I was doomed from the start

I have always been a gearhead girl. My dad owned a gas station. First a Sunoco, then a Mobil. He was not a very good businessman and he lost them both but he dug cars and bikes and it was in my blood. Growing up I asked Santa for Matchbox cars. I couldn't wait to go to the drugstore to see what new cars were in the swirling Matchbox display.
My first car was a 1969 Mustang. I bought it when I was 15. On my 16th birthday I skipped school got my driver's license, picked up my best friend MaryAnn, went and got my car and off we went. My job was driving my dad's deathtrap delivery truck for his auto parts business. It was wicked unsafe and always breaking down. So I was always fixing it. I would drive the truck all day over the hills of Connecticut , then get in the Mustang and tear up the roads till the wee hours. By the time I was in my early 20's I had a small Mustang shop, with about 20 early 60's Mustangs in various states of condition. But my favorites were my white 66 coupe and an evil 68 Cougar GT Eliminator. So many incredible crazy stories from those years. But in 1979, I started custom painting cars and bikes. And that little thing would steer the rest of my life.

By 1990, life had taken some extreme turns, some good, many not so good. I was down to three cars, a 1966 Pontiac Bonneville, a 73 Trans Am (which needed restoration), and my daily driver, a Ford Fiesta. I was still painting cars and bikes, but times were tough and people did not have money for things they did not need, like custom paint. Check out the hair, yes that is my real hair color. And sadly, that is what my hair does, its not a perm.

I was always into bikes and in 1994, after pretty much giving up that I was ever be a decent motorcycle rider, I finally got my rider's license. I bought at 1989 1200 Harley Davidson sportster and immediately broke my leg in a dirt bike accident. The day after the accident, I bought an 89 Ninja 250. 2 months later when the cast came off, I got on the Ninja and didn't get back into my car for 4 months, including a crazy trip to the Florida Keys with a woman named Earthquake Blake. I even did my grocery shopping on it. The next year I moved to Florida, and two years later moved to the Carolinas, where I sold my remaining street rod, the 66 Bonneville.
I also sold my very faithful Ninja. I still have the sportster and it has gone thru some changes. My ex husband Jim is an amazing bike builder has done some great work on it. He also built me a custom chopper. It was featured on the cover of Easyriders magazine in Sept 2004.

As for my personal life, that is for another blog post.

As for my career, its also has been a wild trip. I went from a woman who simply wanted to have a job and play around with custom painting to being the foremost female custom painter in the world. Actually I found out I was the first woman custom painter ever and that really surprised me. I also think its sad. Why me, why 1979 and not sooner? Was it that hard for women to break into this industry? I never thought of myself as a woman who custom paints, but rather a custom painter who happens to be a woman. And I have some very strong feelings about women in the automotive and motorcycle world. That is the reason for this blog. So come along with me as I journey through custom cars and motorcycles. And please share your experiences here as well in the comment sections. I want to build this site into a resource for women who dig cars and bikes. And this is just the start.