Disclaimer: I know this blog is really Automotive-Themed, but I didn’t really know where else to put these thoughts. So thanks for bearing with me. All three of you.
One of the things I’ve found myself really digging lately is off-road bicycling. Most people would say “mountain biking”, but I have a hard time calling it that when there are no “mountains” around the Dallas area where I live. It’s frequently abbreviated as “MTB”, so for North Texas, we’ll pretend it stands for “Multi Terrain Biking”.
By any name, it’s a blast, and it’s been a big reason I weigh about 55 pounds less than I did 18 months ago.
For those that are into MTB, there’s a lot of passion for the sport/hobby. Not unlike the world of old cars.
However, unlike the people into cars, MTBers haven’t shown much in the way of painting and drawing pieces of art related to their passion. Most any sport that guys get themselves all-wrapped-up in, there emerges some talented folks who create paintings, illustrations, drawings, etc. based on the love of what they do when they’re not making pictures.
Even though I’m not into golf or fishing or hunting, it’s not hard to find some beautiful pictures people have made with these activities shown as a significant reason behind the desire to make said pictures.
So, why the lack of MTB art?
There are certainly creative works being made. There are some ridiculously-talented people making stunning photos and gorgeous videos that certainly convey the respective artist’s first-hand knowledge and love of the sport. No doubt that getting out of the daily grind and into the woods can inspire some acts of creativity.
Also, I’ve seen some pretty neat 3-D works made out of actual bike parts. Found-object sculptures and objects with a little extra utility like clocks or mirrors aren’t too hard to find.
I’m sure one reason we don’t see much in the way of MTB-themed painting and drawing is the fact that bicycles are deceptively hard to draw. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard other illustrators from all kinds of styles – photo-realistic or cartoons – mention this fact. Bikes may be relatively simple machines, but all those angles of all those tubes and such can really be tough to render convincingly.
Another challenge that I’d have to resolve is telling a story that would be unique to painting. The picture would need to say something that photography or video can’t. Or at least deliver a message in a way that the viewer wouldn’t expect from one of the other mediums.
Furthermore, in my own work, I’d want to focus more on the vibe, the flow of riding bikes off-road. The rush. The connections you make with other cyclists. Less focus on the actual equipment. And I wouldn’t have much interest in any focus on specific people or personalities. (Though there might be another picture maker that would handle this well.)
That said, though, I guess what I have in mind would be a bit of a self-portrait even though I wouldn’t intentionally render myself in the pictures I’d make.
Lastly, event posters for races or other meets. Man. Almost all I’ve seen looks like they all pick from the same three pieces of cheap clip art. Somebody needs to step up the game here.
Right now, I’m going to go practice drawing some bicycles.
