Patch Spring Tour: Franksville Painter Does Custom Work

Jeff Vlieger said he started painting when he was a kid, and he feels lucky that he's still doing it and has been able to make a living doing what he loves.

"It's either do this or be dead," he chuckled. "I just can't imagine not being able to paint."

Vlieger paints out of his garage or at Rod's Auto Body in Sturtevant as Jeff's Custom Painting. He has never taken an art class, and he has no formal training. He freely admits that he's never sat down to watch someone do a pinstripe application.

"Jeff is an artist in the true sense of the work," said Doug Morgan, shop foreman at Hribar Trucking Equipment. "He doesn't use stencils or designs from other people. He sees what he's going to paint in his mind and then he just does it free hand."

Vlieger does pinstripe work for Hribar trucks as his official duty, but on the side Morgan said Vlieger has done work for just about everyone they work with at Hribar, including make special pieces for kids' birthdays or for Christmas.

"He's worked here for 20 years and you should see what he does for kids' birthdays and for the holidays," Morgan continued. "Jeff is really talented and you have to see his work to appreciate it."

Some of Vlieger's work is on display at Lil Scott's Customs on Wisconsin Street in Sturtevant. The custom bike in the window is just one example.

Covered in blue flames on a dark background, Vlieger "hid" almost 69 skulls within the design. He said he likes work with faces and hide images so at first glance, what is really there isn't always clear. His work on that bike helped earn Scott and Rusty Sorenson, owners of Lil Scott's, a win at the 2007 Midwest Biker Build-Off.

"Jeff's work is incredible," said Rusty Sorenson. "He can do almost anything with a paint brush."

In fact, Vlieger's trademark is a flame design with tails that loop back into themselves. He said he might not remember every project he's painted, but he knows his work when he sees it. 

He recalled seeing a bike that might have featured his work, but he hesitated just walking over and inspecting it.

"Bike owners can be a little protective," Vlieger explained. "But when I explained who I was and that the paint job might be mine, the owner was happy to run into me."

To see more of Vlieger's work, diners at Spokes on Highway 20 at the expressway can look at the mural he painted. Featuring a scenic background and bikers enjoying the open road, Vlieger admits with a chuckle and a shrug that he put himself in the painting.

"Why not, you know?" he said.

Vlieger continues to work on custom projects for Rod's Auto Body, Lil Scott's, and for customers who find him through word-of-mouth. If you're interested in having some custom work of your own done, call Jeff Vlieger at (262) 497-8490.