To see more of
Taliah Lempert's
Some of Taliah's
bike paintings-
click on image to
see in close-up.
">
">
">
">
More Taliah Lempert

Q: You mentioned earlier that you did a series of paintings of legs. Have you ever done a portrait of someone's bicycle and their legs, in the same image?

A: No. 

Q: Do people ever commission you to do portraits of their bikes? Back when I was in art school, I once accepted a commission to do a pastel portrait of someone's hunting dog.

A. I would love to do commissioned portraits, and people do ask. It gets complicated because I don't work from photos, I need to have the bike.
Q: One of my favorite things to do while walking in Manhattan is checking out the bikes shackled to virtually every signpost. There's such a huge variety that it's immensely entertaining to study them. Are you as maniacal as I?  Or even worse, if such is possible?

A: That's one of my favorite things to do too. I'm always checking out bikes. I love it, especially when the weather is warm and there are just tons of them flying by and locked up all over the place.

Q: Your paintings cover a pretty broad spectrum of bike types. Is there a style of bike which you find most beautiful? If so, which do you find the ugliest?

A: It is hard to say which type of bike would be my favorite. I especially love bikes that have been customized and used. There are so many different beautiful bikes. I tend to favor single speeds, fixed and coaster brakes. I really love track bikes. They can be so elegant and simple. They are so minimal that the importance of each element becomes amplified. I adore cruisers. The more stuff the better. Choppers too. That said, I really do like road bikes, touring bikes and ten-speeds. I love the way that the cables move around the frame and the hand brakes and derailleurs and the shape of the gears.  I love a lot of old bikes. Bikes with inch pitch and wild, old-style frames with crazy suspension, stylie pedals, hand painted details and colorful decals. Bikes with beautiful old bells, lights, horns and sirens.

Brand new, assembly-line bikes don't really appeal to me that often.

Q: I find it helps to think of those as "pre-Kustoms".  Since you're being so non-judgmental about ugly, I'll put up my candidate. It's a bike I own- Ross Eurotour, in metallic feces-brown paint scheme. I bought it from the Sally Army for two reasons: first, because it's a knockoff of the English roadster pattern, which is very practical for city use. Aside from coloration, the biggest difference is Shimano hardware, rather than Sturmey-Archer. The second reason I bought it is that it's so ugly, I didn't think anyone would steal it. Even the saddle and bar grips are brown. I also own what I feel to be the most beautiful- a baby-blue Schwinn Continental. Don't get me started on that one.

Here at BR&K we treat bikes themselves as a creative medium. Do you have urges in that direction also; or do you perceive them as purely subject matter for the more traditional art media?

A: I guess I do see them more as subject matter. I have had times where I just can't seem to stop trying to perfect a certain bike, but for me the creativity comes with the painting.

Q: One of my personal goals is to curate a gallery show of customized and hot-rod bikes here in NYC. In the course of this interview, it's occurred to me that a show with bikes covering the walls, as well as the floor, would be even more fun. Would you be interested in having your work hanging in the BikeRod&Kustom show?

A: Oh boy, would I? That would be awesome!

Q: Well, we'll see what happens. I'll keep you posted on the progress of the event. The pieces are almost in place, including the gallery.

Thanks for the interview. I think we all understand now how an artist could choose to specialize in paintings of bikes. It obviously helps to be absolutely nuts about them. The BikeRod&Kustom crowd can certainly relate to that. If bikes weren't so tough to draw, most of our readership would probably be at the easel right now. We certainly appreciate it that someone with the right gifts chooses to exercise them in depicting our favorite subject.
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
">
To see more of
Taliah Lempert's