I was fortunate enough to grow up on a ranch in Los Gatos, CA. with lots of family and plenty of space to run around in. Exploring the landscape with barns and building full of trucks, tractors, and equipment not to mention my Dad’s growing collection of antique Ford parts. Some of my earliest memories were cast scavenging rusty relics out of creek beds and farm fields.

With the mechanical influence firmly planted around me I began drawing the most inspiring parts of my surroundings. Art became a big part of my life and tearing things apart to see how they worked held as much fascination. Building model cars, bicycles, mini bikes, and dirt bikes soon followed!

I got my first Hot Rod magazine when I was around 10 and a copy of Cycle World shortly thereafter. I wore those pages out! My Father taking me to Super Modified races, hill climbs, and car shows put me squarely over the top. I was more than hooked…
and still am!

While still in grade school I began experimenting with paint. Frames, tanks, helmets, even a boat trailer received some custom treatment from “the kid”. Continuing on through my high school years by the time I hit junior college my art education included building a Triumph chopper.

One thing led to another and by 1975 I was painting full time and later opened my first shop in Dec. ’77. I met a lot of interesting characters along the way and worked with some of the industries biggest. Arlen and Cory Ness, Gary Bang, Bob Dron, Vic Edelbrock Jr.,

Bub Enterprises, Yankee Enginuity, Oakland, Citrus Heights, San Jose, and Sunnyvale Harley Davidson dealers with many more shops and individuals across the country.

Making the cover of Street Chopper magazine with my first Harley was extremely rewarding and subsequent feature articles in Hot Bike, Easyriders, VQ, and V-Twin led me to far greater exposure and inquiries from around the world.

In 1999 we finished construction on a task specific building better suited than my previous paint shop and I’ve been there ever since. Everything needed under one roof is really sweet with more equipment being added all the time!

Dennis Dardanelli