Atlantis. Original painting 32” x 60”, brush-worked oil paints on canvas.
It was my brother Ben who told me that I had to see this amazing bike that was being featured in the magazine 'Canadian Biker'. When I saw the photos, I had to agree, this all-chrome custom bike was a work of art in itself. I called Len Creed, the Publisher,
And asked him if he could assist me in contacting the owner and that's how I met Guido.
If motorcycles had existed in Medieval times, then they would have looked like Guido's bike. The lance point at the front, the red-leather Maltese cross emblazed on the seat, the chrome heart on the gas tank dedicated to a loved one, speaks so poignantly of chivalry. The challenge to find the setting to convey this resonance of days-of-old, was answered by the boat launch area at Cattle Point in Victoria, BC. The road of cracked concrete sliding into the ocean suggests the remnants of a fallen city. Guido is looking off to the side as he gauges his proximity to encroaching waters. Or maybe, he has just emerged. The chrome helmet reflecting the road ahead could well be a wizard's gazing ball.
The reflections in the helmet were painted with the most minimal of paint so that the white of the canvas provided the gleam. The folds in fabric are one of my very favorite elements to paint. Keeping the paint very wet in order to saturate the canvas pores offers the ability to seamlessly blend the varying tones. What was hard to achieve was the background-the water and the concrete. In the end, it was a matter of painting and removing paint, until just a film of complex color remained.
