Limefire

I'm an artist with no academic background who's managed to make a living doing art for over 3 decades. I've worked as a graphic designer/illustrator much of that time as well as doing fine arts on the side that has had it's good times and it's bad times.

I've been a motorhead from as far back as I can remember starting from the days of tearing up the logging roads around home in hoopties. I copied the art of Newt and Mouse and the other Roth/Roach artists of the time, putting my own spin on them and doing personalized art for friends with their cars, boats, jet skis, what-have-you as subject matter. I was also designing many a radical rod before I could drive (legally), too.

Several muscle cars, a Cobra, some Corvettes, motorcycles, a C/Gasser, a BB/FA and a couple of Sprint Cars have been in my garages over the years but currently nothing worth mentioning resides there, the result of some of life's complications and situations. In the meantime I'll continue to draw and photograph 'em!

In the past I've also owned a detail shop and a paint shop which specialized in sprint cars and midget race cars, with some pro street cars thrown in now and then.

In an odd twist I'm working with Roach Studios as Brian Peterson works on resurrecting the brand. I've been helping take the remnants of what little exists of the original art and reproducing printable art and separations for reproduction t-shirt designs which will be released as time goes on. We're working from a copy of the 1974 Roach Catalog for the basis of the art. I was a whole 14 years old at the time the catalog was printed and I'm sure I was in junior high sketching Newt-inspired art while I should have been paying attention to the teacher back then. So here I am sketching over the masters' art. It's a very small world sometimes.

A look at my art is available at www.mikepatrickart.com More of my automotive art can be found at www.hubgarage.com/mygarage/Limefire