History Larry Watson's Personal Photo Collection

WOW, very cool. I just got lost in it for the last couple of hours...so cool.

Brent

 

Thanks for the extra info!

 

Here are a couple more Watson painted Bike photos...


Larry Watson Bike photo for today. Some heavy Metalflake freshly painted bike fenders. The snapshot was taken at Larry's Lakewood blvd Paramount CA Shop.




This snapshot was taken in 1960 in front of the Artesia Blvd shop. A lot of Bikes where painted by Larry during the time he rented space from Bill DeCarr. Al Lazerus had a motorcycle shop next door to this shop.




I showed a different photo taken at the same location of this photo earlier in this thread. Great looking bike...

 

more....

Another bit fuzzy snapshot from the Larry Watson Collection is this photo of Doug Carney's 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix. Larry painted this car with what went into the books as the first lace paint job. I think Doug is standing on the left, Larry Watson in the middle and I'm not sure who the guy on the right is.







A really nice Black&White photo from the Larry Watson Collection is this photo of the Jim Parker 1957 T-Bird taken at an out door parking lot show. The car was painted white pearl by Larry, and then panel painted with candy blue with dark blue fogging. And some pearl light blue scallops. This is the only photo I have ever seen with this grille treatment. Two canted Edsel grille surrounds. Next to the T-Bird sits Larry's 1958 T-Bird, and behind the car is Art Lehner's deep purple painted 1939 Fade Away Ford. What a great photo!








1955 Pontiac getting some mild body work done at Bill DeCarr's Body Shop in 1959. The car had all the emblems removed, headlights frenched, door handles removed and what you cant see is an extra pair of taillights installed into the rear fender. I don't think I have seen any photos of this car finished, at least not in Larry's Personal files. Perhaps Larry did not end up painting this car.








Larry was perhaps the most productive and creative when he was at his Rosecrans Blvd shop in Bellflower in 1959. The photos taken at that shop show so many wonderful painted Custom Cars. I guess everything was just right for Larry at that shop. This photo shows a 1957 Pontiac we have seen before done in a wonderful lime gold, and butterscotch insert (hard to see in this photo) and a wonderfully candy green and white outlined 1955 Mercury sitting next to Larry's shop. This photo also shows the nice round stuccoed windows in Larry's shop.

 

Like your style Rik.

 

This thread keeps getting better!!!...

 

What he said............I'm loving it.

 

‎1956 Mercury with a super straight black Larry Watson paint job. Larry highlighted the body contours and the side trim in light pearl blue which he outlined in white striping. Most of the body remained stock, but some of the badges where removed and the body smoothed. The suspension was lowered and a set of dummy Spotlights, lake pipes and 1959 Dodge hubcaps on thin line white wall tires where added. It looks like the vertical grille bars where color coordinated. The photo session in front of Larry's famous shop wall is classic!








Colors by Larry Watson.... There are several amazing photos of these Multi Car photo sessions at the Watson Rosecrans blvd shop around. I think it was James Potter who set these up, he directed the very colorful Watson creations on the parking lot to create these wonderful images. Larry Watson took the opportunity to take his own camera and shoot some photos of these happenings as well. But his snapshots never came out as good as the once James Potter made. Still they are all very interesting. I have used several of them already for my Larry Watson articles in Kustoms Illustrated, and here is another one... unfortunately a bit blurry, but still fantastic to look at.








This photo of Two Porsches was taken at the Bill deCarr/Larry Watson Artesia Blvd shop. The car on the right was in a bad wreck and had the whole front replaced with custom shaped metal by Bill deCarr. Everything covered in primer was made from sheet metal. Bill was an amazing body man, which this work once again shows. The small part of the front fender and hood all the way on the right of this photo is from the Louis Bettancourt Mercury that was at the shop for some of Bill's magic.








Larry Watson painted a LOT of Corvettes in his career, here is another one. Larry painted this mildly bullet themed Corvette in dark pear purple and lavender perl for the cove. Its fits well with the candy purple 1957 Chevy sitting in the shop at Larry's Lakewood Paramount shop.

 

loved the 57 chev in the first picture!

 

WOW!! I loved every pic. I never really appreciated customs until now!

 

I can't stop watching this thread, thanks Rik. Those early-mid 60's are great. Thanks!

 

such a good thread!!

 

I used this photo of this 1951 Oldsmobile "98" Holliday Coupe Hard-Top very small in the first issue on Larry's Personal Photo Collection in Kustoms Illustrated #28 I thought it was time to show it a bit larger.
Larry created an unique look by adding a candy red outline over a pearl white painted body. An unusual combinations, not so much the colors by usually the darker color covers the body, and the lighter color is used for outlining the body contours and trim. The later results in a visual sectioned body. While this Oldsmobile perhaps looks a bit larger by this lay-out. The chrome trim, brilliant candy red and bright pearl gives an unique effect to this car.
The body looks to be all stock with just a lowered suspension and Custom hubcaps… all you need to create a stand out mild custom car.







As mentioned before... Larry Watson painted a LOT of Corvette's in his career... Here is another one that Larry painted, and this time in a wonderful candy fuchsia. Very hard to see in this photo, but the top is done in silver with the same candy fuchsia fading in from the edges. There seams to be no real body customizing done on this unidentified Corvette, but who ever owned this car at the time... he or she made and excellent choice on the stance and wheels and tires... this one is absolutely perfect.








Another Corvette painted by Larry Watson. This photo from his Collection shows a really nice looking almost stock what I think is a 1963 Corvette Sting Ray convertible with the removable hard top installed. But I don't know Corvettes to well so correct me if I'm wrong. I really like the look of the factory removable top on this car. Some of the badges where removed, and possibly the car was lowered a little. But thats really it. The color Larry uses is hard to describe... but I do know I really like it, and it really suits this car perfectly. The photo was taken at Larry's Paramount shop.

 

You got it Rik, 1963. I too love that (cinnamon?) red colour as it shows off the crisp lines of the Gen II vettes perfectly! The only deviation from stock that shows is the removal of the front fender flags - but I'll bet there's an extra set of tail lights installed! Mr. Watson sure has a marvellous way with colour!

-Dave

 

Yum Yum!

 

Great thread! Thank you Rik.

 

That Mercury's got me !

 

Note the '61 Chevy Impala billboard!

 

Looks like a hay seller/farm supply across the boulevard, back when there were still horse ranches nearby and people needed hay for their animals.

Yes, this T coupe is (was) purrr-fect. I can imagine the wonderful sound of its twin glass-packs!

 

This particular section of Los Angeles was just covered by dairies at that time. It's mostly all housing tracts now, along with some industrial areas....

 

Love it! Cragars were the cutting-edge in style when this photo was taken.

 

Makes me want to paint my '55 green! Damn that's nice.

 

Rikstar, One of the BEST threads on the HAMB, THANKS!!!

 

Hey,

That area where Bill DeCarr/Larry had the shop @ Artesia & Woodruff was dotted with many dairy farms into the sixties. Many of those dairy farmers were very sucessful, and their sons had some pretty 'tough' lookin' rides. Watson painted several 'dutchmans' kids cars, and there was a car club called " The Dutchman '' from that area I've been told!

I think the "T Coupe" a '25-'26? is still around the North Long Beach a.k.a. Northtown area! I last saw it about 1-2 years ago, parked in a fenced shop yard on South Street. It was painted tan, but still runs the same wheels & tyres.

'' Humpty Dumpty was pushed "

 

Rikster or anyone, are there any details on that candy purple? Like what color base? I love it with the white interior and I'd love to try to make that happen on my pickup.

 

Look closer. The interior appears to be White and pink candy striped. How righteous is that?

I could be wrong though. I've been staring at the computer since 8:30am.

 

T-Bird time.... A great looking Larry Watson Candy Red 1958-59 Ford T-Bird snapshot at Larry's Paramount shop. The car has some minimal badge modifications, but other than that I think its pretty much stock. But the wheels, the tires and the bright candy red paint make this one stand out!!





Black and white photo from he Larry Watson Photo Collection shows Larry painting the darker fogging parts on Jim Parker's 1957 T-Bird. The photo is not staged, like some of the Larry Watson "in action" photos are, but Larry is really spraying paint here. One thing I noticed on this photo is that the trim parts where not removed before painting. In this case it is most likely because most of the trim pieced are outlined in white, and is covered with tape. But on the three small louvres this is not the case. Larry would after the fogging add candy blue to the panels, it does make me wonder if the fogging was done in dark blue, or perhaps gray? Great photo of the master in action.







Another 1959 Cadillac Eldorado from the Larry Watson Collection. This unidentified Caddy is painted a really dark brown/burgundy by Larry after the badges and door handles where removed from the body. The stance is perfect with the stock hubcaps and what looks like factory stock thin white walls and what looks like an all black interior. ANd of coarse dummy Spotlights. There is no info on the car and the owner, and only two photos showing only the side of the car...







Larry Watson did a lot of "Foreign" cars in his career. Especially later on when Larry had established himself with a very good name as a painter. People would come from all over, but especially all of California for a special paint by the master himself. WHile Larry did some wonderful Custom painting with lots of masking and different colors in his early years. He did primarily much more simple and less time consuming single or perhaps two toned paint jobs. This did not mean the paint jobs where less spectacular than before though. Here is a nice sample of one of Larry's European cars he painted with a wonderful custom mixed dark orange butterscotch candy. Larry Painted several of these Gullwing doored Mercedes's. This one is my favorite of them all.








Nice mild Customized 1959 Ford at the Bill DeCarr/Watson Artesia blvd shop. The car is painted a wonderful dark Candy blue on the main body and a very light blue/silver pearl on the top. Some badges where removed and it looks to have a full custom interior. Hard to see in this photo but the car has a very nice California rake added to it as well. The owner Holhfos - don't have a first name - was most likely standing next to it, talking to the guys at the shop while his wife or girlfriend waits in the car.

 

Oh man, that '59 Eldo is BADASS! Love the color, the stance, it's freakin' perfect!

I was fortunate to know Larry late in his life, and he was definately an interesting character. The guy was probably the most detail-oriented guy I have ever met. If he were alive today, he would be commenting on each one of those pictures and telling you the EXACT mix formula of the paint, and date and time he did it. The picture of him spraying the T-Bird says a lot about Larry. First, the hair was always perfect. Second, check out the masking job, it's perfect. The quality and detail of the fogging that he's doing is right on the money. His use of color was unmatched. It seems like he always chose the perfect color for the car, and used colors that nobody else was using at the time. Candy cinnamon, candy orange, candy fuschia, candy brownish burgundy,......nobody was in his league!

This is the best thread on the HAMB, hands down. Rik, you are doing an incredible job of showing everyone Larry's talent. I had been to his museum and got the personal tour. Don't worry folks, Larry took pictures of everything he ever did, so there's hundreds more photos you haven't seen yet! And they're ALL bitchin'

 

Love this one. Mild '59 Galaxie with yellow CA plates and dealer frames. Probably a girlfriend since wives don't sit that close after the wedding.

 

Great pics n write ups , Thanks