163612786

Meet The Guys:
Charles "The Kid" Armstrong Charles Armstong grew up in Prescott, Arizona. As a kid, Charles loved custom cars and going to car shows with his father. His dream of building his very own custom would be the dream that would change his life. At age 14, Charles got his hands on his first airbrush in his art class at Prescott High School. His first impression of the airbrush wasn't a good one, as all of his previous works had been done with graphite or colored pencil. However, a family friend, Bob Burns (who just happens to be a pin striper, sign painter and artist extraordinare also a good friend of Kenneth Howard, aka Von Dutch) saw Charles' pencil sketches and told him of Big Daddy Roth, Von Dutch, the custom car world, the world of insane paint jobs and the money to be made. Needless to say, Charles was intrigued and continued to practice with his airbrush in his art class.
At 16, After getting his first job in a pizza parlor, Charles bought his own airbrush- a Paasche VL- and a few months later he performed his first automotive artwork on a friends nissan. He spent a great deal of time in art class drawing custom cars and trucks, and designing cool paint jobs for them. His art teacher, Mike Murphy, even allowed Charles to drag the airbrush out of the art room and experiment on his friends vehicles!
After graduating high school, Charles moved to Oklahoma City with a friend, just to try out a new place. Little did he know that moving there would be one of the best things to happen to him. Charles started airbrushing on anything he could touch. He met some cool guys in a newly formed truck club who wanted Logo's designed and painted on their back windows. From there he started painting graphics on some of the club members trucks. Cass Walker, the president of the club, let Charles use his moms garage for his "paint booth". Many late nights were spent in that garage, painting and hanging out with friends. Every so often, Charles would open the garage door to let the colorful cloud of fumes roll out into the neighborhood. As often as they could, guys from the club would take their vehicles to local hot rod shows. Charles would accompany them to see the crowds response to his paint jobs, and would also try to drum up business from the hot rodders. It was on one such occasion that a hot rodder blatantly told Charles he was just a kid. He wasn't going to let some kid paint on his expensive machine...so Charles became, "The Kid".
In the spring of 1992, Charles met Don and Chelly Jones. They took him under their wing and gave him a place to perform his automotive artwork; their body shop, Don's Collision Repair. While at Don's, the great people of Oklahoma and the surrounding states brought their vehicles for Charles to use as his canvas. Don's is also where Charles would become good friends with Brad Houk. After a decade in Oklahoma, Charles returned home to Prescott with his wife and daughters.
In 2005, Charles, along with lifelong friend Justin Burns(mechanic extraordinare, and son of Bob Burns) and great friend, Brad Houk (exceptional body man, and Eric Cartman impersonator) started Auto Art Studio.
Twenty years have passes since Charles painted his first piece of automotive artwork. In that time he has become a respected artist in the custom automotive community, having over 50 of his "masterpieces" featured in such publications as, Car Kulture Deluxe, MiniTruckin, Truckin, Sport Truck, Classic Truckin, Super Chevy, American Rodder, Low Rider, Hot Bike, Easy Rider, Tailgate, Custom Car (a Japanese custom auto magazine), and VW Trends. Charles, along with his artwork was also featured in Low Life Video, a modern custom magazine.
Charles would like to thank those who have helped him along the way: My wife and daughters, Mom & Dad, Friends; Cisco Peryera, Lance Martz, Don & Chelly Jones, Brad Houk, Justin Burns,Shane Hill, Chris Brankel Todd Boatright, Jeremy Weldon, Cass Walker, Dylan Nowak, Eric, Jason, and Dean from B.A.D., Jerry Covington, Dusty Brown. Most of all, his friend and mentor, Bob Burns without whom I would know nothing of this art form; and high school teacher and friend, Mike Murphy who allowed me artistic freedom to find the art that would change my life forever.
Brad Houk Brad Houk grew up in Fairview Oklahoma. As a kid he enjoyed anything and everything automotive, including going to car shows or reading any car, truck, or motorcycle magazine he could get his hands .. turning 16 and working on his own truck he knew exactly what he wanted to do. After finishing high school, Brad attended Oklahoma State University where he earned a degree in Automotive Body Technology.
In 1996 he moved to OKC eager to put his new found knowledge to use. His first job was at a local collision shop where he learned a great deal of useful knowledge. Eventually the desire to create something new and orignal lead him to take a risk and leave JV collision for a chance to work with another up and comer in the local car scene at Don's Collision Repair. Brad had met Charles Armstrong previously, when he joined a local car club in OKC. Charles convinced Brad and the owner of Don's Collision Repair to meet. Shortly after, Brad was hired and not only was he doing collision work, he was also restoring and customizing automobiles. This gave Brad the chance to work on everything from class mustangs to custom trucks.Brad spent the next several years working on custom vehicles anywhere he could find one; from some of the so called "custom" shops in the OKC area to the little shop behind his house, Brad, along with the help of a few talented friends, created some of the koolest rides around.
In 2002, Brad moved to Prescott, Arizona to join his friend Charles and continue the work they had been doing in OKC. It wasn't much later when Brad, Charles, and another friend, Justin Burns, decided to go out on their own and open Auto Art Studio.
Brad has been part of building many customs. Some of his greatest accomplishments to date have been, The Time Machine, Madillac, The Desert Dragger, Purgatory, and Misslead. Through every build, he had one thought, and it has become his creed:It can be done! With a little thought and imagination, nothing is impossible.
Outside of work, Brad enjoys many other things. One of his passions has always been riding streetbikes, he also enjoys spending time with his friends, sports, skydiving, and driving his 350z. Brad has a unique way of finding humor in most any situation. He is always there to lend a helping hand, and get the job done. When the pressure is on, he will see the positive way to reach a goal and have you laughing all the way to the end.
Justin Burns Justin Burns grew up in Prescott, Arizona. Growing up in the Burns family was great for a boy who was interested in cars and mechanics. Justins stepfather, Bob Burns, was Prescott's "Sign Painter" and pinstriper. Bob was also Kenneth Howard's (aka Von Dutch) best friend. Dutch used to visit Bob and the Burns household on many occasions. As Justin grew, he became more and more interested in the mechanics of things, spending a lot of time with his grandfather, Bob Mezeske, an amazing mechanic and owner of Car Care by Bob.
After graduating high school, Justin began to delve into his other passion, locomotives. He moved to Silver Plume Colorado where he worked for Georgetown Loop Railroad as a fireman. Deciding to move a little closer to home, Justin packed up and went to Williams, Arizona where he worked with the Grand Canyon Railroad as a fireman. Although Justin loved working on locomotives, certain circumstances brought him back to Prescott, where he went to work for his grandfather. He spent a lot of his free time working on his vehicles with the ultimate dream of building his very own custom.
In 2002, Justin started working with life long friend, Charles Armstrong, and new friend Brad Houk, on various projects. They took advantage of an amazing opportunity to open a full blown shop, and Auto Art Studio was born. In 2005, Justin bought a 55 Chrysler from a Prescott local who had owned the car for many years. The local had no previous wishes of selling the car, but Justin just happened to be in the right place at the right time. This Chrysler would end up being Justin's first finished custom. He, along with the help of Auto Art Studio, stripped the car, replaced the floor, did all the body work, flamed, added air ride suspension, got the original 301 running like never before and created Miss Lead a(non-lead) sled.
Justin has over 16 years of mechanical experience, from steam locomotive heavy maitenance and repair to modern computer controlled engine management systems. He is also experienced in suspension, brakes and electrical systems. Justin specializes in automotive performance engine modifications. He also enjoys working with older cars and engines, Nostalgia Lives! He is still involved with steam locomotives, in large scale and small scale model railroading. Between his first priority, his son, and vehicles, Justin's time is limited. As he says, "It's a good thing I love what I do!"
.. .. .... ....
Click here for more Auto Art Studio info!
.contactTable .text .contactTable .text, .contactTable a, .contactTable img ..
..