Olympic Glory

Original commission for the Canadian Olympic Foundation

This was a fantastic commission I did in support of the Canadian Olympic foundation. Painting three-time Canadian Olympic medallist Curt Harnett’s bike that he road winning the silver media in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angelas.

It was an incredible journey creating this piece of art. I was first granted access to the bike itself in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame at Calgarys Canada Olympic Park. As a cyclis, seeing this hand crafted machine and the detail that went into making it uniquely Curt’s was amazing. Details like the double gusset and two bolts to keep the frame in tact due to the immense torque and abuse that Curt would put the bike through. The Shimano Deore XT seat post that was used, intended for mountain biking, but Curt repeatedly destroyed the lighter weight track & road oriented seat posts. The frame hand crafted by legendary builder Joe Gardin. Returning on multiple occasions to double check details on the bike and taking some time to wander the museum and learn more about the commitment and dedication of Curt and so many Canadian athletes make to compete at such a high level made my journey from idea to completed painting all that much sweeter.

Photo of Curt and I with the proud new owner of the painting.