BeastWorx developed over the years from the creative mind of the one & only

"Beast Lee"

<< Click for larger image >>

Who is this "Beast Lee" you might ask, well I am Ron "Beast Lee" Todhunter, I grew up in the Kitsilano neighbourhood of Vancouver, B.C., I consider myself part of the last generation to get all the benefits of growing up in such a wonderful area as I did... I was raised with a healthy dose of "The Munsters" & "The Adams Family" on TV, various magazines like Famous Monsters of Filmland, CARtoons, Drag Cartoons, Car Model, MAD, Cracked, Weirdo, etc...

As I look back, I was heavily influenced by the "Hippie" movement growing up in "Kits", as this was the centre of the "Peace & Love" movement in Canada... Psychedelic Posters, black-light, be-ins, love-ins, flower power, rock music, incense, and a heavy dose of patchouli were all around me...

And of course, the myth, the legend, the man himself...

Ed "Big Daddy" Roth...

I was first exposed to seeing the creative arts applied (other than in numerous Chopper, Hot Rod, Vanning magazines and the many car & bike shows that I attended), at the Haney Van Fair (3rd Annual Haney Van Fair '76 "Rainy Haney") in Maple Ridge, British Columbia... The grounds were loaded with Custom Vans, from one end of the spectrum to the other... That experience would have an impact in my life that helped shape who I am today...

<< Click for larger image >>

I met a pinstriper there who was totally booked at the time but talked him into getting up a little earlier to pinstripe my van... After watching the experience, I thought to myself "man, I could do that just as well as this guy, if not better", so I returned home & spoke with my childhood neighbour, an old school Vancouver sign painter, Alan Dyck... I learned from Alan about Lettering Quills, the Mack brush, 1-Shot Lettering Enamel, as well as a little known tool called a pounce wheel and the chalk that is used with it... I took those tools and simply ran with it pinstriping anything that was in front of me, some good, and some bad... It was quite the learning experience...

<< Click for larger image >>

<< Click for larger image >>

<< Click for larger image >>

<< Click for larger image >>

On another occasion & at a different van run, I believe it was Heat Wave III in Washington State, I was exposed to window etching, after talking to the woman that did the work on my van I learned that she had exploded a bay window on a van at a previous run, that'll wipe out any potential profit for the engraver... When I returned home I thought I could find a better way to engrave, and since I had owned Dremel Moto Tool's for years, I investigated the necessary bit needed to do the job I wanted... See the engraver that did my van, used an actual engraver that was designed to engrave on metal & it would chip away into the glass, I wanted to find away that did not upset the structure of the glass... I succeeded with my method having never exploding a piece of car glass on the many vehicles that I had the opportunity to engrave...

At the same van run I also met Terry "The Lightning Artist" Bottjen who absolutely blew me away with what he could do with a 4" wide paint brush... Again this person was booked so solid that I had to talk him into getting up a little earlier to be able to create one of his stunning images on my van... I was a little shocked though when he drags this cart over to my van and it has what looks like an old muffin pan with multiple layers of dried paint in an assortment of colours... He proceeded to dump new colours in the pan and then took his 4' paint brush, dipped it into about five colours, turned the brush on edge and ran it up my hood, the perfect tree trunk. He then turned the brush again and dabbed the tree trunk moving down it, and created the most perfect moss laden evergreen branches I'd seen... He proceeded to create streams, waterfalls, and a little cabin in the woods with smoke rising from it's chimney... Truly mind blowing... (You can see a hint of that painting in the picture below)

Back to Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, a dream was realized back in 1985 when Ed Roth came to Vancouver, B.C., to a local car dealer, Zephyr Lincoln Mercury on Broadway's little Art Show... I had heard about him coming from a buddy of mine who ran an Airbrush Supply store just down the street from where the show was going to be...

I was first to arrive & was able to talk to Ed, and learned that this icon whom I'd admired since I was a kid, was a really nice guy... I brought out an un-built "Fink Eliminator" model that I bought at Bonanza 88 in Bellingham when I was a kid, still had the 88 cent price tag on it, and he autographed it for me... He also airbrushed a t-shirt for me, not one of his silk-screened "fill-in-the-colour" ones, but a full fledged free-hand airbrushed shirt that I've never worn... This was a fulfillment of a lifelong dream...

Ed influenced many in his life, and rightfully so, with such incredible show car creations as the "Beatnik Bandit", the "Mysterion", and the "Rotar" to name a few...

Meeting Ed was a big moment in my life that I cherish to this day...

<< Click for larger image >>

<< Click for larger image >>

As far as where the name "Beast Lee" comes from, when I moved to Alberta I became involved in youth care work, one of the kids that I worked with hung the handle "Beast" on me, because of my size & appearance, and I stuck the "Lee" on the end for a little comic relief... It works...

So if you're looking for some kustom metalwork on your Hot Rod, Boogie Van, Kustom Car, Motorcycle, or Hearse, "old school" pinstriping, engraving on glass or aluminum, airbrushing, flames, unusual art, etc., give me a call & we can discuss your needs...

Any purchases done through this site, eBay, or Etsy, directly finance the present & any future creations that will be seen on these pages...

And I thank you for your support...

RON "Beast Lee" TODHUNTER