Q&A
Designated Drivers
Muralist Andrew Tedesco creates golf club heads that are works of art
WRITTEN BY SARAH SLAVIN
Afourth-generation
artist, Glen Ridge
resident Andrew
Tedesco has been
making art since high
school, and studied
art history and studio art at the
University of Maryland. Asamuralist
for more than three decades, hehas
worked for high-profile private clients
such as Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson
and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie
Dimon, as well as businesses such
as Manhattan’s Barclay Hotel and
Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
But itwasn’t until four years ago,
when he joined Glen Ridge Country
Club, that hefound asecond passion
playing golf. Now, he’s found away
to combine his two pursuits.
Shortly after joining the club,
Tedesco had the idea to create handpainted
golf clubs for fellow golfers,
friends and organizations. Now,
when he is not working on walls and
ceilings, he is focusing on the much
smaller canvases ofgolf driver heads.
HOW DID YOU START YOUR HAND-
PAINTED GOLF CLUB BUSINESS?
My first year playing, there was a
club that came out from (golf club
maker) Ping, and it had ribs on top
of it. Someone said to me, “Oh,
those are in the shape of adragon
fly,” and this bell went off in my
head, and I’m like, “Oh my gosh, I
can paint anything I want on these
clubs.” I started to mess around with
my own clubs, and Ipainted an old
Roman goddess on one because my
favorite type of art to do is old Italian
Renaissance. After that, I hit the golf
course, and as you’re standing there,
people are like “What is that?” and
MURALIST TO THE STARS Glen Ridge resident Andrew Tedesco paints amural in the private
residence of actor Samuel L. Jackson.
I say, “Oh, I painted it,” and it just
kind of grew from there.
WHAT DOES THE PROCESS OF
PAINTING THE CLUB LOOK LIKE?
We start off by sanding off the club,
because it comes shiny. Then, after
it’s sanded, we base coat it. Then
we start building all the artwork on
there, and then it goes into an aircontrolled
spray booth, and that’s
what puts that gloss on top. It’s an
involved process, but I’m actually
starting to learn how to streamline
it a little bit better. I have some
clubs that are sanded, some that are
taped off and some that are really
close to being done. It’s
really fascinating when you spend
four hours on something and then
you put it down for three days and
you come back and you have this
new vision of it.
WHATTYPE OF PAINT DO YOUUSE?
What I’m using is automotive paint,
and it’s kind of the same material
that they use at the manufacturers.
So, when Callaway makes a club,
they’re using the same amount of
paint. It’s completely protected.
When you want to upgrade your
club in two to three years, you
unscrew the head from the shaft,
and it goes right on your desk as
apiece of art.
COURTESY OF ANDREW TEDESCO
8 BACK TOSCHOOL 2020 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE