VI Standpoint.com: Airbrushing – A gift from God

Airbrushing – A gift from God
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GARY ELEAZAR on 13/07/2011 15:35:00

Art and the use of paint have been synonymous throughout history with earliest
recordings being the cave paintings. But with the human mind being as unique and
extensive as it is, over the years the art-form has evolved.

Lovers of art, especially with the use of paint have no doubt contributed to its
evolution and with each new generation, something new is brought to the fore.
Airbrushing is one way in which the art-form has been taken to a new height and
can be represented on just about everything from the home to every conceivable
mode of transportation and will surely be dominant at the upcoming car-show in
the British Virgin Islands.
One Islander has merged his natural talent with the art form and has eked out
living for himself and is now using his skills to teach others.
Steve Herbert, also known as Stevie, who will celebrate a birth milestone this
Saturday, has dedicated much of his time to art of airbrushing.  Speaking with
this publication recently, he gave some insight into his life and passion that
has become his work.
The current business that he has established, complete with custom paint booth,
has been up and running for about seven years now. And while he is growing in
popularity and stature for his talent, it was not always this way.
Starting at a young age, not even a teenager yet, Stevie found himself drawing
and nurturing at a relatively small scale, his talent for the art.
He attended the Isabella Morris School in Carrot Bay and subsequently attended
the Elmore Stoutt High School but soon went on to the US where he graduated from
High School in Fort Lauderdale Florida.
At that time Stevie recalls that he was painting and drawing on just about
anything whether it be T-Shirts or the canvases even if it was just a portrait
he always occupied his time making art.
Christmas 1990 was certainly a significant turning point for Stevie but even
though there may be turning points in a person’s life it is not necessarily
anywhere close to the ultimate climax.
Stevie recalled that for Christmas 1990 his brother got him an airbrush gun. For
some receiving a gun at that age it could be deemed a fun thing but for an older
male it is usually a completely different story.
However, this was no ordinary gun but rather it was a special gun that
Stevie’s brother got him.
This gun fired paint and worked with air being forced through the nozzle and
this was the perfect tool for Stevie to hone in his talent.
There was a hurdle following the receipt of this life changing gift though as it
had to be put down for about four years commencing in 1996 when school and work
became more than a simple distraction.
Stevie recalls that at the time he did not have a house of his own thus he lived
in an apartment and as such could not paint as much as he would have wanted. To
compound things even further his friends that he kept at the time were not the
most upstanding citizens that would have a positive impact on one’s life.
The drive to paint had to be hidden away for a while as Stevie had to figure out
work, school and friends, some of whom could today be better described as life
hindrances.
“And then hard times hit in 2001,” Stevie bluntly related. He realised that
it was a point in time when he had to make a choice with the direction his life
was going to go.
He said that it has been a decision that he has not regretted emphasising that,
“the friends that I used to keep were not a good influence and I had to make a
choice.....I had to take some time to think about it.”
As if fate would have it, shortly after Stevie realise that his life needed a
turnaround, his father travelled to the US and suggested that he take a trip
home.
Still not fully convinced that the BVI had much to offer him, Stevie questioned
his father’s suggestion saying, “what.....home got nothing to offer me
.....but that was one of the best decision I ever made.,…I got my own shop
now.”
With a look of reminisce and pride Stevie asked “you know the food van in town
by the taxi stand with the pac man on it?” This he smiled was, “my first
base, my first biggest project.”
Stevie undertook that project while still in the US from the ground up with each
of the modifications required to make it what it is today.
This project, he said, impressed his father who suggested that he returned home
for a two months stint in order to pay more attention to his passion that could
lead to a better life for him.
Having seen what he could do, his father convinced him to return home and set up
the business and he agreed to return home for just two months and see how things
would “play out.”
With no formal training and rather just as he constantly refers to it as a
“natural God-given talent” with hands on experience, Stevie has managed over
the years to turn it into a business that takes care of him and his family.
He insisted that had it not been for the financial bills of life, then he would
not charge anybody anything to do their airbrushing. “It’s a gift that God
put inside of me.”
Stevie said too that one of the biggest decisions of his life was when he turned
to Christ, a decision he has not regret.
“I don’t look like the typical believer because I look street wise but
that’s just me...the bible teach that anything you do, do it from the word of
God with the love of Christ regardless of how you look…it is He that create
everybody for a purpose and you just need to find your purpose and execute
it…The gifts and the talent He put in me has to do with art.”
Stevie says that being an artist at heart is what motivates him daily and keeps
him going.
“What keeps me going is the look on customers’ faces when they want
something done and when they get it back – that is above and beyond.”
He conceded that not every customer will always be happy or elated at the end
result, but they should always allow the artist to be “his self and express
what you need done on your product when you get the finished thing then you can
always meet and make sure you are happy at the end.”
He said that his ideas may not be the same as the customers, “but if you give
me something to work with then I am going ask the Father for the downloading and
he brings it to life...I do boats, I do guitars, signs, helmet, scooters,
motorcycles.” And the list goes on.
Stevie is living proof that with dedication and the right mindset, as long as a
person can identify their calling then they can pursue happiness and achieve it.