Finding His Own Canvas

If you’re an artist to some of the most famous names in the world it’s possible that you’re going to have plenty of money to be able to drive what you want and enjoy your creativity in a way that you wouldn’t have thought possible otherwise. Such is the case for the artist that has designed and airbrushed more famous items than any other person in history. The skills this man has shown made their way to the stage and have certainly given us a look and feel of what the depths of his talents are.

The man with the airbrush talents that have been trusted by such big names as James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo of Metallica is Donny Gillies. Also known as Dirty Donny, he had become the freelance artist to the stars and has worked with companies such as Snap-on Tools, Fender, Dunlop, Vans and Pabst Blue Ribbon. The guitars he designed for Metallica showed up on stage for us to admire and enjoy the talents of Dirty Donny and the airbrush work he’s capable of for some of these impressive names that have become household icons over the past several years.

When it comes to being as a talented as Gillies is and wanting to showcase his art in a way that he’s able to drive around in vehicles that are airbrushed by him, he chose two vehicle that make it easy for us to admire the work and for him to show off what he’s able to accomplish. The first vehicle he chose, and the one that offers us a view of his airbrush talent is the 1973 Used Dodge van that he chose and picked up to then completely refurbish and deck out in what makes this van look and feel like it jumped out of the disco era.

The second choice he made is the 1968 Plymouth Satellite which brings in 440 horsepower in the E-body car that is one that gives him a crazy powerful ride. This is a car that could have been featured in a number of Metallica videos over the years. This powerful street machine is one that’s been completely decked out in a murderous color in order to give Gillies the ride he wants. Both vehicles he owns are Mopar heavy for you to have the impressive quality and power that makes driving fun and exciting.

The van is easily one of the most impressive with his own art shown on the large side panels and the portal window in the back. The interior is bathed in plush fibers to make it feel like the vehicle has been carpeted with heavy shag from tip to tail. Even though Dirty Donny could probably have afforded to purchase a variety of great vehicles over the years, he chose these two Mopar heavy vehicles, which you can see in the video below and enjoy. This is an artist that kept true to his work with vehicles that are certainly a reflection of his own style.