Many people consider older cars works of art. The shape, form, style and character of vintage car design motivates collectors, customizers, and artists. A native of San Jose, Sanjay Heera is a young new artist making a name for himself in the Kustom Kulture scene in the Bay Area. Sanjay’s art captures the essence of the car culture surrounding custom cars. Some of his paintings are dark and mysterious, with contrasts of color emphasizing speed and excitement. Sanjay has a Pontiac GTO in his driveway that has been a muse for some of his work. “Long before I knew much about cars, I fell in love with the GTO. Particularly the ’66-’67 body style. The long curvaceous lines, split grill, stacked lights and sloping rear pillars made the design look beautiful, fast, and powerful to me.” Other inspiration for his work includes the Italian Renaissance, automotive artist Tom Fritz, and contemporary automotive illustrators Steve Stanford and Thom Taylor. “Kustom Kulture and the Post War hot rod movement in So Cal have had a large influence on me” says Sanjay.
Sanjay frequents car shows and likes visiting shops in the South Bay such as Gambino Kustoms and GM Sports Salvage that specialize in older cars, exposing himself to the old car culture, gathering ideas for future projects. At only 21 years of age, he has a lifetime of art yet to create. His work was shown recently at the Intueri art show in San Jose, and was well received.
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