THE AUTOMOTIVE ARTISTRY SERIES #1 | Doug Breuninger

THE AUTOMOTIVE ARTISTRY SERIES #1

INTRODUCING STREET TRUCKS’ NEW ARTIST SERIES

At Street Trucks magazine, we have always found that it’s not just the cars that make the publication what it is. It’s the fans, it’s the readers, it’s the enthusiasts, it’s the owners, it’s the builders—and the passion they have for the truck/automotive world. That passion creates the family we are now. Though not on purpose, one branch of our car culture has often been overlooked: the artists. In the past, the rich history of hot rod art spread some of the car culture’s first wild ideas before renderings or even photographs of the latest cutting-edge builds reached other states around the nation. As time went by, builds began to evolve with the times like the art did, but for some people it became easier to look more into physical builds than the inspirations that started it all. With our new Artist Series, we want to provide fresh inspiration for every type of enthusiast out there today, from the pen and paper artist and the computer and keyboard designer, to the wrench and garage builder. Enjoy—and be inspired.

STARTING AT THE AGE OF 5, DOUG BREUNINGER OF PORTER RANCH, CALIFORNIA, RECALLS BEING FOND OF ART. It was not until Doug’s sophomore year in high school that he realized he had something special skill-wise. That might have been from seeing his skills evolve—but it could have been that, besides P.E, art was the only class where he could earn an A grade. As time progressed, so did his talent.

Fast forward to the present, and Doug is fortunate enough to do automotive design and art as a fulltime career. Looks like those A’s in the right places paid off, right? But these days, Breuninger’s art is not some sketch on a high-school math assignment.

IT WAS NOT UNTIL DOUG’S SOPHOMORE YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL THAT HE REALIZED HE HAD SOMETHING SPECIAL SKILL-WISE. THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN FROM SEEING HIS SKILLS EVOLVE—BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN THAT, BESIDES P.E, ART WAS THE ONLY CLASS WHERE HE COULD EARN AN A GRADE. AS TIME PROGRESSED, SO DID HIS TALENT.

When it comes to who inspires him, Doug says one of his big inspirations has and will always be Chip Foose, for obvious reasons. Others on his list include Henrik Fisker, Thom Taylor, Steve Stanford, Tom Fritz, Art Fitzpatrick, Salvador Dali, Maxfield Parrish, Ed Newton, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Walter Kim, John Frye, Damon Moran and Wayne Johnson to name just a few of them.

At 33 years old, Doug has a pretty heavy-hitting list of art career highlights already. He has had three solo art exhibits: two of them at Analigital Gallery in San Fernando, California, and one at the Illest Boutique in downtown Los Angeles, Little Tokyo. He has his Post-it artwork featured and for sale in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles (Side note from us at Street Trucks: If you have never been to the Petersen Museum, GO!), and he partnered with Meguiar’s for SEMA 2018. In addition to these highlights, Doug has also had his work featured in Super Street magazine and other notable publications. From meeting and connecting with many great people in many different backgrounds, Doug says he is blessed to be traveling around the globe making and selling his art. He says he’s very proud to be a part of this series for Street Trucks magazine.

When asked about his future goals for his art career, Breuninger says he is “a bit private about that aspect,” but he says he is aiming high to say the least. Without getting specific, Doug stated he would love to keep pushing and evolving his skills while continually outdoing each art piece one after the other while still building relationships around the world and sustaining a consistent income doing what he loves.

We really put Doug on the spot when we asked him to name his favorite art piece he ever created. To that he replied, “Yeesh…” Translation: “That is damn hard to pick.” Among his favorites are all of his Post-it paintings, his Tooner Drawings and a photo-realistic drawing of his crashed car from 2004.

If you are interested in seeing more or purchasing art from Doug Breuninger, contact him at info@NotableRides. com, visit his website www.NotableRides. com or check out his Instagram @Doug_NR