One thing that always stands out in the automotive field is the level of expertise a craftsman has while working on cars. It doesn’t matter if their skill is shown through a perfect weld, flawless paint, or a painstaking series of engraved images that flow into a symphony of lines cut into a surface. Even with today’s rush to embrace computer-aided everything, the art of engraving still has a vast number of artisans who scroll their hearts into their work. Although, as of yesterday, there is one less.

We came across a post by LowRider Scene Magazine on Facebook informing the world that one of the most noted engravers, Jamie Castaneda, had passed away. His work has adorned many different facets of enthusiasts’ prized possessions and auto enthusiasts have likely admired his work on numerous vehicles and particular car or motorcycle parts over the years. His work ranged from individual pieces to complete engraving that encompassed every aspect of the vehicle, such as Eddie Mijangos’s 1962 Chevrolet as featured on Lowrider.com.

One of the greatest things about the automotive hobby is there always is room for freedom of expression. When you can grab hold of that expression and do it in such a way as to create an entire genre around it, you not only exhibit the skill, but also the value in what you are doing. Engraving has become such an integral way to express oneself in the lowrider community and sadly, as of yesterday, a set of graver tools will now lay silent.

While lowriders have not been covered widely on RodAuthority.com, we can admire the skill and craftsmanship needed to create and complete such ornate designs on such a hard surface. We also offer our condolences to the Castaneda family and all those who considered Jaime their friend.