They are car salesmen by day and artists by night.
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Three Wollongong workers from the Corban Automotive Group plan to launch their art exhibition on Friday, titled Three and a Half Men, after discovering each other's passion for art.
Ralph Diaz, Kris Schaefer, Brad Moules and his seven-year-old son Jacob Moules have pooled their artworks together for an exhibition at Wollongong's Art Arena Gallery.
The car salesmen met each other when they became colleagues in Wollongong, bonding over their creative pursuits and, at times, painting together for fun.
Kris says although he loves his job, art is an escape from the daily grind.
"It's almost therapeutic, I love the time on my own," he says.
"I work with abstraction, it's what comes to me in the moment.
"I don't have any sort of theme."
The 25-year-old says he puts brush to canvas and his natural creative streak takes over.
"Art has always been a passion of mine, when I've travelled to Europe I've gone to the major galleries," he says.
His colleague Brad, 41, also has a long history of creating art, including studying fine arts at university and teaching art for a brief period in the mid-90s at Engadine High School.
After hopping between different jobs, he switched to working with the automotive company eight years ago.
Along the way, his seven-year-old son Jacob has picked up his dad's talents.
"We both started young," he says.
"I have a photo of myself painting when I was two."
For 64-year-old Ralph, it's a similar story.
"I was born in Spain and exposed to art at a very early age," he says.
"I have always created pieces that I've given to friends as gifts over time," Ralph said.
But he waited until three years ago to hold his first exhibition at a pop up gallery in Wollongong.
Its success propelled him to keep going.
"I sold pieces for the first time, which inspired me to do more.
"People appreciated what I created."
This time, Ralph has taken inspiration from media stories on asylum seekers and their dangerous ocean plights.
"A lot of my work is based on boat people, their journeys and dangers, coming out to a new country and life," he says.
The launch of Three and a Half Men is at 6pm on Friday at the Art Arena Gallery, 1/39a Market Street, Wollongong, open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm and the exhibition will run until May 10. Details: 4226 9596.
