eMotion Motorcycle Art: Paintings and Art Prints by Manon Elder

Smoker. Original painting 30” x 48”, brush-worked oil paints on canvas.

While walking down the avenue on the way for a hit of specialty caffeine, I was stopped in my tracks by the brushed chrome of a 2003 Anniversary Edition Harley. Dangling from the handlebar was a slate-gray chrome helmet. I knew the owner couldn't be too far away and soon I spotted him two blocks down, keeping an eye on everyone who was drawn to his show-stopper. I waited and eventually, he came back, coffee in hand to the bike. I introduced myself.

         "Do you know Guido?" he asked.
         "I painted Guido." I replied.
         "Well I'm Guido's brother," he informed me.

And that's how I got to know Guido's brother, Lou.

To take advantage of early evening light, we met downtown in Chinatown where we spotted a pink brick wall along one of the parking lots. It was Lou who suggested I photograph him lighting and having a cigarette using the wall as the background. The naturalness of the pose, the leather chaps and the beautiful bike made for a strong composition.

I used a lot of masking tape to make this painting. Painting up to the tape and then ripping it off, ensures a straight line. And there were plenty of straight lines in this Twin-V engine. Smooth liquid paint throughout kept this painting looking crisp and really real. In parts of the jacket and in the bricks, I applied dry paint by brush and palette knife. I built that wall in twenty minutes.