http://www.trib.com/AP/wire_detail.php?wire_num=81535
Shotgun magic - Idaho Falls airbrush artist dresses shotguns with variety of designs
By ROB THORNBERRY
Post Register
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) - They certainly aren't your granddad's shotgun.
Using an airbrush and a healthy imagination, Jeremy Thompson of Idaho Falls is setting the normally staid shotgunning community on its ear with eye-popping gun designs.
One stock has the tatters of an American flag blowing in the breeze.
Another has zebra stripes.
Yet another has eyes that seem to be peering out of the wood grain.
All have people talking.
''Everybody asks me about them,'' said Thompson, a 26-year-old Idaho Falls native and avid shotgunner who works at Ermal's Auto Body. ''Everybody wants to know more about them.''
So far, Thompson has painted 10 guns. He has four more on order and has dreams of turning gun painting into a money-making affair. To date, the best place to see the guns is at the sporting clays course at Skyline Gun Club, but Thompson plans to go to the Internet to drum up more business.
''I imagine when I get my Web site going, it's all going to blossom,'' Thompson said of his yet-to-be-named business. ''At least I hope it will blossom.''
He won't have any problems with testimonials.
John Goddard raves about Thompson and the detail of his flag-print gun.
''It is flawless,'' he said.
Goddard asked Thompson to paint his gun during a night of shooting, knowing that Thompson paints cars and has worked on intricate designs on Harleys.
''I travel and shoot all over the West, and I saw some painted guns,'' Goddard said. ''I went to Jeremy and asked for it.''
Both Goddard and Thompson were leery at first, not knowing how the paint job would turn out, but the results of Thompson's first effort were fantastic.
''I didn't dare try it with one of my expensive over-and-under shotguns, but when I got it back I was shocked how perfect it was,'' Goddard said.
Another admirer is Merrill Huntsman, an avid shooter and zebra fan.
''Jeremy had it for about a week and it came back exactly how I wanted it,'' said Huntsman, who says he never mistakenly picks up somebody else's gun at a shooting competition.
''I love it,'' Huntsman said. ''It's cool. People want to see. It gets a lot of comments when we go around shooting.''
Thompson's love of painting is decades old.
He grew up a doodler, drawing away his school-time lessons. He did everything from skateboard helmets to snowboards. He painted everything from cartoon characters to cars, always looking for things to color.
''I've always liked to do custom painting,'' he said. ''I'd paint anything.''
He perfected his skills under the tutelage of noted airbrush expert Craig Frazer of California, and then charged headlong into the gun-painting business.
The average shotgun takes about 10 hours to finish.
First Thompson sands the finish that comes on most guns. He then paints a basecoat and sets out to bring the gun owner's favorite pattern to life.
The hardest part is the checkered section of the stock, which is used for gripping the gun. It can be a painstaking process. It is also what Thompson does well, according to his fans.
''The painting on the checkering was done so well,'' Goddard said. ''The attention to detail was perfect.''
The paint job runs between $300 and $400, but fans like Paul Payne say it's worth the money. He bought one of Thompson's paint jobs for his wife's gun and loves it.
''It's pretty sexy,'' he said.
Thompson blushes at such compliments.
''I'm just glad people like them,'' he said. ''I love doing them. It certainly breaks up the monotony of painting cars.''
Shotgun magic - Idaho Falls airbrush artist dresses shotguns with variety of designs
By ROB THORNBERRY
Post Register
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) - They certainly aren't your granddad's shotgun.
Using an airbrush and a healthy imagination, Jeremy Thompson of Idaho Falls is setting the normally staid shotgunning community on its ear with eye-popping gun designs.
One stock has the tatters of an American flag blowing in the breeze.
Another has zebra stripes.
Yet another has eyes that seem to be peering out of the wood grain.
All have people talking.
''Everybody asks me about them,'' said Thompson, a 26-year-old Idaho Falls native and avid shotgunner who works at Ermal's Auto Body. ''Everybody wants to know more about them.''
So far, Thompson has painted 10 guns. He has four more on order and has dreams of turning gun painting into a money-making affair. To date, the best place to see the guns is at the sporting clays course at Skyline Gun Club, but Thompson plans to go to the Internet to drum up more business.
''I imagine when I get my Web site going, it's all going to blossom,'' Thompson said of his yet-to-be-named business. ''At least I hope it will blossom.''
He won't have any problems with testimonials.
John Goddard raves about Thompson and the detail of his flag-print gun.
''It is flawless,'' he said.
Goddard asked Thompson to paint his gun during a night of shooting, knowing that Thompson paints cars and has worked on intricate designs on Harleys.
''I travel and shoot all over the West, and I saw some painted guns,'' Goddard said. ''I went to Jeremy and asked for it.''
Both Goddard and Thompson were leery at first, not knowing how the paint job would turn out, but the results of Thompson's first effort were fantastic.
''I didn't dare try it with one of my expensive over-and-under shotguns, but when I got it back I was shocked how perfect it was,'' Goddard said.
Another admirer is Merrill Huntsman, an avid shooter and zebra fan.
''Jeremy had it for about a week and it came back exactly how I wanted it,'' said Huntsman, who says he never mistakenly picks up somebody else's gun at a shooting competition.
''I love it,'' Huntsman said. ''It's cool. People want to see. It gets a lot of comments when we go around shooting.''
Thompson's love of painting is decades old.
He grew up a doodler, drawing away his school-time lessons. He did everything from skateboard helmets to snowboards. He painted everything from cartoon characters to cars, always looking for things to color.
''I've always liked to do custom painting,'' he said. ''I'd paint anything.''
He perfected his skills under the tutelage of noted airbrush expert Craig Frazer of California, and then charged headlong into the gun-painting business.
The average shotgun takes about 10 hours to finish.
First Thompson sands the finish that comes on most guns. He then paints a basecoat and sets out to bring the gun owner's favorite pattern to life.
The hardest part is the checkered section of the stock, which is used for gripping the gun. It can be a painstaking process. It is also what Thompson does well, according to his fans.
''The painting on the checkering was done so well,'' Goddard said. ''The attention to detail was perfect.''
The paint job runs between $300 and $400, but fans like Paul Payne say it's worth the money. He bought one of Thompson's paint jobs for his wife's gun and loves it.
''It's pretty sexy,'' he said.
Thompson blushes at such compliments.
''I'm just glad people like them,'' he said. ''I love doing them. It certainly breaks up the monotony of painting cars.''