est. 2006
How the Kustom Seed was Sown
Since I was very young I have always drawn and painted cars and motorcycles. Playing with Hot Wheels and Matchbox toy cars gave me a taste of custom styles, and I was instantly drawn to the bold colors and graphics. The first media exposure to a real hot rod for me was ZZ-Top’s video clip of the song “Gimme all your Lovin”, featuring the 33 Ford hot rod “Eliminator”.
Without the Internet and far from the USA, it was very hard to learn anything about the custom scene in the 1980s. The only exposure to hot rods in Europe was the magazine ‘Chroom & Vlammen’ (‘Chrome & Flames’) and I read every edition I could get my hands on back to back. Years later, in 2011, I was very proud to have my own car – a Dodge van that I had painted myself called ‘Green Machine’ – featured in that very same magazine!
A Hobby Turning into a Profession
In my teens, I started building model kits and customizing them. This is when I bought my first airbrush beginner set and started painting my own Kustomized model cars. Since then, I have always been improving my painting skills and trying different techniques and effects.
Years later, in 2005, a friend of mine, Tjeerd, started building Bratstyle motorcycles under the name ‘ShortCut Choppers’. I painted a tank and fender for him in black with red Metalflake and silver leaf. His Yamaha XS 400 turned out pretty good as you can see below.
From Attic to Paintshop
After an article by Floris Velthuis on the XS 400 was published in ‘Bigtwin Magazine’, people started asking me for paintjobs for their own projects. It was time to move out of my attic. I found an abandoned factory building where several artists had built their workshops. There, I built the first KustomBart paintshop.
With plenty of room in that abandoned factory building, I had the chance to paint bigger objects. So, I graduated from motorcycle parts to cars and vans.
Kustom Collaborations Taking off
Hanging around Tjeerd’s shop in Ede (The Netherlands) with Tjebbe from ‘ZZ-Chop’, Marcel Miller from ‘Miller Kustom Upholstery’, Maurice Klok from ‘Kieft & Klok’, Michiel from ‘Black Fish Graphics’ and many others, the joined idea came to create the “Kustom Korner”. A shop where people could get their bikes serviced, chopped, painted and upholstered. With parts, paint, seats and skills available, business took off!
The Kustom World is Out There
The “Kustom Korner” was really in the spotlight with regular shop parties and appearances at major chopper and kustom events, like:
The Media Embrace KustomBart
Many great magazines published articles featuring KustomBart Special Paint.
Among others:
- Bigtwin Custombike Magazine
- Custombike Magazine
- Pinstriping & Kustom Graphics Magazine
- This is Now Magazine
- 13 1/2 Magazine
The best was being featured in a Japanese magazine called “Another World of Chopper”. Shame I couldn’t read a word except my own name.
Keeping Kustom Kulture Kickin'
Over the years, I had a great time partnering up with others to create great kustom builds and helping keep Kustom Kulture alive in Europe.
The best part has been – and still is – collaborating with all the great people. Creative minds like:
- Wannabe-Choppers
- Krabman Signs
- Pinstripe Ep
- Back Corner Custom Bikes
- DBBP
- Otto Nijs
- Puchshop
- Roel Scheffers
- Burton Sportscar
- Back to Classics
- Tin Can Customs
- Kroon Oil
- Nijmeegse Motorwinkel
and many others I forgot to mention. Thanks for a great time y’all.
What's Next?
Is your project going to be next? I hope to make many more Kustom Kreations as long as I can. Just because Tetris taught us: “If you fit in, you disappear.” Come see me to talk Kustom Paint!
I’m here to make Special Paint happen, Kustombart Style! Get in touch today!
KustomBart – Special Paint
Bantega (Friesland), The Netherlands
Phone: +31 6 247 257 34
E-mail: colbart@hotmail.com
Follow me on
