Shannon Watts had been showing his vintage rides at car shows across America when his life took an unexpected detour.
“There was a 1964 El Camino down at the crush yard at Skaggs in Riverton, off of Monroe,” Watts said. “A friend of mine told me about it. We didn't need another project car, but we went and picked it up anyway.”
When he tried to describe to his wife, Julie Watts, what he envisioned the restoration to look like, he couldn’t find the right words. Watts finally resorted to making a marker illustration of his vision for the paint job.
“We hung it up in the garage where we were doing the body work,” Watts said. “And then we had people say, hey, that's cool. Can you draw a picture of my car? And then it just exploded from there.”
“It” being his art career where he now sells over 400 of his designs on prints, apparel, stickers and even clocks at car shows. His “Don’t Touch Me” cards are one of his biggest sellers and have been shipped all over the world.
Watts has also been featured in domestic and international publications such as the UK magazine, Pinstriping and Kustom Graphics.
Before this shift, Watts had been working as a website designer for nearly two decades and was starting to become burnt out. He had gotten his degree in visual communications from the Colorado Institute of Art, and it was his wife who encouraged him to take what he considered at the time to be the huge risk of becoming an artist.
Their gamble paid off.
Now when the couple attend car shows, they are not bringing their vintage cars but Shannon’s artwork. He sets up a pop-up store and will even perform, drawing hot rods for his fans. Julie Watts has quit her own career to join him full-time as they crisscross the states to attend car shows and events.
Celebrity Artist
When Watts is invited to certain shows, it is not always as a vendor but as a paid appearance. He is treated like a celebrity as he signs autographs, often next to his own idols.
“We've got to meet Jay Leno, and we get invited to private parties,” Watts said, amazed at where his art career is taking them. He is still in shock that he is now the star, rather than the ones he fawned over.
“We just went to the Dave Kindig’s 25th anniversary,” Watts said. “He was a big time TV star and car builder in Salt Lake.”
Watts presented Kindig with a personalized illustration of his dog. He said that even with the popularity of his prints, he still will do commissioned artwork and the illustrations for local car shows.
Shannon Watts poses with his first drawing that started the artist ride of a lifetime. His ‘64 El Camino will have to wait for the paint job and full restoration as Watts pursues his art. (Courtesy Julie Watts) 
Shannon Watts has transformed his artwork into prints, clocks, apparel and stickers and is in demand across the country. Here he signs a print for fans in Elko, Nevada. (Courtesy Julie Watts) 
Signing a print of his ’68 Charger for fans at a car show. (Courtesy Julie Watts) 
The illustrations of cars have taken Shannon Watts around the country to car shows he only dreamt of attending before the artist life grabbed hold. The SEMA Show in Las Vegas is a trade-only event and not open to the general public. (Courtesy Julie Watts) 
Resident artist at a Reno, Nevada, car show. Shannon Watts demonstrates his technique for fans (Courtesy Julie Watts) 
The Shannon Watts Arts & Design trailer that hauls the artwork to car shows and events around the United States. (Courtesy Julie Watts) 
(Courtesy Julie Watts) 
Horny Mike, a celebrity in car circles, shows Shannon Watts his Batmobile project. (Courtesy Julie Watts) 
A fan is excited to get Shannon Watts’ autograph at a car show. (Courtesy Julie Watts) 
Dave Kendig is presented with a customized illustration. Pictured Charity Kendig, Shannon Watts, Julie Watts, Dave Kendig. (Courtesy Julie Watts) 
45,000 of these “Don’t touch me” cards have been made. (Courtesy Julie Watts) 
When attending a car show as a celebrity, Shannon Watts hands out his signature cards. (Courtesy Julie Watts) 
When attending a car show as a celebrity, Shannon Watts hands out his signature cards. (Courtesy Julie Watts)
Hobby Lobby
One of the big shifts in Watts’ career was moving into the box stores. Thanks to a connection he made at the Specialty Equipment Market Association automotive aftermarket trade show in Las Vegas, his metal signs are being sold in Hobby Lobby Stores across America.
“When we go to that show, we make a lot of connections and get to meet a lot of celebrities, but then we also get to meet potential business partners,” Watts explained. One new partnership brought opportunities to get into the big box stores. “They bought the rights to use my artwork and took care of all the licensing. For instance, if it's a Chevy, they get the licensing from GM. Then they have it mass produced and got the merchandise put into Hobby Lobby.”
While the couple work on other partnerships to get Watts into more box stores such as TJ Maxx and Burlington Coat Factory, they are still able to sell his prints internationally through their website, ShannonWattsArt.com.
“The last set of our ‘don't touch’ cards actually said “Touch my car. They won't find the body.” It’s a pin up girl dressed up like a gangster, and she's holding a tommy gun,” Watts said, laughing at the image. “We ended up getting 45,000 of those last year. We've shipped them to Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, and they've gone all the way from Washington State to New York State.”
Future Road
As Watts continues to draw, his vision also continues to grow. He is illustrating a children’s book for a celebrity and is in the process of getting a second pop-up store.
“We ended up getting the Edge Grant (from the Fremont County half cent tax) and this is going to help us a lot. We're going to get a new trailer, and we can set it up so much faster than our current one.”
The couple will also be able to hire four employees to help meet the demand of his fans.
“It's kind of crazy, kind of a fluke, but it's been fun,” Watts said.
As for the 1964 El Camino that started Watts down the road of art, it is still waiting for its paint job and restoration.
“The funny thing is that this business keeps us so busy that I don't have time to work on it,” he admitted. “So, it's still sitting in the garage. It runs, but it's just not yet finished.”
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
