Darrell Mayabb’s formative years were marked by a love of hot rods and automobile culture that he found in places like Hot Rod and Rod and Custom magazines. He says “My early years were greatly influenced by the automotive magazines. I went to the magazine stand every month, in my early years, to connect to this wondrous new adventure, the modified automobile. My ART and my new found first love, the hot rod, have been the driving force in my life.”
Darrell was an outstanding art student, and after graduating with distinction from the Central Academy of Commercial Art in Cincinnati, he began to build a career as a visual artist, working as an illustrator for North American Aviation, as well as creating illustrations for the Apollo Project for NASA. His association with the automotive industry and racing organizations, however, have brought him the greatest success. Darrell provided illustration work, as well as hot rod cartoons he created under the pen name “C.Cruze”for the very magazines that so influenced him in his youth, and his design work for automotive companies and racing teams made him one of the most highly celebrated automotive artists in the country. His work is marked by bold use of color, as well as amazing sense of design that creates an unforgettable visual experience.
Darrell’s association with PPG Automotive finishes brought him some of his greatest recognition. It began in 1996, when one of the PPG regional managers noticed Darrell’s illustration work in major hot rod magazines, and he contracted Darrellto show his work at the company’s booth at National Street Rod Association shows.Hisimaginative, colorful drawings were a huge hit with the fans visiting the PPG exhibits. He was subsequently commissioned by the company for original art posters and calendars that transcended promotional artwork into the realm of fine art that is collected and prized by many inside and outside the automotive community.
Today, Darrell and his family enjoy life in a mountain home west of Denver, where he maintains a working artist’s studio and some of his prized vehicles. His long and accomplished career has advanced Automotive Art to a new level. Though his remarkable artistic vision and skills in producing both hand-drawn and digitally produced artwork, he has served the motorsports and hot rod communities by translating love for automobile culture into imagery that is memorable and irresistible. We are proud to induct Darrell Mayabb in to the Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame in as the recipient of a 2021 Jerry Van Dyke Award for exceptional individual contributions to Colorado Motorsports.
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