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Who’s a Knucklehead?

Not artist Scott Jacobs, who helps Harley-Davidson celebrate its centennial.

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Mark your calendars for Sunday, August 31, 2003, when Harley-Davidson Motor Co.® (H-D), Milwaukee, celebrates its 100th birthday at Milwaukee’s Veteran’s Park. The "Party of the Century" will be preceded by a year-long advance celebration, the Open Road Tour, that begins after H-D’s July 2002 dealer meeting. More details are available on H-D’s Website, www.harley-davidson.com.

To commemorate the centennial, H-D asked artist Scott Jacobs to create a painting depicting some of its notable motorcycles. For the painting, the Rancho Sante Fe, CA-based artist lined up an early H-D bicycle-style model, Flatheads, Knuckleheads and the latest V-Rod. ST ‘s motorhead, Darek Johnson, stated, "It’s [the painting] a gene pattern of the H-D family."

Vehicle portraits

No knucklehead himself as a businessman, Jacobs parlayed his photorealistic style into a profitable and personally rewarding partnership with H-D as a licensee through Segal Fine Art (Louisville, CO). A self-taught artist, Jacobs initially painted portraits; his love of motorcycles was a sideline. Such celebrities as Malcolm Forbes, Kathy Ireland and Kim Alexis commissioned his talents.

In 1990, a contest-winning entry depicting a fire truck attracted numerous requests for "vehicle portraits," and many portraits involved H-D models.

Because he was licensed to create prints for Chevrolet and Hot Wheels, Jacobs suggested to H-D that he create a painting for the company. "They weren’t interested in a one-time deal to create just one print," Jacobs says. "They wanted to work on an ongoing basis. So I became, 10 years ago, Harley’s first official artist."

Clutch operations

To achieve exacting detail, Jacobs typically uses a slide projector to roughly sketch outlines in pencil on smooth Belgian linen stretched on a frame; this process may take two days, depending on size and detail.

Using an Iwata CM SB airbrush and Liquitex acrylic paints, he fills in the background color, then masks off areas to detail, keeping the surrounding areas clean. Extremely fine, 18/0 Loew Cornell liner brushes substitute for striping tools, and Grumbacher oils supply brilliant colors.

"I usually use a synthetic brush because it lasts so long," Jacobs notes. "Usually I use two brushes for a painting. I’m duplicating striping on a flat surface, so I don’t use the usual striping brush."

Patrons who buy an original piece receive a brush used for the painting, plus a photo of the painting daubed on the edges with paint colors.

Recreating vehicle graphics has proven more profitable for Jacobs than creating them. "I’ve done vehicle graphics, but I reap more benefits from reproductions. It takes hours and hours of work for one car, but the same time can be spent on a painting that can be reproduced," Jacobs says. Each painting generally consumes an average of 250 to 400 hours.

What vehicle graphics does Jacobs admire? "Tribal flames," he says. He particularly admires the work of Craig Frasier and Chris Cruise. In terms of artists, he prefers the work of Maxfield Parrish and Doug Web, 12 of whose paintings are in Jacob’s private collection.

Jacobs initially learned most about airbrush techniques by attending Getaways, sponsored by Airbrush-Action magazine. Similar to Letterhead meets, the event features professionals who share hard-won tips and on-site projects. Jacobs says, "My work changed dramatically after that. The pros showed me what I had been trying to work out on my own."

Silky shifting

Because he is licensed by H-D, his designs appear on such collectible items as H-D’s limited-edition plates, beach towels and beer steins, among many other items. In addition to Jacobs’s work for H-D, he has been the official artist for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle and Rally magazine for the past seven years. He has sold his three galleries to focus on his painting.

His limited-edition prints are available through Segal Fine Art, www.segalfineart.com. The art publisher conducts an annual Scott Jacobs Photo Contest, which features H-D bikes and accessories, with "no after-market parts!" Winning photos are considered as a subject for a Jacobs painting.

Clients include Peter Fonda, Lorenzo Lamas, John Elway, Karl Malone and Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell. His work has also been featured in Art Business News, Easy Rider and Forbes, and shown at the annual Art Expos in New York and Los Angeles.

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