Project Flashback: Pink Floyd Music Fridge

Back in 2012, just a day before Thanksgiving, this refrigerator departed Killer Paint and was delivered to its new home

The customer, a huge fan of Pink Floyd, wanted this fridge done in a theme dedicated to his favorite band. Artwork from a number of different ‘Floyd album covers and other sources from the group’s long history. Plus, there are a few other fun changes made to this project.

The image on the front door features a large central piece that is an amalgamation of the cover artwork from the albums Pulse and Dark Side of the Moon.

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An additional feature on the door that is more than just paint is the handle. The refrigerator’s original has been removed and replaced with a custom one, in order to continue the Pink Floyd theme even further.

The new handle is made from two actual metal hammers. They were cut, fitted and welded together, then painted to look like the iconic marching hammers shown during the “Waiting for the Worms” song segment of  Pink Floyd’s 1982 film version of “The Wall”.

The new handle piece was bolted to the door using metal mounting pegs welded to the back of the hammers, ensuring that the attachment will be sturdy enough to hold up to continued usage for a long time to come.

It is definitely quite a bit less ergonomic than the handle the fridge came with, but you could probably open bottles using this one if you wanted to.

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Down on at the bottom of the fridge, in the lower left hand corner of the door, is a bit of art that is a little less prominently displayed-

It is the cow from the cover of the ‘Floyd album “Atom Heart Mother.” Well, almost the same cow.

If you take a closer look, you will notice that some of the cow’s markings have been modified slightly in order to resemble the spade and skull used in the Killer Paint logo.

Almost every job that comes out of the shop gets a Killer Paint logo painted on it somewhere. It is just not always as subtly placed as this one.

(click image to enlarge)

 

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The artwork on each side of the refrigerator is designed to transition from one image to the next. The elements from the designs on the door flow over and morph around the corner and onto the right hand side.

On this piece, the stone heads from the cover of the Pink Floyd album “The Division Bell” sit on the ground at the bottom of the fridge. Above them, artwork derived from the cover of the live double album “Delicate Sound of Thunder” occupies the top half.

Also tucked into the artwork on this side is the iconic image of the Battersea Power Station, made famous by its appearance on the cover of the 1977 “Animals” album. (click image to enlarge)

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On the opposite side of the refrigerator, the image from the cover of the “Wish You Were Here” album is the central piece.

At the bottom sits the screaming face associated with “The Wall,” while a transparent brick pattern runs up the side over the other artwork. The logo for “The Wall” sits at the top in the dark sky, where the iconic flying pig, floats across the sky, lit by an array of multi-colored spotlights.

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Most refrigerators painted at Killer Paint are destined for home theaters, game rooms or “man caves” and not a typical kitchen. This one was no exception, so as with many custom fridges, neon was added to the back, to add that extra ambiance in its final setting. In this case, what better color than pink?

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To make this fridge bring a complete Pink Floyd experience, there was one more feature added. (See video below)

It has a music player and speakers built into it so that it plays a random Pink Floyd song when the door is opened! The songs play in their entirety, even if the door is opened

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Completed just before Thanksgiving, the refrigerator was loaded up and driven to the customer’s home, to make sure it was in place before the madness of the holiday season started. The room the refrigerator was to be in was full of other valuable keepsakes and memorabilia, and up a narrow outdoor stairway, so getting it into place was no simple task.

However, once it was in place, it looked like it belonged, and had always been there. The customer was definitely thrilled! (click images to enlarge)

We hope you enjoyed taking a look back at this project. Let us know if there is anything you would like to see us post here in the future!

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Maybe this project gave you some ideas, or you already have an idea in mind for your own car, truck, motorcycle, refrigerator, etc?

If you would like to contact Killer Paint about working on your own project, visit our website, or contact us at info@killerpaint.com

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Related Links:

The Original Killer Paint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-Original-KILLER-PAINT-INC/297040465604

The Official Killer Paint Website: www.killerpaint.com

Pink Floyd Offiicial Band Website: http://www.pinkfloyd.com/

Killer Paint’s “True Fire™ Basics” Blog Series: https://www.killerpaint.com/true-firetrade-basics

Killer Grunge FX™ Spray at Coast Airbrush: https://www.coastairbrush.com/products.asp?cat=789

Grunge FX™ Tutorial Video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96hjkbrwprA

True Fire™ Instructional DVDs:
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 1
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 2

True Fire™ Freehand Templates: Artool Freehand Airbrush Templates, True Fire Template Set

House of Kolor Official Website: www.houseofkolor.com

TV Flashback: Rides “Under Pressure” Biomech Challenge

This episode of “Rides” (Season 4, Episode 3) originally aired August 9, 2005.

For this show, Mike was tasked to go head-to-head on a painting challenge with California airbrush artist Yvonne Mecialis. Each would receive a silver Pontiac G6 to paint, and only a week to do it!

Afterward, both cars would be brought together to determine whose brush was mightiest!

(It’s hard enough to paint on a deadline, but there is also the camera crew filming the process to contend with as well!)

Mike decided that the car would get a biomechanical look, a la H.R. Giger, fused with an ancient Egyptian theme.

First, the car was covered bumper to bumper with biomech elements and hieroglyphs, with a Pharaoh dominating the hood. Small “Easter eggs” and other hidden nods/homages were scattered throughout the design. Airbrushes and Killer Paint’s skull logo were placed amongst the symbols, and the scarab used in the House of Kolor paint logo was incorporated as well.

At this point, covered in elaborate silver biomech designs, the car looks like a job well done. However, what came next made some viewers’ jaws drop. Much of this design was now to be painted over!

The car was masked off with an array of tears and shreds, and then painted blue… leaving the elaborate biomech elements peeking out, revealed only where the paint areas appeared to peel away. Shading and painted peeling effects added depth to the multilayer effect. A portrait of Mike’s competition Yvonne, is on the trunk lid in back.

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Here are some more details in the finished paint job. A mechanical spine is revealed on the roof, and some of the hieroglyphs on the hood.

Once the car is done, it is sent off to the site of the showdown…

…where the competition is waiting.

Yvonne’s car also has a biomech flavor, and possibly some inspiration from the 1927 Sci-Fi classic “Metropolis.” She incorporated bright swooshes of color into her design as well.

In the end, the show’s producers decided that they couldn’t determine a clear winner, and declared the showdown a draw. Everybody wins!

Unfortunately though, the two cars painted for this competition were not production models. They were not issued VIN numbers, and were not street legal. As such, they were scheduled to be destroyed after the show wrapped. Some removable parts from the car were saved and brought back to Killer Paint before its final demise.

The hood featuring the biomech Pharaoh is still hanging on the wall of the Killer Paint shop as of this posting.

Did you see this show when it originally aired? What did you think of the competition, and what was your favorite part of this project? Let us know in the comments!

Also tell us if there is anything you would like to see posted here in the future.

Oh! and Here is a bonus Wallpaper image featuring the Biomech G6 as well. Enjoy!

We hope you enjoyed taking a look back at this project. Let us know if there is anything you would like to see us post here in the future!

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Maybe this project gave you some ideas, or you already have an idea in mind for your own car, truck, motorcycle, refrigerator, etc?

If you would like to contact Killer Paint about working on your own project, visit our website, or contact us at info@killerpaint.com

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Related Links:

The Original Killer Paint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-Original-KILLER-PAINT-INC/297040465604

The Official Killer Paint Website: www.killerpaint.com

Killer Paint’s “True Fire™ Basics” Blog Series: https://www.killerpaint.com/true-firetrade-basics

Killer Grunge FX™ Spray at Coast Airbrush: https://www.coastairbrush.com/products.asp?cat=789

True Fire™ Instructional DVDs:
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 1
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 2

Biomech FX™ Spinal Trap™ Freehand Templates : Artool Freehand Airbrush Templates, Biomech Spinal Trap

Killer Paint on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/killerpaint1033/

Chicago Blackhawks are ‘da Bomb…

We did one of our Killer Paint F-Bombs for a friend at Iwata as a gift. He is a big fan of the Chicago Blackhawks, so we ran with it.

We faux-riveted the shell up and sprayed it red, with the signature Blackhawks stripes and logo, with some staining/grunge shading effects on top of everything to achieve a more vintage feel. An extra brass-etched Killer Paint emblem laying around the shop finally got pressed into use on this one too.

We didn’t stop there either. The fins got trimmed in black, and done up with the crossed tomahawk “C” logo.  Some rubber Chicago Blackhawks Official NHL Official Size Hockey Pucks were cut down and attached to it as well.

But that still wasn’t enough, so we sent it off to Rod at Northern Lights Neon to add some light bling.

All and all, it turned out great. It’s a blast to do projects that are about more than just the paint.

We hope you enjoyed seeing how this project turned out. Let us know if there is anything you would like to see us post here in the future!

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Maybe this project gave you some ideas, or you already have an idea in mind for your own car, truck, motorcycle, refrigerator, etc?

If you would like to contact Killer Paint about working on your own project, visit our website, or contact us at info@killerpaint.com

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Related Links:

The Original Killer Paint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-Original-KILLER-PAINT-INC/297040465604

The Official Killer Paint Website: www.killerpaint.com

Killer Paint’s “True Fire™ Basics” Blog Series: https://www.killerpaint.com/true-firetrade-basics

Killer Grunge FX™ Spray at Coast Airbrush: https://www.coastairbrush.com/products.asp?cat=789

True Fire™ Instructional DVDs:
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 1
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 2

Killer Paint on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/killerpaint1033/

A WORK OF HEART

That title describes my next blog perfectly.   I want to tell you about my good friend Phil Harris.   Phil, as most of you know was one of the captains on The Discovery channel’s Mega Hit show  “THE DEADLIEST CATCH”.  He was the captain of the CORNELIA MARIE.      I had wanted to meet him for a while and could never seem to find him even though he (as I found out later) lived about 5 miles from my shop!    My chance to meet him finally came one day curiously enough through my work.  I was introduced to him by the then sales manager of a local Harley Davidson shop.        He came to my shop to talk about doing a mural job on his TITAN motorcycle chopper.  I was at first a little star struck but shortly after that started to think of him only as  “Phil”  in fact, we became so close as friends I actually felt like I knew him my whole life.  we soon were flipping each other shit and joking and laughing all the time. whenever he would get tired of all the attention he would come and hide at the shop and visit us. Nic especially loved him. she said Phil reminded her of her dad who she doesn’t get to see as much as she’d like because he lives so far away. when Phil would come in she would get  her ” fix” of stand-in  dad love.  he would come in and say “How’s it goin’ darlin?” smile and give her a huge bear hug and chat for a while.  he was always like a cat on a frying pan though. hardly ever sitting still, drinking one of our energy drinks and smoking a cigarette! Phil was the ONLY person allowed to smoke in my shop. he would always go outside to smoke when he was smoking more than usual and if you were in a conversation with him you had to follow him outside to continue it!   Phil had a heart as big as the Bearing Sea.  he would constantly bring me projects to paint. his bike, corvette, big truck, even his R/C boat he would run on Lake Conner.  I also did his dads 56 pickup.  he  even was working with Discovery to get me my own show!  at his memorial I can’t count how many people told me he would talk about me all the time.  “he really loved you guys” they would say. Phil wanted his bike to have a pirate theme but in his words he wanted his pirate to look like a,  “real “pirate not some fucking pretty boy hollywood pirate!”  that statement was followed by his all to familiar gravelly laugh! Muhahhaahaha!   he left the details up to me and when the time came to check my progress he stopped in. but , not just him! no!   it was Phil, Josh, Jake, their sister, Scotty Hilstrand ( from the TIME BANDIT), and his friend!  holy crap!   what an enterage.   when they walked into the booth and saw the parts their eyes bulged out of there heads and Phil had a smile from ear to ear!  there was a whole lot of HOLY F&%#’s going off around the booth.  pointing and smiling hahahaha, I love that part!   to say he was thrilled is an understatement! and when he discovered the salty old pirate with the knife scar across his face and nose complete with a cataract in one eye and a gold earing he lost it!   THAT’S ……FUCKING……PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!  “It’s like you read my mind and put it on that tank!” ” you little shit! Muhahaha!  come here!”   he then shook my hand and gave me a huge hug.    SO you like it? I said?  hahahaha!  he just said I don’t know how you did that!  that’s crazy!    and that was the way it was with Phil from the time I met him till the end.

I told people that these guys aren’t just characters on a show we love to watch, they’re our friends!  and if anything happened to them it would be way more personal to us!  I always worried that they would sink to the bottom of the cold ocean. what a terrible way to go! not only him but his crew and especially his two sons.

when he would get ready to leave for the new Crabbing season he would always stop by and say goodbye.  we missed seeing him and hearing from him when they where out at sea.  we worried about them too.

When he was leaving this season I made sure that I called him while he was on his way to the airport and wished him luck and told him to be careful out there and that we would see him when he got back.   he said  “OK Buddy!”  Little did I know those would be the last words I’d  ever hear him say.  While off loading crab Phil suffered a massive stroke. it was Josh who found him on the floor of his state room.  11 long hours later the life flight came to fly him to Ankorage.  the doctors put him in an induced comma to relieve the pressure on his brain, 4 days later they brought him out of it. the doctors couldn’t believe how well he was doing.  he even was able to watch the Super Bowl.  he was supposed to be moved to Seattle for recovery.

I was the one who got the news that day. it came from an unlikely source, my friend at the welding shop next door.  Shawn came in and said “sorry to hear about Phil”   I said “what? ‘he’s in recovery and doing ok!”   “No Mike, I just got a call from my son a few minutes ago, he spoke directly with Jake, it’s true”    Oh My god!   this can’t be true I thought!   Nic was on the phone with a customer and I tried to get her off the phone to tell her.   I wasn’t good, let me tell you!      I actually found out before Grant, his own father!  I had to tell him!  that was terrible!

after all the shock of the news wore off a bit I got a phone call from the family.  It was Phil’s best friend Dan who was with him when he died.    “Mike,  you said if there was anything you could do for the family we should just ask”.   “what can I do? ” I asked.    “we want you to paint Phil’s urns.” was the answer. “We want you paint two Harley Sportster tanks for him, Discovery wants to film it.”  I was shocked! this is a huge deal for Phil’s family and myself.  ” I would be honored to do it” I said.     To tell you the truth the filming part really didn’t mean much to me but the chance to honor my friend did.    I looked around for some used sporty tanks but could only find “Coffin Tanks”  tanks shaped like old fashion coffins.   Not gonna cut it. too creepy for me.  it was then I remembered I had a set of older Harley tanks in my loft storage and they where already in primer!  so I went upstairs to get them down .    they are the older split type tanks with the typical teardrop shape to them. flat on the bottom and rounded on the front tapering down to the rear.  they have mounting rings on the front sides of the tank.

when I found the tanks I picked both of them up with my right hand  from the bottom rings at he same time. when I lifted them up the flat bottoms came together with a clang!  I looked at them and got goosebumps all over my arms and a chill up my spine!  When the two tanks came together they formed a perfect heart!    Holy shit!  I immediately knew what I wanted to do!     Phil’s favorite color was red, perfect for the heart shaped urns!    The whole reason  for the two tanks was that half his ashes would be buried with his mother, and the other half would be brought up the the Bearing Sea at the opening of crab season and literally Blown Up! spreading his ashes over the water!  ( this is still being debated over).

So armed with this new inspiration I knew exactly what I was going to paint! on the left half of the heart I painted Phil smiling while he was signing autographs. I wanted this half to be the Land lubber Phil and Phil the son and father.  I had him riding his Titan motorcycle, Josh, Jake,and Grant.  I put his little Yorkie Terrier “gizmo” on there as well.  He loved black jack and craps, so I painted cards and dice. he also was a QVC addict! hahaha buying Carson city silver dollars and gems!   so on they went.  on the right tank I painted Phil the crab boat captain. all serious with a gruff expression and folded arms. above him was the Cornelia Marie fighting a stormy sea. I also put an Icon of Dutch Harbor on there as well, the russian orthodox church complete with a bald eagle perched on the cross above the domed roof.  all the artwork was done monochromatic tone on tone all in various shades of red. and as an added touch to salute my good friends passing, his life and friendship I painted a king crab leg and claw busting through the tank holding up a “duckfart”  as a toast from the Bearing sea and the crabs he searched for his whole life.( this is for those of you who don’t follow the show, is a drink all the captains toast the upcoming and closing of crab season with. It is famous up there in Dutch. its Bailey’s Irish Cream, Kahlua, and Crown Royal)   This is my favorite part of the tanks artwork!  on the left side I painted a ribbon the read “Swift Journey”on the left side, and “Safe Passage”  (a nautical term) on the right side.

when the two pieces come together the arwork forms everything that was Phil Harris and it flows seamlessly from the left to the right.   I have to tell you I worked hard on the tanks for two days straight late into the night.  the artwork just poured from my hands and I’m not ashamed to say tears flowed from my eyes at the same time.  I was without a doubt the hardest thing I ever had to do. When I was finished I just looked at the tanks, I wondered how Phil would have like them then I thought the words ” Fucking perfect” just what Phil would have said.  when the family saw the tanks I got the same jaw dropping reaction as before minus the swearing and smiles. the look in Josh and Jake’s eyes said it all.    I had the boys sign the tank by their pictures.  Nic put her own personal message to her friend Phil.  ” Phil , you will always have a special place in my heart! XOXO  She misses him terribly and she misses his hugs.   I also wrote ” Phil thanks for the friendship, I’ll miss you! ”  everytime I hear a harley pull up to the shop with the radio blairing I think , Oh, Phils here….then I remember he won’t be coming through that door again. We do however get to see the boys and Grant from time to time. and Dan pops in for a visit to see how things are going too.

watching the whole drama unfold lately on the show is hard to watch but I can’t help but watch.   I know what’s coming and it’s gonna be tough for a lot of fans to see.   remember Phil.  we were so lucky to have him in our lives!   rest in peace  Swift Journey,  Safe Passage my friend.