We were lucky to catch up with Kate Cook recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kate , thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I believe continuously taking calculated risks is part of my daily task list as a successful, creative entrepreneur.

This goes against everything in my type A personality, as I yearn for some days with a more rigid and guaranteed schedule. However, the minute I feel comfortable, I also know that my business and the artwork I make is in jeopardy of becoming stagnant.

There are three different kinds of risk intertwined in every decision I make as a creative entrepreneur: financial risk, cultural risk, and creative risk. I believe creative people, in general, are risk takers. With each new idea they face all three risks at once.

I can specifically remember the feeling of fear with two different career altering moments in which risk played a massive role.

The year I opened Asphalt Canvas Custom Art, I saw suggested ad on Facebook about a national art contest for well-known craftsmen clothing company called Red Kap Work Wear. The contest called for artists to submit a custom painted design for a chance to have their artwork featured on the official Red Kap t-shirt that would be given away by the 1000’s at the world-renowned, annual, automotive aftermarket trade show called The SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Being somewhat new to the automotive art scene in particular, I knew that winning a contest like this could potentially catapult my artwork and name into the industry as a front runner very quickly. The risk of entering a national art competition as the “new girl” was big …but the reward was bigger. With encouragement from my husband, I stayed up all night on the evening before the artwork was due and created one of the most important paintings of my life (although I didn’t know it at the time). Two weeks passed by, and the call came. My design was selected as the grand prize winner which included a large cash prize, and a fully funded, week-long trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, for The SEMA show as Red Kap Work Wear’s feature artist. This opportunity paved my way into the automotive industry as a artist and business owner.

More recently, my husband and I decided to close my commission books for a set time to allow adequate studio time for me to create my newest series of artwork called, “She’s Been Everywhere, Man!”. This was a decision I made with a goal to reach a new audience and find my established artistic style. As an artist working on commissions I was guaranteed a way to make a living. At that time, I had been taking on commission work as a pinstriper and automotive fine artist for four and a half years. I had built a successful business by hand painting custom illustrations and line designs on people’s classic cars, motorcycle helmets, and metal panels. However, the choice to close my commission books and risk taking unpaid time to create a new series of work came with a set of fearful questions; Will people like my style of art? Who will this imagery resonate with? Will these paintings sell? In creating a series of work, even if I understood my audience, there was still no guarantee.

Despite the fear of failure, taking the risk to make a series of artwork from my own creative heart simultaneously solidified my unique style as an artist and married both the traditional fine art industry with the automotive art industry in an innovative way. The She’s Been Everywhere, Man! Series I created consists of ten paintings in automotive paint on canvas and have been featured in three international publications, shown at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in Florida, and exhibited in my first solo gallery show in Austin, Texas all in the span of two years.

Ultimately, these two risks have provided me with career opportunities that I would have never have even dreamed of at the beginning of Asphalt Canvas Art.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I began working as a commission artist in high school which allowed me to purchase my first car, a 1966 Jeepster Commando. I learned how to work on and restore the Jeepster with my dad. Once it was drivable, my family encouraged me to show it at local car shows where I also began to successfully sell my artwork.

After growing up and graduating high school in California, I moved to Texas and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree after studying abroad in Italy for a half semester. I’ve since obtained additional artistic certifications from specialized workshops for sign painting and pinstriping design and became a licensed Ed Roth/Rat Fink trademark artist!

In 2017, I married my now husband, Morgan Cook. Morgans support is what gave me the courage to open Asphalt Canvas Custom Art LLC full time. I took my knowledge of the more traditional fine art mediums, such as oil paints and acrylics, and began to experiment with automotive enamels while learning how to run a business, all at the same time. I taught mYself how to pinstripe and utilize automotive paint in a unique way that eventually blurred the line between the automotive and fine art industries which is what I believe established my credentials as a professional artist early on.

Today, I specialize in my signature style of art called, är təˈ mō-tiv™ art, where I create custom automotive art using automotive paint. Utilizing hand crafted brushes and vibrant enamels, originally designed for lettering and pinstriping vehicles, I transform my client’s creative ideas into fine art and hand painted graphics on metal and canvas.

Asphalt Canvas Custom Art offers hand painted pinstriping and lettering, fine automotive art on canvas, and licensed Rat Fink artwork. My studio is based in Central Texas, but I also travel cross-country for artistic collaborations and professional projects.

You may have seen my artwork featured at SEMA, Magnolia Network, Hagerty Media, and Brumos Racing. Ive also had the opportunity to be an artist and co-host of the annual, “Great Pinstriper’s Panel Jam”, a charity art auction that takes place during the Dallas Texas AutoRama; an indoor car show featuring Dallas’s finest custom cars & motorcycles. 100% of the proceeds from that three day art auction benefit Scottish Rite for Children.

My latest series of artwork is titled, “She’s Been Everywhere, Man!” This innovative collection of canvas paintings in automotive paint takes inspiration from the iconic song sung by Johnny Cash, “I’ve Been Everywhere.” Each painting depicts women of timeless beauty driving classic and custom cars to America’s most historic and iconic locations, including Bonneville, Las Vegas, The Fort Worth Stockyards, and more. With vivid colors and bold line work, I hope my artwork evokes a sense of nostalgia while offering a progressive twist capturing the spirit of exploration, freedom, and the enduring allure of classic automobiles.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

From my viewpoint, I believe the best way for society to support a thriving creative ecosystem is to realize that, as human beings, we are ALL creative. Creativity isn’t reserved for people like me who use paint and canvas. I think if people started to filter simple tasks such as packing their kid’s lunch for the day through the lenses of creativity, we would collectively have a more innovative era of people who look for new ways to do otherwise mundane tasks. I think if people started to view themselves as worthy, creative beings, we would see less people on social media in paralyzed fear of comparison, and instead, see a more lively community of people working together to find joy in everyday life. This thought stems from becoming a new mom in 2022. When the role of motherhood was added to my long list of roles as a creative entrepreneur, my time the studio went from 8 hours a day to two hours (if I was lucky haha). I was forced to find creativity elsewhere in my life. I was forced to see that making a nice meal for my family with whatever was left in the fridge was actually a very unique way to flex my creative muscles when I was unable to get in the studio to paint. In turn, this reminded me to find beauty and purpose in the simple things in life.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission for my creative business is to be successful. On the surface this mission may seem futile or simple. However, the important part of this mission boils down to how I’ve decided to define “success” –after many failed attempts. Like most people, I began my journey with a definition of success that was rooted in some kind of notoriety and wealth. And while I believe there is nothing wrong with those goals, especially as an artist, I’ve come to realize through the school of hard knocks that the motive behind the mission is what matter most.

I’ve decided with confidence that for me to be successful I have to be willing to serve others. Will that look like fame and fortune? Maybe, maybe not. But more often than not, I’ve learned if my focus is on serving others, those other things will fall into place naturally.

My daily temptation is to be aligned with how culture defines success: self-centered gain. But if my focus is on the well being of another human and service is my number one priority in my business, my craft, and my relationships, I cannot loose.      

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Asphaltcanvascustomart.com
• Instagram: @asphaltcanvasart
• Facebook: Facebook.com/v8kate
• Linkedin: Asphalt Canvas Custom Art LLC
• Youtube: Asphalt Canvas Custom Art

Image Credits
Stefanie Thomas Photography Trent Sherrill Photography Aaron Mckenzie Photography