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Artist likens craft to classical music
The Vindicator ( Youngstown)
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Chaszeyka had an interest in art at Springfield High School and later taught himself how to pinstripe and airbrush motorcycles, cars and other objects..
The Vindicator ( Youngstown)
Photo
Steve Chaszeyka creates custom pinstriping and airbrush designs, such as the one pictured, for his New Middletown business Wizard Graphics..
The Vindicator ( Youngstown)
Photo
Steve Chaszeyka is the wizard behind Wizard Graphics, a custom pinstriping and airbrush business located in New Middletown. Steve and his wife, Carol, have owned and operated the shop for about 45 years..
By Ashley Luthern
aluthern@vindy.com
NEW MIDDLETOWN
Swirling paint and sweeping it onto a motorcycle, Steve Chaszeyka might appear to be a wizard with a brush.
And indeed, Chaszeyka is the “wizard” of Wizard Graphics: Pinstriping & Airbrush Art, located off state Route 170 in the village of New Middletown.
Chaszeyka has been pinstriping motorcycles, cars and other objects for 45 years, getting interested in the field while attending Springfield High School. He said he honed his drawing skills during his time in the Navy from 1970 to 1974.
“I had the dilemma most young artists face: How can I do this and get someone to pay?” he said. “... Nobody really teaches you to do it. I picked up a brush and made all the mistakes.”
When he and his wife, Carol, who runs the business side of Wizard Graphics, were married 35 years ago, their home quickly became Steve’s studio.
“He started pinstriping my washing machine, the dryer, the TV and then my kitchen cabinets, saying he needed to practice following the lines,” Carol said.
Steve has come a long way since those early days. He’s been in Pinstriping and Kustom Graphics Magazine, written an instructional column for Airbrush Action, and his work has been featured in numerous other publications.
“You can’t let [the fame] go to your head. It makes you stop growing if you do,” he said.
In 1994, Steve founded PINHEADS (Pinstripers International Network of Historic, Exotic, Artistic Design Stylists). He also leads a panel jam, where pinstripers from around the world come together and learn from one another.
“It’s like visual noise or an orchestra. Pinstriping is like classical music. There are many different instruments used to create the sound, just like there are many different lines and colors used in pinstriping,” he said.
Steve said his biggest assets are speed and accuracy. He can stripe an average motorcycle in a half hour. The paint dries from the outside in, similar to nail polish, and it can take up to three weeks for the design to cure to the other paint.
At age 60, Steve plans to train another artist who eventually could take over most of the designing and painting for Wizard Graphics.
“You’re down on your knees painting a bike, and it physically can be difficult,” he said. “As long as my eyes hold up and my hands stay steady, I’ll keep doing this.”