Monster art - not the plastic panel kind

[MrsC_772]

Something a little different - I've had my 696's portrait painted!

The artist is an American biker called Dennis Matson (known on some of the bike forums as AntiHeroX - his own website is at http://antihero-x.com/). I got absolutely hooked on some of his ride reports earlier this year. Having ridden an 1199 Panigale across the USA and back ("Coast to Coast on an Italian Supermodel" - reports on advrider.com and www.ducati.ms), and actually scrambled a California press fleet Scrambler round Death Valley, his latest grand trip is taking a Panigale round Europe as part of a round the world plan. He's also a great photographer and quite handy with a paintbrush.

Having seen some of his paintings in trip reports and on his website, I asked him to immortalise my beloved 696 on canvas (ok, gessoboard). I didn't just want a picture that could be any old 696 - I wanted my Monster, and sent Dennis a few photos of it in tour mode (Kriega tailpacks, satnav and the World Ducati Week 2012 and 2014 bands on the fork leg).

I'm absolutely delighted with the result, now adorning the wall at the top of the stairs in my house.

http://www.andrewcawte.webspace.virginmedia.com/696_Portrait.jpg

[Albie]

Nice one. I once did a brilliant painting of a USA RD400 when I was 15 at O level art and got great comments and marks. Purely copied the bike magazine and wished I had it still.

[utopia]

Excellent.
I've always had great admiration for your long distance solo touring and have often thought that we should create an award or something ....The MrsC Award for Intrepid...ity, or somesuch.
The portrait sums all that up perfectly.
It's much more than just a picture of any old monster, its very definitely your monster.
Quite an emotional picture really, when you know the story.
I like that, a lot.

[Dirty]

That's nice Mrs C

Many years ago whilst sitting bored at work on a slow day a mate opposite was doodling on a desk pad. He had a talent so I asked him to draw me in my Capri. I popped down Smiths and bought some art pencils, he turned the pad over and got to work. This is the result...

http://s19.postimg.org/yr71dx6vn/2015_08_01_00_21_11.jpg

[Flip]

Yep like those a lot!!

A few years ago my wife got a friend of ours to do a picture of my Monster for my birthday that year- it now hangs in our dining room but the photo of it doesn't really do it justice.

http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag329/fluke900/Monster%20Art_zps9w8v2vxq.jpg (http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/fluke900/media/Monster%20Art_zps9w8v2vxq.jpg.html)

Like a lot of talented artists who work in the trade he's a bit lazy with his own work and pinning him down to do it in time was a nightmare apparently.

The following year after being pestered relentlessly by his girlfriend he sketched out (in about ten minutes!!) the winning design for the Glastonbury Festival poster.