Customs 50S MURALS, STRIPE ART, AND WEIRDO PAINTINGS

Those of you that have been here a long time and check out what I post should realize that I consider myself a bit (I guess that's more of a little bit lol) of a custom/kustom historian, but more than that, I'm a sentimentalist. Remembering people from the past and respecting their memory and what they did is very important to me.
If you followed along every week back when the W.E.H.T. thread was going, or just the things I post now and then you know that I have mentioned many of my custom friends (or family as I'd rather call them). Sadly, too many have cruised off through the pearly gates, so memories are all that's left.
One good friend was Teddy Martinez. I met Teddy working at a small car lot back in 1998. At that time he was in his early 60s. He did light janitoral there, and he helped his son do small auto body and paint repairs for the dealership. Ted's son was very good, but he couldn't hold a candle to Teddy back in his prime. Ted worked with Bill Hines for a few years in California back in the mid 60s. It was short lived though as Teddy's wife was homesick for Colorado so they moved back here in about 1968. He worked at body shops and car lots all over town. Come to find out, Ted was doing lowrider style paint for many of the gente all around town back in the early days of lowriding in Denver. I think his best work was done on one of the Bernal brothers' 1976 Ford Elite. Teddy threw patterns and kandy all over that car, but what blew everyone away was the striped roof. It was similar to a se**** style paint job, only the stripes were even width, going from side to side on the car. Ted had a large amount of left over House of Kolor kandy from various projects, so he decided to use that for the stripes. I can't recall how many stripes and colors there were, but there was a lot! I remember seeing the car at shows around town around 1979 or 80, and the work was incredible! The car came to be known as "Lifesavers", and when all the "OGs" get together, the car still comes up in conversation all these years later.
But, long before Teddy started swinging a paint gun, he was striping. He told me he started striping around the age of 15--that would have been back in about 1949 or 1950. He used to work on farms in the fields thinning beets for money. While most of the money went to help his family as he had lots of brothers and sisters, he was able to buy sword brushes, One Shot and any other supplies he needed. He said by the time he was in his late teens he was doing small striping jobs for his friends and other car guys he met while out and about. He was very good! Sadly in the late 80s Teddy fell ill and nearly p***ed away. He got a bad case of pneumonia that combined with Guillain-Barre syndrome. He was in a coma for over six months. He eventually came out of the coma and made a decent recovery, but the GBS left him with "the shakes" as he used to call them, so his striping days were over. He could still use a paint gun some, but his tremors made it difficult. His last years were very hard for him.
A few years before he p***ed away we spent quite a bit of time together. He was a wealth of information and one hell of a great teacher. He taught me many custom auto body and paint tricks. Even in a reduced capacity, he could still pull off mods and make it look easy. He was a true artist.
One day he called me and said he needed some wheel acid to clean the wheels on his Monte Carlo. At the time I was washing semi trucks and we used the acid for cleaning wheels and tanks all the time. I told him I could get him some no problem. He said he had something to trade for the acid that he thought I'd like. I told him he didn't have to do that, but he insisted. Later that day I went to his place with his acid. He was sitting outside tinkering with the Monte. I gave him the acid and he was very happy. He popped the trunk on the Monte (it was shaved with no lock and an electric popper) and he told me to grab what was on his spare tire. I went around back and saw this old toolbox. I asked him if this is what he wanted me to get, and he said it was. He said "It isn't in very good shape, but I'd like you to have it." It was his old striping box he used to carry his paint, brushes and all his supplies when he was striping cars when he was a kid in the 50s. It turned up at one of his kids' places when they were cleaning and they asked Ted if he wanted it. If not they were going to throw it away. He decided to get it, but he told me he didn't know what to do with it. At the time he was living in a little apartment alone and he didn't have much room. He said he hoped I could clean it up some and use it or display it or something.
It was very dirty and the hinge was shot. I was afraid to remove the striping on it, so light cleaning was all I could do. I carefully cleaned it, being sure to stay away from all the striping and artwork Ted put on it. The inside was pretty bad too as it was greasy. The three bullets on the sides I added to fill holes left by old handles that were long gone. After I cleaned it up I took it back to show Teddy. He got a little misty and said he was happy I did such a good job cleaning it up. I told him I thought he should have it back and he emphatically told me "NO! It's in good hands "Nephew". (That's what he always called me.)
I love that old box. I carry my electrical stuff in it--spare wire, terminals, crimpers and so on. It goes on every road trip with me. It's like Teddy is still with us enjoying the car shows.
Teddy p***ed away in September 2015 at the age of 80. I think of him everyday and miss our "custom conversations". Rest in peace Amigo..........E

 

Great story, OG lil E! I wish more of the youth today would appreciate the works and teachings of the old timers!

 

Great story. It’s awesome that he’s on every road trip with you. My travel bag. Striped by East Coast Artie.Snowman ⛄️

 

Yep, it's in good hands, well done @OG lil E . Great story that goes with it, made my day, cheers

 

Any more pics of the mural on Cecil Proffits merc? Cant really tell what it is

 

Listing for it, different mural but same car and surprisingly survived to this day
https://www.gaacl***iccars.com/vehicles/40257/1951-mercury-monterey

 

I had the trunk lid of my 56 Dodge done in 1993

 

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Hopefully this belongs here.

 

Thanks to @Outback for the tag in this one

 

Courtesy of: @Fordyman

 

Recovered dead image

 

Nor-Cal