Setting the industry on fire

SNOHOMISH — You could call him the Picasso of the paint gun or the Vermeer of the vehicle. Neither would be too far from the truth.

But the small-town shop owner with an international reputation for his custom vehicle paint jobs — aided by a popular cable-TV show — prefers to be called Mike.

Mike Lavallee, 44, has been applying his custom artwork to cars, motorcycles and other vehicles for about 25 years. Many in the world of custom autos and motorcycles consider him a master.

His trademark painted flames look so realistic that they put to shame the old-time racing flames that adorned many hot rods of the 1950s and '60s.

You can find Lavallee's flames on a growing array of cars, trucks, aircraft, boats and even rapper Kid Rock's motorcycle. Lavallee said emergency vehicles once converged on a helicopter he'd painted because the flames looked so real.

Among those who have taken notice is Jesse James, the tattooed host and head mechanic of "Monster Garage," a popular Discovery Channel show. The customized vehicles churned out on camera by James and fellow mechanics at his shop have been frequently decorated with Lavallee's artwork. Lavallee has appeared on a few episodes.

In its second season, "Monster Garage" can best be described as "This Old House" meets Mr. Goodwrench. Each week, James and his mechanics and grease monkeys turn vehicles into inventive, one-of-a-kind contraptions. A hearse was turned into a gravedigger and an old Ford Ranchero into a mechanical bull. Lavallee (pronounced la-VAL-ee) did the art for both: a grim reaper on the hearse and a steer on the Ranchero.

In other episodes, a Porsche 944 was transformed into a golf-ball retriever with a ball-spewing cannon, and a police car was converted into a doughnut shop.

Viewers see a handpicked group of mechanics and craftsmen who have seven days to attack each project with ingenuity and no small amount of testosterone. Running roughshod over the madness is tough-guy James, distantly related to the bank-robbing outlaw.

Custom cars, particularly those modified to dig graves or offer mechanical bull rides, deserve equally memorable custom paint jobs. That's where Lavallee comes in.

"His work is outrageous," said Thom Beers, the creator and executive producer of "Monster Garage." "He reminds me of (17th-century Dutch painter Jan) Vermeer because of his grasp of color, light and texture. He's a master."

The ponytailed Lavallee got his start at the Butera School of Art in Boston, where he studied to be a sign painter. It wasn't too long after his 1979 graduation that he began pinstriping cars for money.

Lavallee knew it would be much more exciting, and more profitable, to work on his own. Lavallee left the East Coast shop where he'd gotten his start and began hitting trade shows where custom vehicles and their paint jobs were showcased. Dealers and collectors soon took notice.

"I watch people at trade shows trying to do fire and flames on cars, and they're all trying to replicate what Mike is doing," said a friend and business associate, Carlos Ojeda. "It's then that I pull out my binder with pictures of Mike's work, and they all gather around."

During a recent visit to his Snohomish shop, Lavallee's hands were covered with splotches of orange and yellow paint. The Everett resident said he can paint anything. "Tell me what you want, and I'll do it."

In the office of his shop, which he opened in August, were boxes of toy cars that the manufacturer wants Lavallee to paint. A relationship brought Lavallee to the West Coast about five years ago, and he moved from space to space until finding the right location, he said.

Lavallee has been married before, but relationships have been tough, he acknowledged, because he devotes so much time to his work. Lavallee does all the painting himself but contracts out other custom-detailing tasks such as buffing and polishing. Ojeda helps Lavallee market his business, Killerpaint.

Near Lavallee's desk are columns of photographs of finished art, and sitting against the wall is a metal folding chair on which, at first glance, it appears someone has spilled a drink. But in Lavallee's world, looks can be deceiving.

"That's a trick — water," Lavallee said. "It's actually pretty easy, but no one can seem to figure it out."

The water isn't real, only painted.

Like a magician, Lavallee wasn't revealing his secret for painting water droplets that appear to reflect light. On the side of a car, it can seem like the vehicle just came out of the rain, he said.

As he spoke, a large flat-screen computer monitor brightened to life, and hundreds of tiny icons containing photos of Lavallee's finished work appeared.

There were flames, demons, skulls and animals from lions to eagles.

A bottle of Budweiser? On close examination, the bottle also proved to be an illusion, painted on a motorcycle — with a meticulously detailed label, froth foaming over the side and bubbles rising inside of the bottle, looking for an escape.

As Lavallee leaned back in his chair, Ojeda practically exploded with admiration.

"I'm in awe of him, myself," Ojeda said. "He's gone from the basics to being one of the few guys who's known throughout the entire custom-paint world."

Lavallee writes columns for several trade magazines and has his own line of custom-made brushes now being marketed. And he's got "Monster Garage."

"I tried to get on the show when it first came on, thinking this was a big chance for me," Lavallee said. "It wasn't until Jesse James contacted the editor of a magazine I'd written for, however, that I got on."

Since appearing on the show, Lavallee's done a lot of work for celebrities, including James, Kid Rock, NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and Ozzy Osbourne.

But he has plenty of work in Snohomish County, too. Ask customer Troy Doty, who paid a recent visit to Lavallee's shop. Doty's Ford Excursion now looks hot to the touch, with flames running up the hood and front fenders.

"People will follow me until I stop and ask me where I got the flames done," Doty said. "They say they gotta have that."

"Gotta have that" comes with a price.

A paint job like Doty had can cost about $5,000 to $8,000. Prices for Lavallee's work range anywhere from $300 to about $50,000. High-paying customers even fly Lavallee to their hometown for the work.

What makes Lavallee one of the best in the business is his willingness to try new things and his tenacity at re-evaluating the old, Ojeda said.

"I wanted to paint fire like no one else had," Lavallee said. "I took tons of paper outside, set it on fire and watched it burn."

Lavallee also snapped hundreds of photos of his paper fire. For months, he said, he studied them.

The same technique was used with the Budweiser bottle on the motorcycle. Instead of just painting a bottle, Lavallee said he wanted something with life. He photographed bottle upon bottle after opening them and waiting for the suds to foam.

"People come to me with an idea, but in the end I want to take it further," he said. "They usually like the finished product."

There's little doubt, said Beers, the TV producer, that Lavallee's work will continue to be showcased on "Monster Garage," which is getting a two-year extension from Discovery Channel.

"We hope to see Mike's stuff more and more," Beers said.

Lavallee also has plans to produce a series of "how to" videos, write a book on the business and turn part of his shop into a classroom.

And the door to his shop is always open. As Lavallee wrapped up some minor business with Doty, the door swung open, and another man walked in, unsure who was in charge.

Lavallee grinned, already knowing what this future customer was going to say.

"Hey, I just saw these flames on a car," the man said. "I've gotta have that."

Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com