Bike Art// Geoff McFetridge

I'm a big fan of the LA based artist Geoff McFetridge. I especially like his bird's eye view pieces because they remind me of riding open top busses. I spend a lot of time looking at the world from behind my handle bars so it is nice to see things from a different perspective up high. 

You can see more of Geoff McFetridge's work at championdontstop.com. For all his latest drawings and illustrations, follow him on Instagram: @mcfetridge

A few years ago I was doing some work in Mexico and I took these bird's eye view pictures of Ecobici riders.

 Does that remind you of one of those 'guess what this is?' drawings everyone used to do at school?

FYI, it's a Mexican on a bike.

Tour de France Art

Woo hoo. Well done Froome. As I adjust to life without stages to watch, I am lucky enough to have one of these beauts to look at every day to remind me of yesteryear's TDF. Simon Fitzmaurice created these beautiful illustrated maps depicting the first three stages of the 2014 Tour that took place here in the UK. 

Things Come Apart

My 20 peso Mexican front bike light has a habit of coming apart in my bag. In fact, the bottom of my bag is a graveyard of springs, screws, washers and bits of things from God knows where. 
In his book Things Come Apart, Todd McLellan deconstructs objects and arranges the many components on a  white background. Objects include an accordion, an upright piano, an SLR camera, a telescope and my favourite; a 1980s Raleigh bicycle. Here it is, all 893 components. 

Which reminds me, I need to buy new bike lights.

Todd McLellan, Things Come Apart.

Bike Street Art// Mexico City Road Signs

Here are some things that caught my eye as I was riding by.

Enjoy the Ride

It's no secret that I freakin LOVE maps. I have a cartobsession. If I'm planning a trip I look at maps and have over the years,amassed a big shut up collection. 

I was in a second hand bookshop and I asked where the atlases were. They said they didn't sell them. No one wants them because they are old and big and I quote "lots of countries don't exist since atlases were made". They did have a pile out back ready collecting dust that they begged me to take away. 

So I went all Blue Peter arts and crafts and made this cut out for a friend with countries that don't exist like the Netherlands where Peter Pan used to live.

"Enjoy the ride" 

Bike Street Art// Calle Tamaulipas, Mexico City

Here is a little something I spied while out on a ride.

Sueños Sobre Ruedas

There is this long road in Mexico City called ‘Reforma’. My brain links words to songs by association, so every time I ride along this road I sing Informer by Snow changing Informer to Reforma. Anyway, the reason I’m sharing this is because of an outdoor photography exhibition that is running along Reforma (I can’t not sing it) by Chapultepec Park called Sueños Sobre Ruedas which means Dreams on Wheels. Curated by Copenhagenize’s Mikael Colville-Andersen, this exhibition shows examples of how Mexico City’s urban cycling culture is growing and cycling is becoming a feasible travel alternative. A perfect example of this happens every Sunday when Reforma is closed for cars until 2pm allowing everyone to cycle along it without stupid cars getting in the way.These 80 pictures show the journey of urban cycling in Mexico City from 2006- 2012. It's definitely grown a lot, I can't wait to see what the city looks like in ten years.

Me and this guy. I'm wearing my version of a yellow cycling jersey. It has sequins. Obviously.

I love this colourful birds eye view print.

Maximum respect to these riders in Dia de los Muertos face paints. Good job not sweating them off.

This Señor has made his bike into a knife sharpening station. I see him everywhere. I never have my knives on me.

Bike Art// Paper Cuts

I don't get many cycling injuries *touches head*, but when I do they are stupid.

This is a paper cut I got from opening the packaging on my bike lights. Totally a cycling injury.

Ok, so that's an example of a BAD bike paper cut. Here is an example of a good one by Katy Beveridge.

       

I'm a big fan of paper cuts, I love Rob Ryan's work and I hang Mexican bunting EVERYWHERE. It's so pretty, delicate and makes the most incredible shadows.

My friend even made me a pop up tandem paper cut card.

This paper cut of a couple kissing on a bike by Joe Bagley is one of my favourites.

Here is a video of Joe cutting it. It's hypnotising.

                                        

I'm going to give it a go. Worst case scenario, at least I get to make use of my cartoon plaster collection which I refuse to believe i'm too old for. Jude Brosnan

Dia De Los Muertos

I left Mexico just before Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). There were brightly coloured sugar skulls everywhere. My sister sent me these pictures of an Olympic Games themed display that was in a mall in Mexico City. Check out the Benotto detail.

Here is my Dia de los Muertos bunting. I have no intention of taking it down. EVER.

Rocco Malatesta// Posters of Hands

I believed the weather a few weeks ago and put my gloves away. As it was totally bluffing I've been riding around town with cold wet sad hands. Even my age old trick of matching my nail varnish to my mud guards isn't doing them any favours. These posters by Berlin based Graphic Designer and Illustrator Rocco Malatesta show some rather more iconic hands. See.

Lance Armstrong



Maradona, no wait, God

'E.T' was my first word. FACT (I was a 1982 baby).

Freddy Krueger

What?

Here's a bit of Tour de Lance from one of Malatesta's other collections.

Available to buy here.

My Type of Bike

I have a thing for fonts. These days I tend to be a courier girl mostly because it's by far the best of the 7 font choices blogspot offers and most in fitting with my subject matter. I must say, it's growing on me. 
I am so in love with this Bicy­cle Typogram by Aaron Kuehn . It is so beautiful. 

See here for more details.

The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt// 'Eggsquisite London' by Paul Kenton

'Eggsquisite London' by Paul Kenton

Picture by Jude Brosnan

  I thought it would be a really good idea to spend a day riding around hunting down all the eggs on The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt. Then I heard that there were over 200 spread all over the streets of London. I would get a bit obsessed and probably end up not sleeping for a week. Then when I did sleep I would have weird egg related dreams. Like the one where I bite a cream egg and it tastes like salt. I used to love creme eggs. For the sake of my sanity, rather than actively hunt these eggs down, I'm just going to keep my eye out for them. 

So far this egg by Paul Kenton is my favorite because it has a bike that is half the size of the Gherkin building. Also it looks like he had a lot of fun painting it.