Moore On Art: Clint Voigt

0
476

AArt has a broad scope of virtues and a wide scope of viewings. Art can be found on canvas, paper, cloth, ceramics, shirts, stickers and so much more if one opens their eyes and truly opens their mind. Recently this author found art in a most extraordinary location…on weapons…guns, bows, scopes, cases and more…Clint and Jessica Voigt offer a rather unique and beautiful artistic handcrafted work that is coveted and basically priceless. The good thing for you the reader is that is it easily accessible and nearby. This art is really quite versatile and The Voigt’s talent can produce this art on most anything one has a desire to customize.

When Clint and Jessica met in college their goals for careers in life were not art related. Clint and Jessica had no art training., they had not sought out an art career, it simply fell into their hands…literally!! Clint’s younger brother, who is a realtor, helped them in a real estate project and to thank him for his help Clint built him a gun and decided to make it a unique and beautiful work making it super special. He researched and found a type of coating called cerakote that enabled the artist to create art as part of the process while forming a lasting protective coating that could be designed to the owner’s choice. Clint and his brother chose a bronze cerakote but no real artwork other than the bronze. Clint and Jessica found something they both could do as a team, something so beautiful it attracts attention and a satisfying career!! As a team they realized this was a success story in the making. Clint attended the school in Oregon to learn how to cerakote properly and to become a licensed quality cerakote artist. When you are dealing with Custom Gun Creations out of Comfort, Texas you are dealing with the professionals who are not only experienced but well trained.

Clint and Jessica have been married 10 years and they have 2 adorable sons. Clint is a native Boerneite who met Jessica, from Plano, at college. After a few years in Pottsberg, Tx they decided to move back to Clint’s hometown and their pursuit of Custom Gun Creations was a dream that just took off…

They started off in a single car garage and today they have a beautiful shop in Comfort that serves customers Tuesday through Saturday. The hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10am to 6pm and Saturdays 10am to 2pm. The shop is open to visitors, potential clients, and those just looking to get more information or view the Voigt’s work. If one is interested in having some custom art done on a weapon then it is best to make an appointment to discuss expectations and desires.

Cerakote artistically applied to a weapon creates a beautiful conversation piece while maintaining the integrity of the weapon. I was quite taken by the declaration from the Voigts that this artistic process could be applied to almost anything and we will address that shortly. The only item(s) that would not carry a guarantee is if it is applied to anything made of rubber. On a side note it can be applied to some rubber type items but due to its application there is no guarantee for long lasting. When the art is applied and in normal wear and tear it lasts forever. Clint and Jessica did a beautiful design on a cooler and it is used in the back of a truck extensively. The application process has been proven to stay fresh on this cooler for over 2 years now and has not scratched, faded or peeled in any way. The integrity of this completed art is amazing. What starts as a beautiful or meaningful thought becomes a lasting work to be enjoyed any time.

The process is quite complicated and must be created by a trained person. According to Jessica Clint is the master mind when it comes to suggesting art or finding the art to apply. He has a super sense when it comes to art. Clint handles the application of color and tones and Jessica is the detailed artist. Again let me remind you this art can be applied to any surface except rubber with complete success. Now if one knows Clint then they are certain that he is finding a way to add rubber type surfaces to his gallery. The process begins with the Voigt’s settling on a design and color palette with the client for an object. Then the discussion of budget and time frame are explained. Once Clint and Jessica have the item in hand the process of the art work application begins. Depending on what weapon it is, a complete disassembly is required and each piece is stripped of any oil, dirt or debris. This requires a cleaning process that is safe for the weapon while being the strongest cleaner available, a degreaser to safely prepare the weapon for its artistic cerakote process completion. Then it has a drying procedure to ensure nothing wet remains.

The next step is the sandblasting step required to remove any lasting grit and to take it down to a surface that will accept the art. This step must be done with precision and allowing nothing to compromise the surface. No oily fingers, no contaminants and nothing that can distort the desired finished product. This part of the process may take 3 or 4 times to complete and the weapon is ready for the art application. Jessica is the puzzle solver and adjusts until it all looks great and works and fits with a perfect seams and perfection. Some projects have taken several days to complete the process for the art application to adhere with integrity. All of these steps require temperature regulation, time regulation and an experienced eye to know when it is successful and can move to next step. Much like painting on a canvas it is important to start the foundation or basis of work so the finished product is the desired product. The design and colors are concentrated with the application of layers of cerakote applied. This is a time consuming process as it is done one layer at a time with both color and design. Patience is a key to this application as each layer must dry before applying the next. Each layer has a curing time in an oven to ensure its integrity so the next may be applied. In this process accuracy in each level is absolute!!!! This can take many days depending on the detail and intricacy of the design. Again Clint’s talent of color and design and Jessica’s talent of artistic design work together to blow your mind at the finished product. . Since they work with an air gun for the art the air pressure must be dialed correctly and the flow must be adjusted to the design. Pastels work very well and are easy to layer as they paint on thinner than some. This is not a quick turn around art. Now this will bring us to an obvious lesson hinted at earlier…this process can be done on most anything…!!! You can have your desired art on a cup, mug, cooler, tail gate, steps of truck, glass, wood items, some plastics, metal, ammo boxes, guns, cases, bows, special arrows for use or display, well almost anything. While the cerakote process is most desirable artistically it is not FDA certified for food use. This means you can do the outside of any dish, cup or such but it is not for use on the inside where food or drink sit. It is also not a process of art that can be applied to an over and under gun which is more complex and difficult to manage due to all of the breakdown required. This is a decorative process and can even be applied to golf clubs, Xbox controllers and sunglasses. All items successfully and artistically applied by the Voigts. There are no limitations to creative imaginations. The main focus Clint and Jessica provide at Custom Gun Creations is artistic applications on guns and other weapons including scopes and related pieces. It is a ceramic finish that protects and makes a long lasting finish that is attractive. An interesting point is that it adds little to no weight to the item.

The shop can also restore guns. Recently one of their projects was the restoration of a gun that was over 100 years old. This project was very satisfying and the finished product was just what the client wanted. The Voigt’s would like to send a big Thank You to Twisted Precision of Center Point Texas who provide many references from their clients who purchase guns and like the artwork available from Custom Gun Creations. Twisted Precision can be reached at 830-739-8535 and tell them Clint sent you. Clint and Jessica also get lots of referrals from Sage Precision another gun company located in Hondo, Texas. Sage Precision can be reached at 210-863-7777. Evolved Ballistics also refers clients to Clint as well. They can be reached at 210-872-7790. Clint has a large clientele including Matt Carriker of the Demolition Ranch but one of his most famous and one he was pleased to help was Donald Trump Jr. His interest in guns lead Don Jr to find shops with service and quality products. Sage Precision and Twisted Precision offer just such a product. Recently Don Jr purchased a gun and wanted to have it artistically designed. The bright orange hair piece that is used so frequently in different cartoons and other media to represent his father President Donald Trump was what he has chosen. His new gun will be a camo cerakote with the orange hairpiece design on the camo. Definitely unique and recognizable when it is a finished product. Clint confirms that most any gun is a good candidate for their specific art. They have branched out to doing other objects and find satisfaction when the product comes out perfect which is almost all of the time. One of their items that they are proud of the quality and strength is a smoker. The smoker was tested at over 600 degrees and while during the process the colors changed but once it cooked the smoker returned to the cooled temperature the normal color and design returned proving the reliability of this cerakote art.

The most popular gun for this artistic process is bolt action rifles and AR15 pistols as runner up. The most requested design is the American Flag. Patriotism is alive and well!!! The most unique design that Clint thinks he has done is the Damascus Steel, Clint painted the Damacus Steel print on an belt fed machine gun. It was on all parts and it took a day and a half just to create the design pattern on the pieces so that they matched up when it was completed. This piece has over 22,000 views on the website. Paying a visit to the shop means you can see their work on a live television screen where designs and completed projects scroll constantly for client’s viewing pleasure. Once a design is chosen and all factors are agreed upon including the design, price and expected completion date the process is put into the Voigt’s queue for process. The average expectation time for a project once it is in queue for completion is 4-6 weeks. If it is only one color and no actual design then the time may be only a week or two depending on the schedule.

Jessica will show you her personal beautiful leopard print with roses gun or one of the many patterns already created or create a new pattern just for you. One of the beautiful characteristics of this artistic process is the no need for maintenance. It is once and done!! Clint laughingly told me of one unique piece which was a prosthetic leg on which they designed an American patriotic pattern.

Clint and Jessica operate a fun and engaging studio. They maintain a healthy environment allowing their employees to crank the music and jam while working. There is so much more to what Clint and Jessica have done and plan to do. While there are many fans of powder coating, The Voigts have found it is not as durable or artistic as the cerakote has proven. If you are looking for that perfect art piece that does not just hang on the wall but is long lasting and definitely be the talk of anyone who sees it then do yourself a favor and call or go see Clint and Jessica Voigt!!! I guarantee you will not be sorry!!!!

Custom Creative Guns can be reached at their shop at 830-995-2663. You can also find examples of their work on their facebook-customguncreations, their website www.customguncreations.com or email them at sales@customguncreations.com.