Few keep their eye on Atlanta’s car culture like Larry Gardinier, publisher of Local Car Magazine.
For several years, his bimonthly print publication has been the physical touchstone for this area’s automotive enthusiasts.
Local Car Magazine has endeared itself to the car community, from the hand-painted front cover to absorbing articles and car show coverage.
We finally caught up with this self-taught artist turned publisher at the 3rd Annual Roswell Motoring Festival.
Our conversation with Larry opened a rare window into the inner workings of his magazine and the artist himself.
Love Of Cars
Rod Worley – Editor – Larry, have you always been around automobiles? And what prompted you to combine your artistic talent with magazine publishing?
Larry Gardinier – Local Car Magazine Publisher – My Dad was a good drag racer. In fact, he won the Stock Eliminator class in 1976 at the NHRA Nationals. Later in life, he went on to collect cars.
So I’ve been involved with cars from birth. I remember being about five years old and having my Mother show me how to draw a car using a photograph of a green ’68 Dodge Dart Super Stocker.
Since I shared my Dad’s love of cars and had a talent for art, I became an automotive artist full-time in 1990. However, in 2018 I started Local Car Magazine because it gets harder and harder to make a living solely as an artist.
Fortunately, a friend of mine has a similar style magazine in Texas called Hill Country Car Culture. He helped me early on with getting my magazine off the ground.
We still talk often about how to reach our audience and what works.
While I’ve thought about going national, I realized that you must stay focused on the local car community to get a connection to the reader.
So that’s why we’ll do three or four short features per issue to increase engagement and why we cover so many local car shows.
While we’re talking about the magazine, I’ve got to credit Michele, my wife, for doing a great job with the page layout and making it look professional.
From Racing Helmets To SEMA
Rod Worley – Editor – Often, when you’re an accomplished artist, you get offered a variety of opportunities to ply your craft. Were there some over your career that stood out?
Larry Gardinier – Local Car Magazine Publisher – You’re right. You do tend to get offered various jobs when you’re an artist. I was an architectural illustrator for a while, but I wanted something more.
My heart has always been in automotive art, but it’s crowded with many talented artists. A friend posted a video on Facebook about a custom motorcycle helmet show on the west coast.
I asked him if he could get me information about entering the show, and he asked why I didn’t just start my own show. I couldn’t think of any reason I couldn’t.
Since hot rod/motorcycle builder Bryan Fuller knows so much about the motorcycle world, I floated the idea to him, and he offered to partner with me to do the show at the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Show.
The “Skull Canvas Helmet Art “Show “was born in October 2012 and sadly came to an end in 2017.
I’ve also hand-painted cars on wristwatch dials. I would disassemble the watch, sand the dial, prime it and sand it again to get it ready for the enamel paint.
I used a jeweler’s loupe, a 10/0 paint brush, and Tester’s enamel model paints. So if there was a detail you could see on a 4×6 photo, I could paint it on the watch dial.
In the ’90s, the hot rod scene took off, and I was doing them all the time. Over the years, I’ve done about 150 custom automotive watch dials.
I’ve also done several automotive paintings that clients used as SEMA posters. Speaking of SEMA, I once did a skateboard for a client who entered it in a skateboard painting contest at the House of Color booth at SEMA.
So yes, my art has taken me in several often fun directions.
True Cover Art
Rod Worley – Editor – Local Car Magazine grabs your attention the moment you see the front cover. Often the art is so detailed, so life-like, that it’s hard to tell at first if it’s a painting or a computer-generated graphic.
Can you tell us more about the front cover process?
Larry Gardinier – Local Car Magazine Publisher – The cover art gives me an excuse to keep painting. I’m now my own customer in many ways because I know I will be doing six paintings a year.
I’ve developed a specific style for the magazine’s cover that doesn’t have a detailed background. Because of that, I can make all the front covers match style-wise to a degree.
Surprisingly, I’ve been selling more paintings since I started the magazine than I did before. So it has worked out well.
For the front cover, I use a variety of cars, so they aren’t all hot rods, muscle cars, and sports cars. I’m always looking for something different for the next magazine issue.
Once I’ve settled on a cover car, the client commissions the painting, which eventually becomes the magazine’s front cover. From there, we can create posters that I sell at a few vending events. I get to keep the reproduction rights, and my client gets to keep the original painting.
Transformation To Art
The following photos depict a blank canvas’s transformation into a work of art. The two Porsches belong to Mike Thies, owner of South East Wheels Events.
The silver metallic one is a 1962 356B T-6 Cabriolet. The other is a 1979 Gold Copper Metallic Porsche 911 SC Targa.
Local Car Magazine
Few endeavors thrive today without a dedicated team pushing them forward. Local Car Magazine is fortunate to have assembled such a team.
With Larry Gardinier leading the way, Michele Gardinier provides the design, with contributing photography provided by Mike Ashmore, Fred Bloch, Steven Callis, Ronn Lippman, Mike Sussman, and Jeffrey Lorber.
They have a few other guest photographers and occasionally a guest writer, though, generally, Larry does all of the writing.
The magazine is supported in ad sales by John Pryor and Mike Thies. Introductory yearly subscriptions are $24 for one year, or you can pick up a copy at over 100 locations across metro Atlanta.
For advertisers, competitive ad rates and wide publication dispersion ensure your brand’s message reaches your target audience.
For those wanting to advertise or contribute articles/photography, you can reach them at [email protected] or by phone at 678-469-9942.
As for us, the latest edition of this publication always has a prominent place on our desks. Why, might you ask?
The truth is we’re big fans of quality print publications, and Larry Gardinier of Local Car Magazine keeps his eye on Atlanta’s car culture.
Contact Information
Larry Gardinier
Landline: 770-924-5722
Mobile: 678-469-9942
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