We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrew Vougazianos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew, why did you pursue a creative career?
It’s something that’s always been inside me from a very young age. It’s a passion. When I’m designing my art, I’m somewhere else away from the every day grind and forget all my problems. Out of all my lessons at school, Art was the main one that I excelled in. All my friends and family have always said to me how great my work was. Combined with my passion for old school cars, it was a no brainer for me to start my business and see if the outside world loved my art as much as I did.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, it was a huge car culture back then among with other cool stuff. I watched TV shows like The Dukes of Hazzard, The Fall Guy, Starsky and Hutch etc. Most movies then like Smokey and the Bandit, The Blues Brothers, The Driver and the like all had one thing in common. The thrill of the car chase and the cars. I would always scribble sketches of my own car chase and try draw classic cars. One thing led to another and I started taking it more seriously. I combined my sketches with technology and self taught myself Photoshop, Illustrator, Luminar and the Topaz suites. I saw other people selling their art online and thought I wonder if anyone would be interested in mine. It was slow at first but when I started making those sales, I was over the moon. That kept me going, getting better and better at what I did. I would get a lot of interest in doing commissioned pieces of peoples cars for them and that was a whole new ball game. I had to work hard in getting myself noticed. Advertising online. Attending car shows and handing out cards, showing what I do and basically asking if they would like to hire me. I’ve had a few companies reach out to me for work on posters but can not name them for copyright purposes but that was also a huge step up. People DO love my art. My reviews are all 5 star which I’m proud of and love the comments about my attention to detail. If I was asked what was your biggest mistake? I’d have to say, never advertise your art in full HD quality online and without watermarks as a lot of it has been stolen by art thieves and sold on as their own for profit. It’s like fighting a losing battle once they have your art as everytime you fight it and it gets taken down, it just pops up on some other site. I soon found out that I wasn’t alone. It’s gut wrenching when you do all the hard work for some low life to make profit from it and to tarnish your brand as some of them even pretend to be me with my name and watermarks advertised. I have seen some people on social media say that my business is a scam. That hurts. On the clear side though, I have met a lot of amazing people and artists alike, car enthusiusts and great companies through my work. There is nothing better than doing what you love and being praised for it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would grab my best mate and head down to the coast. We’d hit Glenelg Beach for the atmosphere and cafes and drive along the coast past Henley and Semaphore Beach. Night times in the city of Adelaide is great too. Start off with shopping down Rundle Mall, eat at one of the thousands of restaurants the city has to offer and then hit the crazy night life down Hindley Street. Next would be a day trip up to the Barossa Valley and cruise around the various vine yards and do some wine tasting. Great on a cold day as the wine soon warms you up. Lol. Another day out would be taking a two hour road trip down to the Fleurieu Peninsula and visit the seaside towns of Victor Harbor, Waitpinga, Encounter Bay and surrounding areas. Inbetween the week, we’d hit Virginia Raceway for a bit of rubber burning nitros fun and drag racing and catch a flick at the awesome Reading Cinema where they have the best popcorn and sound. On a quiet day, we’ll take a cruise on one of the old school paddle steamers down the mighty River Murray, having a drink and checking out the beautiful backdrop. Now if my mate were to come over when we have the Fringe on, there would be many nights out in the city with a whole variety of theatre, music, comedy and fun. Around that same time called “crazy March”, we also have V8 Super cars racing on the city streets for a week. South Australia has loads to offer so it would be quite a busy week. Lol.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My wife Angie, my kids Alden and Lavinia and my absolute awesome sister Melba for all their support, comments, eagle eyes on detail and opinions. I couldn’t have done it without the great backbone of my family.

Website: coolness68art.etsy.com

Instagram: instagram.com/coolness68art

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Coolness68Art

Other: https://www.redbubble.com/people/coolness68

Image Credits
Wall of Art credit – David Kenyon

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.