This piece was inspired by an old bicycle I saw at Bradley Hall. I took a variety of pictures, including the interesting shadow shapes, and then did a preliminary watercolor painting. After this, I did some loosely sketched contour drawings of this bike and didn’t plan a design to work with, as I usually do. I started by cutting out some of the basic shapes of the wheels and spokes, allowing the design to flow and let things happen. Halfway through I decided to add map pieces, as the annual RAGBRAI bike ride across Iowa starts in a week or so. Many of these same colors were used for the previously-finished guitar collage.

Exhibited 2013 “Celebrate the Bicycle” Show in Jefferson, Iowa