We're big fans of cycling-related art here at road.cc. Of course, we exclude sculptures depicting dog behavior made from bicycle chains, which then need to be stuffed into bags, but this is one of the most amazing examples. We've recently seen ultra-realistic pencil drawings of rear cassettes called Cogs.
The work of Bristol-based artist and illustrator Martin Turner took 150 hours to complete and was exhibited at this week's Fresh Art Fair in Cheltenham.
An award-winning professional photographer, Turner recently returned to pencil to pursue his first love, illustration. The results, as I'm sure you'll agree, are impressive.
But that career spent behind the lens is also evident in his artwork through his use of depth of field, something that would be easily captured on camera if you set the lens wide open, but with a pencil on paper. It is much more difficult to convey using traditional media such as
This work is being sold as a limited edition giclée art print of 100 copies for £125 each, each print is hand signed and numbered and mounted on a black mount to fit in a 50 x 50 cm frame. Printed on heavyweight premium 310gsm fine art paper with a pasted surface.
Turner says on his website that he “embodies the simplicity of fine art” by “using the traditional medium of the pencil.” His highly realistic pencil drawings are definitive, obsessed with light and texture, and imbued with the confidence that comes from his technical mastery of the medium.
“Working primarily on ultra-smooth Bristol board, Turner uses both traditional pencils and mechanical pencils, as well as blends of graphite powder and stumps to create his own unique style.'' Masu.
“Anyone who has seen his work up close will appreciate the incredible level of detail. Turner used sandpaper to taper the tip/lead of his pencil to bring out the finest points. It is often seen secured.
“The story is further enhanced by the surprising fact that Turner only picked up a pencil in 2016,” his biography adds.
Considering the hours of work that went into this piece, we are also very interested in the photo that this piece is a work in progress.
