2013 Corvette Grand Sport
A few days ago, I shared the main light painting (that you see below) of this 2013 Corvette Grand Sport 3LT along with three corporate jets. You can read all about what went into that cool project by clicking on this link. Two days prior to creating that light painting, this fantastic car had won the “Best of Show” award at the Lake of the Ozarks Corvette Club’s annual Corvette Show.
Bobby and Billie’s light painted artwork #1 of 5!
In addition to the trophy and honor of being the 2023 Best of Show Corvette, I donated a light painting gift certificate to the winning car too. At the conclusion of the awards ceremony, I met the car’s owners, Bobby, and his wife Billie. Our meeting was very short because once the awards ceremony ended, so did the show itself. I had barely enough time to say hello to Bobby and Billie because they, and everyone else, were busy preparing to take their cars home.
The Right Place at the Right Time
I contacted Bobby the following day to see if I could light paint their 2013 Corvette Grand Sport on my way back home to Minnesota. As it turns out, they reside near St. Louis. So we made a plan for me to light paint their beautiful 60th Anniversary Corvette Grand Sport 3LT the next night.
After I arrived near their town, I contacted Bobby and set up a time to meet at their home to discuss a possible light painting location. It was at that meeting that Bobby told me he worked with aircraft at AVMATS at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport in nearby Chesterfield, Missouri. We decided that would be the location where we would create these light paintings of their 2013 Corvette Grand Sport.
Once I knew that I would be light painting their beautiful Corvette with an aircraft of some sort included in the artwork, I was like a kid in a candy shop! I knew right then that this was going to be an epic light painting project!
Light Painting a 2013 Corvette Grand Sport with 3 Jets
There was a good reason that I knew how cool this light painting could turn out before we even started. In 2020, Joannie and I light painted a Cessna Citation X+ and a couple of 2020 Mercedes Benzs at the Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Now, once again, I was going to have the opportunity to create something really cool with a really sweet car and some sort of aircraft once again! Nice!
I met Bobby and Billie at AVMATS and we drove to the hangar where I found out that there would be three jets as the backdrop for this beautiful car! I would be light painting all three jets, the hangar interior, and the Corvette, all in one photograph! Sweet!
We started off with the main project as it would be the most time-consuming to completely light paint. I literally would be painting light on the entire building, floor to ceiling, and all of its contents too. After several hundred exposures, I was convinced that we had it “in the can”.
Then, it was time to have a little fun!
Light Painting a 2013 Corvette Front End
“Before” light painting.
Billie really enjoys photography and so she was my main assistant all night long. I always enjoy watching as an owner sees all of the images that go into creating their one-of-a-kind light paintings. And I really love their reactions to the images as they’re being created right there in front of them. I personally never get tired of seeing the first long exposures when they show up on my iPad Pro. It really blows people away that I can walk through the image with my lights, and I don’t even show up in the images!
At their house, Bobby and I had talked about creating a metal sign with information about the Corvette that he could display at car shows. I knew I could design something pretty cool for him, but I also knew that I would prefer to use my images to do so. And not just any images, but all light paintings! That meant light painting some of this car’s amazing details, not just the whole car. You don’t win “Best of Show” without having some amazing details! I went for the front end, the rear end, the beautiful interior, and that amazing Corvette LS3 6.2L / 428 lb-ft / 436 HP motor under the hood. After completing the light painting images of the Corvette with the three jets, I asked Bobby and Billie if they wanted to keep going and they were all in!
I don’t remember exactly the order we went, so we’ll talk about the front end first. With such wonderful lines, this one would be pretty cool for sure! With its Supersonic Blue Metallic paint with 60th Anniversary Silver Replica Stripes, Chrome Race Mesh Front Grill Inserts, Silver Over Ride Headlight Assembly, and a ZR1 Carbon Fiber Splitter, this is a really stunning light painting!
What a sweet ride!
Corvette Grand Sport Rear End Light Painting
The “before light painting” image of the rear end.
After completing the front end, we moved to the back of the car. The rear end features that same Supersonic Blue Metallic paint with 60th Anniversary Silver Replica Stripes on the ZR1 Color-matched rear Spoiler. What makes the back end look so cool, to me anyway, is the Eagle Eye Led Halo Tail Lights! I think they’re so freakin’ cool!
Here’s the completed light painted photograph of the 2013 Corvette Grand Sport’s rear end.
I just love those Eagle Eye Led Halo Tail Lights!
Light Painting a 2013 Corvette Grand Sport 3LT Interior
The “before” image doesn’t quite do all of the coolness justice.
After those two cool light paintings, it was time to go inside. This took a little tripod ingenuity, but I got it to work after a couple of attempts. The interior of this fine automobile, with its Titanium Grey Leather with blue accent lights, and a Custom D Shaped and Wrapped Steering Wheel, is just as cool as the exterior!
Quite the cockpit I’d say!
Light Painting a 2013 Corvette LS3 6.2L Motor
Last up for this evening was the engine bay. And, as you might have guessed, this is no ordinary motor under the hood of this Corvette! It’s a Chevrolet LS3 6.2L with a 428 lb-ft 436 horsepower motor. That, in itself, is pretty cool, but it doesn’t start to tell you what that motor looks like under the hood. Nope, not even close.
Again, the “before” image just don’t do it justice!
Much of this motor has Carbon Fiber Hydro-Dipped Engine Bay Components which really, really makes this Corvette stand out from the crowd. But that’s not all! The Custom Air Brushed Hood-liner is the icing on the cake! I really love how it reflects off the fender in Bobby and Billie’s finished light painted artwork! So cool!
One of the coolest engine bays you’re ever going to see!
That’s A Wrap!
In 5-1/2 hours, we took over 700 images and light painted an entire airport hanger with 3 jets and one super cool Corvette Grand Sport. And, for good measure, we light painted that Corvette four more ways too!
By the time I got all packed up in my Honda Odyssey, it was exactly midnight. Then it was back to the hotel for some sleep before the long trip back home at around 6:15 am that same morning. A huge thank you to Bobby and Billie for trusting me to create these artworks of your beautiful car. I truly appreciate it!
60th Anniversary Corvette Grand Sport Light Painting – The Movie
For these four light painting projects, I created something a bit different. I’ve created a “build” video on our YouTube channel that has all four of them in it. It’s only about two minutes long, but it’s filled with Corvette coolness! Please check it out. Thank you for reading our post and have a great day! – M&J