Bluegrass festival. (fill in the blank here). We could link to the Keller Williams one if you have one up. Do you?
Are you looking for a gift that stops people in their tracks?
Something that will blow away people when they see it? The perfect gift is one-of-kind, handcrafted, and captures all of the attention in the room. What's more, it is personal because it tells the story of its owner. It showcases the things they love, places they are from, meaningful sayings. It's a gift they will talk about forever.
I've got what you're looking for. I create handcrafted piece of art that i developed following a thoughtful interview with you. You tell me what’s special to you or your recipient, or pick a theme you like, and I use your information to create a custom gift like no other.
Most of my clients have great stories to tell. Let me tell yours. Check out my projects and client testimonials to see examples of the custom artwork I have created for my clients over the years. Feel free to email me your request. Then we can set an up a call to put your gift in the works.
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.
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.
Having my license plate guitar art featured in Red Robin restaurants across the U.S. has been a lot of fun. In addition to having friends and family sending me pictures of my license plate guitars in Red Robins across the country, I have gotten a lot of interesting requests to create custom artwork from new clients.
Recently, I was contacted by a client who visited one of the Red Robin restaurants in in California. While waiting for their food, they saw my license plate guitar art on the wall and asked to purchase it. While Red Robin told him their artwork is not for sale, they were gracious enough to point them to my website and told he could buy it direct from me.
Once they were home, the client's wife sent me a request to ask about custom work. Of course, my answer was yes.
She requested a piece that would represent her husband and his business. The company is R.O.K. Solid Controls in Madrea CA. His name is Robert O Keith; hence the "R.O.K."
During my interview process, she explained that he is very patriotic and a strong believer in the American dream. She also told me the company was established in 2010 and based in California.
With all this information i created their artwork.
I always check with my clients to see how the artwork was received. That's when I got the phone call from Robert telling me how much he loved it. I told him, 'thank your wife, Joanne. She gave me all your information to create it.'
I always say I have the best clients , but this guy really R.O.K.s
Last month I was contacted by a client who found me on Facebook. He asked me to create a custom license plate art piece in a Stratocaster style. He's from NY and has played guitar his whole life.
I always like to conduct an interview with my clients to get a feel for the direction of the project. After his interview I needed something special to tell his unique story. I let it all sit for a few days. Then it hit me: it was time to use my favorite plate.
I keep the BORN2ROC vintage New York tag in my shop. I purchased it almost 4 years ago on Ebay. On our call, I told my client how special it is to me, but that it was time to use it. It complete's his story.
When my daughter found out I was going to use the license plate, she ran outside and took the above photo
He's a New Yorker who plays in a band throughout the year while also being successful at his full time job. He truly is BORN2ROC.
He sent me this picture of it hanging in its new enviroment with this note.
"I love it! Came out great. Thanks so much and for offering the born to roc plate up!" - Paul🎸
I recently created a piece of license plate art for a client from Germany who lives in Florida. He saw some of my work at a local Red Robin restaurant. He found me on the internet and ordered the Blues Brothers "On a Mission" piece. In the daylight it looks like this.
I always contact my clients after I ship their artwork to see how what they think. He told me he found a great spot to hang it and sent me this photo with a note that said, " we got this wonderful guitar and found a great place for it."
I was amazed at how well he caught the reflective qualities of the tags. Most clients don't know they are getting two pieces of art in one. The photo, above, shows the license plate art's normal reflection with general lighting. When it plcks up the light in a certain way, the reflective qualities of the license plates kick in and it changes, as you can see from this photo.
Thank you, Carsten, from sending it along.
Last year I met a client at Wide Open Bluegrass, a bluegrass festival in Raleigh NC. She runs a bluegrass festival in Maine and liked my work. When she asked about a custom piece, I told her I create them all the time.
When she got in touch with me a few months ago, she was surprised I remembered our conversation. I've got a nack for remembering everything; just ask my wife. Some people's memory gets weaker as they age. Mine seems to get stronger LOL.
The end result to this story is the piece I will be shipping today for the Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass festival. Thanks to Patti Crooker for working with me on this project.
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.
First I have to say no gift is possible without good friends and a great desire to share.
A few months back I had the pleasure of working with Ray Evernham and his people at IGNITE, a community center in Davidson, NC for young adults with high-functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger's Syndrome (AS).
I donated one of my license plate guitars to to be auctioned at their fundraising event in 2014. When two people raised the bidding on my Brad Paisley license plate guitar to $5,000, I agreed to make a second piece if both bidders would donate $5,000 each. It was such an honor to help raise money for this important cause.
The second guitar would be a custom piece, created as a gift for the very generous client who was not in the room but made the donation.
I always need the help of others to create a piece for a special person, I have to thank Dale Ledbetter for letting me pick his brain. This is the process that makes the gift special. This would be a gift for a man who has everything. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t creating something he already had.
That is no easy task, as the gentleman owns the greatest collection of guitars I’ve ever seen, as well as the world’s largest collection of classic Corvettes. Dale invited me to see these collections. I was in awe.
During the interview, I asked Dale which car was my client’s favorite. He showed me a Black 1967 Corvette Stingray 427 with a white stinger down the hood.
That was my inspiration. Using a guitar shape as my canvas, I set out to combine my client’s love of Corvettes with his love of music. Then I used vintage auto parts and license plates to bring the piece to life. Here are the details:
I would like to thank everyone who helped make this piece so special.
