When I first started, I couldn’t draw at all. I could do a drawing in my notebook, a line drawing, but still I couldn’t draw a part. There was no tool to help me, no way to draw part shapes, so I would simply do it like I would any other drawing. This wasn’t really a fault of mine, it was something I had picked up from old masters.
How did you manage to draw at all? Did you learn from anyone?
I don’t think so, I learnt by watching what my father drew. I was also taught by my grandfather, who lived a lot of the time in Italy. He was a carpenter, so we had him come to America once every couple of years to draw all sorts of cars, mostly on his machine. Once a while my father would come in to visit, but he was probably a better carpenter, and he had more time, which I appreciated.
Why is the carpenter on that machine drawing the cars that I draw.
Well, I don’t know… That’s what my father had told me in the past, but you’re the artist, so it’s your business to figure it out too.
What was the first car you ever saw?
Oh, that’s the secret! I don’t recall…
How old were you when you saw it?
I was 3 years old! I can’t really remember the car, I have a little picture of it, which I took while I was on my way to work. I was a little nervous, I thought that maybe it would be scary to ride in it but I didn’t really have the need for it anyway.
You lived with my mom and dad for a couple of years?
Yes, they lived in New York City, and he lived for a while in Italy. I was at a good school so I had a lot of freedom. I was at university for 1 year and then after graduation I was sent back to school to finish my degree (in graphic design). My dad worked with a company that made cars so he could focus more on that. We had our own little studio and he brought his work to our place.
How many cars did each of you paint over the years?
That depends. My dad, a skilled carpenter, would paint about 3 different models over the years. My mom and I would get the jobs, but she would always paint more