Travis Pruis' father loved cars, a passion that Travis apparently inherited. Drawing has been a mainstay of Travis' existence since he was in kindergarten, where both art and autos melded together early on. As a kid, Travis remembers watching his father sketch cars while he sat in the kitchen and chatted on the phone. Travis would take these doodles after his dad discarded them and copy or customize them. Sometimes, Travis drew boats and whatever else happened to be around the neighborhood. His mom's cousin did some designs for George Barris way back when and taught at Pasadena Design Center, yet another vector of the custom bug. Joining a truck club, Down to Earth, completed his downfall into the competitive world of custom one-upmanship.
Interestingly, Travis still owns the first vehicle that he ever customized at age 14, a '70 Chevy shortbed that has gone through many transformations over the 13 years he has had it. Luckily, this rendering didn't require over a decade of work. What it did take was off-the-cuff brainstorming with Bob Grant of Grant Kustoms and a ready set of colored pencils. This two-toned Avalanche is 'bagged, body-dropped, cut to the doors, rolling on 22s, has a modified classic Camaro bumper, and a '68 Chevy front, among other mods.
This '07 GMC Sierra retains more stock design cues. It's laid out, rolls on 24s, was painted factory red with a silver beltline, has billet grilles and a hint of the last-generation headlamps. Travis' professional life has taken him most recently to Iaccino Fabrication and Customs, where he has worked as a fabricator. He still draws concepts for IF and for anyone else who will ask. Lately, however, he got into the entertainment business. Not as a performer, but as a set designer who helps to build the fantasy worlds that movies and commercials are shot in. He might move into special effects in the future, too. If that happens, you might someday see examples of Travis' automotive fantasies and fireballs coming to a theater near you.