Frankie Zombie’s portfolio includes shoes, handbags and custom furniture – even pianos – all with her unique style.
The Spartanburg-based artist has created art for music moguls like Pharrell Williams, Miley Cyrus and Celine Dion.
This weekend, a creation by Frankie Zombie will be presented on an “Art Car” for the NASCAR Cup Series. The #78 Ford Mustang, driven by Live Fast Motorsports’ BJ McLeod, will display custom Zombie-designed livery during Sunday’s race at Miami-Homestead Speedway (NBC, 2:30 p.m.)
For Zombie, making himself known in the NASCAR world is a highlight of his career. The 2007 Dorman graduate is the first black artist to design an “Art Car” for a NASCAR driver.
“Every project is different, but this one is so important to me,” Zombie said in a video interview with the Herald-Journal while traveling to Miami. “I remember when I was a kid, playing PlayStation, I was racing Jeff Gordon’s car (Rainbow Warrior). I just remember all the colors on all the cars. It was color overload. I was like a kid in a candy store.”
He is especially proud to break into NASCAR, a sport that has struggled with diversity and inclusion.
“I looked up to guys like Bubba Wallace who went through so many cultural clashes to feel welcomed into this NASCAR world,” Zombie said. “There are so many different ways to bring culture, sport and art together into one.”
For Zombie, it’s more than a paint scheme
The Jetsons caught Zombie’s eye when he was a kid. He was living in the Bronx with his aunt and uncle at the time. Evident by the “Art Car” and throughout Zombie’s work, he was always drawn to the bright pastel colors used in classic Hanna-Barbera animation.
On top of that, the futuristic cartoon piqued his imagination.
“In the Bronx, about 99% of the people I saw were black, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, or Asian. I was watching the cartoon, and there was nobody of color. So I would go back there and dream about this cartoon. from the future, but recreate the people from my neighborhood and act out the scene,” he said. “You’ll see a lot of pastel palettes and angles from The Jetsons (in my work), but I wanted to make this my own.”
Zombie said her use of bright colors is also a symbol of her emotions. Her mother has been battling breast cancer for four years now. Working with pastels uplifts his family, friends and fans – and himself – during difficult times. Bright pink is featured on the hood and roof of McLeod’s car, a tribute to National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“To me, dark colors often represent pain or hurt. When my mom started her cancer journey, I said, ‘From now on, I will only use bright colors.’ try to help change people’s perspective, minds and hearts with the colors I choose.”
“No Fear” is written on the car in honor of his mother’s struggle, but Zombie said the paint scheme also resonated with McLeod and members of his Live Fast Motorsports team.
“Once we started talking about the paint scheme, we’re both going through some of the same things. I’m helping my mom on her journey. BJ (McLeod) is going through different things. We’re all fighting and visual arts can help us on our journeys.
How did Frankie Zombie connect to NASCAR?
Zombie has partnered with Motorsport Games, a company specializing in the development and publication of racing games, as well as esports.
The partnership, carried out in collaboration with Fast Motorsport Livewill also welcome and help Zombie and his art reach people through charity events.
In addition to designing McLeod’s Mustang custom wrap, Zombie will participate in an in-person live paint event this weekend at the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He also appeared at the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway earlier this month.
Zombie painted two additional car hoods with custom wraps, which are then raffled off for charity. Proceeds are donated to Speedway Children’s Charity and the NASCAR Foundation.
“As part of that, it was important to give back,” Zombie said. “It’s more than art. It’s about helping people and connecting through equality and selfless acts.”
And while NASCAR remains a traditional sport with mostly traditional paint schemes and sponsorships, Zombie hopes his work with Live Fast and Motorsports Games will help break the mold. Their partnership marks the second time an “Art Car” has been featured in NASCAR. In 2000, the late Dale Earnhardt drove a car with a colorful scheme by artist Peter Max.
Zombie said it took about three weeks to create, complete and polish Live Fast’s custom packaging digital design. He previously designed a Mercedes-Benz SUV for a Formula 1 event in Miami, which caught the attention of Motorsports Games.
“I hope more drivers will reach out to more visual artists. This is a time for these two worlds to get to know each other,” he said. “I admit that when I first went to the track with Motorsport Games, I wondered if I would be accepted because I am a black man. But when I met the drivers, and with everything we we’ve been through, it was all love and great energy.”
Zombie has also chosen a new favorite spectator sport.
“I would rather experience pit road than the NBA championship on the court. There’s nothing that matches that adrenaline,” he said.
The custom wrap is available for download via XBox, PlayStation, PC, and streaming packages. NASCAR 21: Ignition Victory Edition players can race with the Zombie scheme.
Frankie Zombie’s love for Spartanburg
Zombie says he stays on the road “80-85% of the year”.
In 2009, “Zombie” replaced “Page” as the artist’s last name while in college at Queens University in Charlotte.
“I was a student, I had a 9-5 job, and I was a music producer. I slept maybe 2-3 hours a day, tops,” he said. “I had a friend in Spartanburg, she would call me and leave a message and say, ‘I know you’re up, Mr. Zombie. Then it evolved into Mr. Frankie Zombie. I decided to put a name behind the word.”
His tireless work ethic and program continues. He spends a lot of time in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Charlotte. But Spartanburg is the home of the flourishing artist.
Zombie’s inspiring presence and colorful art can be seen all over Central City and beyond. He organized the Black Lives Matter mural on West Broad Street in downtown Spartanburg. He painted a mural inside the Cleveland Academy of Leadership with the quotes “I promise to dream” and “I promise to lead” in the hallways.
Examples of his work can also be seen at Bethlehem Center, Mary H. Wright Basketball Court, and Cleveland Park in Spartanburg. RJ Rockers Brewing Company features a colorful zombie mural. The Eat Street Grill food truck also sports a Zombie design.
“Family is a big part of me staying in Spartanburg, but there’s also this stubborn part of you. People will say, ‘You can’t make it in a small town,’ but I haven’t become who I am. until I It helped me find a renaissance in my art when I came home and the city and the community just supported me.
“My first art exhibitions and my first murals were in Spartanburg. It helped me to flourish throughout my journey.”