Ron Moffitt
Throughout his career, Ron Moffitt, the pin stripe man, worked with car dealers in one form or another. After high school, the West Bloomfield resident, who grew up in southwest Detroit, was drafted during the Vietnam war, where he served for two years. Upon his return, Moffitt sold cars for a decade before starting his own automotive aftermarket business.
Somewhere along the way, he saw pin stripers working on cars and thought that was really cool.
“I’ve got all the employees and this guy has a paintbox,” thought Moffitt, who sold his company to his partner and learned how to pin stripe. “In a few months, I had it down. It’s very hard to learn, but I did it for 30 years.”
The technique remained popular for the first two decades, but when demand slowed in recent years, Moffitt was left with more time on his hands. “I thought if I had an opportunity to become a painter, I could do it, so at 70, I took my first class at the BBAC (Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center)” located in Birmingham, said Moffitt, who appreciated the fact that his instructors were professional artists. “I got to be really good because I worked really hard at it.”
He also had a great head start. “For 30 years, I’ve been dealing with paint and color and a brush, so when I took my first class, everything on the list of materials that you needed, I had because I knew I was going to do this,” said Moffitt.
The artist also has praise for the venue. “Just the quality and the visiting artists they bring in for exhibitions…I cannot say enough good about the BBAC,” he said. “They have absolutely excellent instructors.”
Since he first began taking classes, Moffitt has received many accolades. “It just became an absolute passion. I want to get as good as I can because I plan to be a working artist at 99. I absolutely love it,” he said. “My whole life I’ve been very good at anything that has to do with working with my hands and just as bad at everything else.”
Moffitt has also won awards for his impressive works, like best photorealism. “Pin striping has taught me extreme detail,” he said. “I have great brush control and hand-eye coordination.”
His urban landscapes incorporate intricate features like brick buildings and telephone poles. One piece he did that featured The Fly Trap restaurant on Woodward Avenue in Ferndale won a Best in Show award and became the first painting he sold.
For now, Moffitt continues to build his inventory and enter competitions. “I paint ordinary stuff, but I look for beauty in everything. I want the paintings to make you smile,” he said.
As an avid gardener, the artist also gets creative with nature. “My garden is the best art I’ve ever done,” said Moffitt. “Painting and gardening and creating is my specialty. I am a huge fan of every form of art.”
Whether he works on cars or canvas, his creations have a common denominator.
“I made a career with a paintbrush. I have a passion for painting and I’m getting better and better,” said Moffitt. “I have such a good life and I try my best to make people around me happy. I have a good time, and if something bad happens, I put it in the rearview mirror.”
Story: Jeanine Matlow
Photo: Laurie Tennent
