When one has had their fill of custom track, randonneurs, and mountain bikes, there can appear to be only a few avenues left to the bicycle savant. One popular option is custom paint.
The leader in this field is a one-man shop in the UK: David Gwyther’s Death Spray Custom. And when he teamed up with artist Stevie Gee, also originating from the UK, the result was nothing short of spectacular.
Featuring two bikes, El Capitane (inspired by Ernest Hemingway—himself a keen cyclist) and Figo Vengeance (a shaman Sioux), Stevie generated an exhibition around a fabled and legendary race. Paintings adorned the walls, while sculptures and the bikes created a three-dimensional environment.
London custom bike shop Tour de Ville supplied two slender, vintage track frames, and Death Spray Custom applied the base coat (including a Keirin-inspired sparkle in the paint of El Capitane). Stevie Gee’s eclectic illustrative style was finally administered, and endowed the bikes with two contrasting personalities.
The exhibition, titled ‘Vengeance is Coming’ was up and running before we could visit, but thankfully Stevie’s website has a gallery of photos from the opening, so we can see what we missed out on.
Big thanks to Richard Baybutt for the excellent photography.