Light Painting 3 Jeeps
Our cool next light painting project has not 1, not 2, but 3 Jeeps in it! Not only that, but the cute headquarters for NextHome Perrine & Associates Realty serves as the backdrop (of course, we light-painted that too)!
Here’s what the camera saw before we got underway with the light painting.
Joannie and I created this fun project for Phil & Amy Perrine. They are the owners of the three Jeeps as well as the Historic Sturgeon Lake “Mobile” Gas Station that now serves as the headquarters for their real estate agency in Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota.
Motorhead Madness in Duluth, Minnesota
I met Phil and Amy at Motorhead Madness back in March 2025. They loved what they saw in our Light Painting Photography booth and commissioned us to create a light painting project for them. At that time, there were going to be two Jeeps in the artwork. Fast forward to 2026, and that grew to 3 Jeeps by the time we actually created the light painting!
We’ve attempted to create this project on more than one occasion, but, mechanically-wise, one of the Jeeps had other ideas. And now, in 2026, finally, everything fell into place for us to get it created for them. It was definitely worth the wait!
Upon our arrival in Sturgeon Lake, Phil asked us if it would be ok to add a third vehicle to the project. They had recently acquired Jeep #3 (the 2025 Rubicon). It certainly went well with the theme, so why not?
Here’s our test image. Once it got dark out, we got underway with the light painting of the 3 Jeeps and the rest of the scene.
We talked about how to set up the image to best showcase the 3 Jeeps. After a bit of discussion, we decided that the Jeep Rubicon X would be in the center, flanked by the other two Jeeps facing inward. The test images looked great, so we were all set. We waited for it to get dark out, and then Joannie and I went to work!
So, without further ado, from left to right in this beautiful light painting, we have…
Light Painting a 1960 Willys Jeep One-Ton 4×4 Station Wagon
When I first saw the 1960 Willys Jeep one-ton 4×4 Station Wagon, I was a little concerned as to how well it would take to being light-painted. White is not usually a paint color that does well with light-painting. It usually lacks detail. Well, after just a couple of passes with our light wand, I was very pleasantly surprised to see just how amazing this Jeep was going to look! I especially love the “ribs” on the door panels and the red roof (the grill is pretty darn cool, too)!
Phil & Amy’s cool 1960 Willys Jeep One-Ton 4×4 Station Wagon!
A Little Backstory on the Jeep Station Wagon
This 4×4 wagon was factory-ordered in September 1959 from Willys Overland in Gillette, Wyoming. It was used by a surveying company for business use. It was specified with 16-inch wheel rims and two extra leaves in all four springs, giving it greater ground clearance and making it better suited for off-road work. The wagon remained in service until it was retired in 1995.
In 1995, it was purchased from the survey company by a private individual, shipped to Minnesota, and placed in storage. Nothing was done to the wagon during that time. Unfortunately, the owner passed away in 2014.
Phil purchased the station wagon in August 2015 from the owner’s estate sale for $100. At the time, it was not running and needed major engine, body, frame, and mechanical repairs, so a complete frame-off restoration was undertaken.
Phil says that there wasn’t a single part of this wagon that wasn’t replaced, repaired, or restored. The restoration took six years to complete, and he stayed pretty true to the original configuration, with just a few exceptions:
- Boxed-in frame for added strength.
- Dual master cylinder for improved safety.
- Snipe Holley fuel injection system, which included all updated electronics needed, for better fuel efficiency/performance.
- Genuine leather interior, upgraded from the original vinyl for quality/show purposes.
Light Painting a 2025 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon X
The newest addition to Phil and Amy’s growing “Jeep Collection”! The 2025 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon X is pretty sweet!
A recent acquisition to Phil and Amy’s “Jeep Collection”, the 2025 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon X is a 4-Door 4×4, with a 3.6L Pentastar V6 powerplant. It has been upgraded with a performance suspension, upgraded exhaust, mechanical enhancements, and upgraded tires. My guess is this Jeep serves as their “daily driver”. 😉
Phil and Amy with their “new addition”, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon X.
Light Painting a 1963 Willys Jeep Truck with a Canfield Wrecker
Phil and Amy’s 1963 Willys Jeep Truck is a One-Ton 4×4 with a factory-installed, approved Canfield Wrecker. This is one sweet ride!
Here’s a close-up of the 1963 Willys Jeep 4×4 with its factory-installed Canfield Wrecker. So cool!
A Little Backstory on the Willys Jeep Wrecker
This Jeep truck was factory-ordered from Willys Overland in Queens, New York, by the Hertz Rental Car Company in October 1962. It would be used as a vehicle recovery truck. The company used it until 1969, when it was sold to a private individual whose name is not known. Shortly afterward, the truck was purchased by a man who never registered it and subsequently passed away.
After the owner’s death, the truck was placed in storage in the basement parking garage of a multi-story building in Queens, New York, where it remained until 2020.
This is the third Willys Jeep that we’ve light-painted this year! However, it’s the first one that wasn’t in the military, and also the first one that’s a wrecker!
When the building was sold to new owners, they ordered the truck removed and/or scrapped. Phil learned the truck was available for sale through an eBay notification. And he purchased it from the man who held ownership at the time.
After the purchase, Phil hired a freight company in New York to winch the truck out of the basement garage where it had been stored and had it shipped to its new home in Sturgeon Lake.
The Jeep has since undergone a frame-on restoration/repair with all factory-original mechanical systems. It has also returned to its original color, Glenwood Green Metallic. This amazing vehicle was made for light painting – it has detail everywhere!
Light Painting the Historic Sturgeon Lake Mobile Gas Station
Back in 2025, at Motorhead Madness, Phil and Amy talked to me about the cool location that they hoped to use for their project. It wasn’t very far off Interstate 35W, so, despite driving home in a winter storm, I detoured to take a peek.
This is what I saw when I stopped by during a 2025 winter storm. I was on my way back from Motorhead Madness in Duluth, so I stopped by for a quick look. I deemed it dark enough for light painting and gave it my two thumbs up to use as the backdrop for Phil and Amy’s light painting project.
I was concerned that, as a business on a busy roadway, there might be too much light from street lights. So I wanted to check it out for myself to make sure it would work. After a brief on-site inspection, I was pretty sure it would be perfect! It is a cool location for sure!
The Backstory on the Historic Sturgeon Lake Mobile Gas Station
The historic Sturgeon Lake Mobile Gas Station back in it’s hayday.
This gas station was purchased in December 2006 from J. J. Walham of Sturgeon Lake, MN. At the time of purchase, the building was in extremely poor condition. It was considered unsafe and uninhabitable due to the extent of repairs needed.
Before reconstruction began, the decision was made to restore the building as closely as possible to its original condition, including proper window and door sizes, the original-style canopy lights and roof, and authentic paint colors.
Information and photographs needed to achieve this were gathered from families who had lived in the city for decades. Phil and Amy also had help from the Sturgeon Lake Historical Society.
Reconstruction and demolition began on January 2, 2007, and continued until July 2007. When the building reopened as their real estate office, it closely resembled its 1925 appearance, and it remains a significant piece of Sturgeon Lake’s history.
Interesting Facts about the Historic Gas Station:
- The gas station was the first in the city to have a radio. Stories are told of people coming in from surrounding farms to buy gas and listen to radio broadcasts of news and sports. A radio antenna stood on the side of the building, with a ladder placed beside it so the antenna could be adjusted by hand for better reception.
- Fitger’s beer was advertised and sold at the gas station.
- A fishing bait shop operated in the basement of the gas station. Bait prices can still be seen inscribed on the cement basement walls.
- During the 1950s, the gas station added a sit-down bar.
- The telephone number painted on the doors of the tow truck is the original phone number of the Sturgeon Lake Mobile Gas Station. The number was obtained from a former telephone operator who still had an original phone book at her home.
- After World War II, a few local returning veterans took photographs with their wives and girlfriends, standing together by their cars beneath the gas station’s multi-light canopy.
This is one of the old photos that Phil and Amy have of the station, with a soldier and his girl, taken way back after World War II.
The 3 Jeeps Movie
This cool light painting project required a total of 393 images to be taken that night! In post-production, I used 128 for those exposures, in a whopping total of 207 unique layers, to create Phil and Amy’s one-of-a-kind light-painted artwork. We think it turned out absolutely amazing!
Here’s Phil and Amy’s beautiful finished artwork!
As we do for each of our light painting projects, we’ve created a short “Build Video” for our YouTube channel. The video starts with the images that were actually used to create the final project. That’s followed by each of the 3 Jeeps coming to life. And then the building and surroundings fall into place as well. The link to check it out is below:
There’s a Whole Lot More Where That Came From!
If you enjoyed this amazing light painting project, please take a look at our dedicated Light Painting Photography Website at www.MichaelAndersonLightPainting.com
There, you will find light-painted photographs of other trucks, cars (including tons of Corvettes), rare aircraft, cool motorcycles, buildings, and a whole lot more! In the meantime, thank you for taking the time out of your day to read our story! – M&J