Today we’d like to introduce you to Casey Juneja-Jones.
Hi Casey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started drawing cars from as early as six years old. My dad, a lifelong car enthusiast, would take me to car shows in parking lots every weekend and I’d bring my sketchbook and colored pencils with. I would spend hours drawing the cars that caught my eye. I didn’t realize then that these weekends would shape the rest of my artistic journey.
I studied illustration at Minneapolis College of Art and Design, however, never took a single painting class. All my painting knowledge and skill has been from trial and error. Growing up around cars, I was never really interested in them myself, but could see the passion my dad and others had for them—especially those that built their cars from the ground up. However, my appreciation for cars deepened when my husband introduced me to Formula 1 in 2022. Since then, I’ve immersed myself in the design stories behind each car I paint. My first car oil painting was of the Ferrari SF1000, inspired by a scale model we picked up on a whim in 2024. In March the following year, I started my automotive fine art studio, Auto Atelier. I’ve been painting cars from scale models and photos from local car shows, translating their intricate design onto canvas ever since.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Although a newer studio practice, I’ve definitely run into some challenges. The hardest challenge that I’m still trying to overcome is getting the initial sketch just right. Drawing cars has really helped me appreciate the design and thoughtfulness behind car design because each line is so important to the overall look of the car—one wrong angle and the entire car looks skewed. As I keep drawing and painting cars, the easier it becomes to get shapes, lines, and compositions just right.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I primarily paint exotic, classic, and Formula 1 cars with oils on canvas. I love to focus on the details of each car—really seeing each individual part as a mini-painting. The wheels, the headlights, the body, and the interior are all given the same attention to detail. In my paintings, the background is subdued so the car is truly the highlight of the piece. The painting I’m most proud of is the first one I ever did—the Ferrari SF1000. This 24×48″ piece took me a month to finish–usually carving out one to two hours each night after work to focus on painting it. I’m also really proud of the classic car I painted for my dad for Father’s Day earlier this year. A few years ago he bought the car he had in high school, a 1953 Mercury Monterey, and I’ve always thought it deserved more than just sitting in the garage for most of the year (thank you Minnesota winters). I loved the look of this car so much that my husband and I brought it out in 2023 and had it as a feature in our wedding! I just knew I had to paint his car because it was so sentimental to our family. I gifted the painting to my dad and he loved it—I want to be able to give other people that feeling of joy when receiving a custom oil painting of their car because I know how much people’s cars mean to them. Giving people the ability to proudly display their car in their house and capture every detail of it, is what drives me to keep painting.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My husband, Neil, is my biggest supporter for my Auto Atelier studio practice—we spend our weekends at car shows to market my studio and get inspiration, he helps me correct my sketch lines, and bombards me with information about why the Gull wing is so iconic or why the McLaren headlights look the way that they do. He also will push me to try new compositions, tell me if something looks a bit off, and talk up a storm with strangers about how I paint cars. I also have to recognize my best friend Shannon, who is helping me grow my social media following and is always there for me (whether it be a sassy comment to boost engagement or some great ideas for my next painting). And of course, my dad, who didn’t realize that taking me to car shows when I was little would lead to me becoming an automotive oil painter.
Pricing:
- 16×20″ Commission: $500
- 18×24″ Commission: $800
- 24×36″ Commission: $1,700
- 24×48+” Commission: $3,500
- Three 24×48+” Commission: $10,000
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autoatelierstudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576217616490
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@autoatelierstudio
