Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Lipp.
Matthew was working in sales in Long Island, NY, where he grew up. He was always interested in drawing and art but never pursued it as a career. Around 2004 he decided to move to FL and follow his dream of being an artist.
Artistic talents run in his family, and his gift is natural but was undeveloped until he had the opportunity to learn how to airbrush. His older brother was already living in Florida and working as an artist. He offered to teach Matt how to airbrush, so he came to FL, and he worked with him on various projects mostly automobiles and motorcycles, t-shirts and hats as he learned to hone his skill and technique.
In 2007 Matthew met Tammi, a real estate agent in South FL, she has extensive marketing, admin and customer service skills. As their relationship blossomed, Tammi became involved in helping Matthew market his skills and services. She built a website for him, and they started to increase the business slowly at first, but with Matthew’s amazing talents, it was not long before they had quite a bit of new business and repeat clients, word of mouth was spreading about the incredible work Matthew would put out. Over time Tammi and Matthew married and had a child, all the while building the business known as Fester Custom Airbrushing named for a nickname Matt got in high school. In 2015 Tammi decided to leave her career as a real estate agent to focus on the family business, and now this business is what they do both do full time.
Matthew’s stunning talents and Tammi’s special brand of customer service and marketing has propelled them to the forefront of the industry in South Florida. Today they service clients all over the US, and occasionally have had people in Canada and Europe seek them out. Matthew was even filmed airbrushing in a commercial spot for a popular show on HBO. They love what they do! They are excited to see what the future holds.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Matthew is an airbrush artist who does a wide variety of things. He can do murals and portraits, custom airbrushing apparel and sports gear, helmets, autos, bikes and he regularly perform live airbrushing of favors and gifts at parties and events, fundraisers and charity functions locally. There is nothing Matthew cannot draw. He sometimes incorporates painting with his airbrush work. His ability to bring your ideas and imagination to life is truly a gift. Matt can create the most serene beach scene with dazzling pinks and sunset oranges, yet also draw the scariest zombie or monster to please any horror fan. He creates pieces of all kinds, and they are all striking and stunning in their own right.
He has painted on autos and bikes, walls, storefronts, bronze statues, canvas, custom made hard hats, fireman helmets, Military helmets and gas cans, special cultural pieces, plain t-shirts, denim, jackets, shoes, guns, dance props, helmets, sporting gear like basketballs and footballs, vaporizers, blankets, toy chests, electronics, accessories – costumes, even baby medical helmets. One time he helped Universal Studios with custom paint repairs on the infamous Spiderman ride! His portfolio is vast and always expanding!
A large part of what we do is live airbrushing for entertainment/party favors at events like Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Quinces, Kid’s parties, Corporate Events, etc. People LOVE to watch Fester airbrushing live, and taking home a little piece of quality, custom art to wear or treasure to commemorate the special day. We also provide special custom decor items for parties and events like unique chair covers, pillows, gift boxes, signs and sign in pieces.
We also do a lot of pieces for kids to take to summer camp, personalized airbrush items are perfect for the kids that are going to camp in the summer.
Often, we find ourselves doing work for children and teens, making kids happy is one of the best perks of our work. We get to connect with families and parents who seek to do something special for their loved ones and help them realize a creative vision that previously only existed in their minds. From time to time we do charity and help amazing organizations raise funds for worthy causes. We utilize Matthew’s talent to bring joy and happiness to kids who are battling illness or challenges whenever we can. Gifting a child facing something very scary with a visual representation of strength, hope and beautify is the most satisfying thing we can do as humans and we are so grateful that we get to do that.
We love what we do. We get to work together and provide for our family, something we always dreamed of. We feel very fortunate that we get to do what we love every day.
Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities, and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
Realize that the archetype of the “starving artist” is a choice, and you have the power to choose to be a successful artist instead of by finding your passion and focusing on doing what you love and bringing your authenticity in everything you do. Valuing yourself is a critical first step in others finding value in you too. Artists are often creative types who cannot see the full value in their gifts, shifting your perspective from the inside will help shift the experiences you create on the outside. Until you get there though it helps to have a trusted person help you price and market your work and services. Finding a partnership with someone who has good customer service skills and business knowledge will help free you up to create and do what you love. No man is an island! A lot of our success comes from us being a team who is always supporting and encouraging each other. We each do what we are good at and trust in the other to bring their talents to the table. We value what the other brings and we offer the best of what we have together to the community. Take time to recharge and get inspired as often as you can. Push yourself to do things that you think you “can’t” do – that is truly how you will grow and expand as an artist.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can see a lot of our work on our website www.festercustomairbrushing.com or our social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. If you like us on Facebook, we offer special deals for our fans!
We carry a variety of retail items to customize like shirts, hats, bags, wallets, sports gear like basketballs and footballs, socks, headbands, pillowcases, towels, blankets, sweatshirts, wireless Bluetooth headphones or beanie hats with Bluetooth speakers built right in, so many options! Our products are perfect for the holidays, birthdays, bachelor and bachelorette parties, camp gear, back to school… You can also bring us your items to customize. We can ship items directly to you or your loved ones anywhere in the US!
We offer party favor packages as well as live airbrushing on site for parties and events. Kids love airbrush items made by Fester! You can order online or by phone, or through our Etsy shop. We specialize in Bar/Bat Mitzvah parties and kid’s events. Our friendly, professional service paired with Matt’s outstanding talents make us the best at what we do! It’s not just Airbrushing, it’s ART!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.festercustomairbrushing.com
- Phone: 9547470712
- Email: festercustomairbrushing@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/festercustomairbrushing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FesterCustomAirbrushing/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/festercustomart
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/festercustomairbrush
Image Credit:
The basketballs with shelves is courtesy of VMA Studios and Carolyns Creationz
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
