|
About the
Artist:
Colin Pope was
an artist from a very early age, filling scrap books with
line drawings and sketches from the age of 4. No particular
subject (that he can remember) - just "anything and
everything..."
He holds a BA(Hons) Cantab in
Fine Art & Illustration, PGCE in Art & Design and is a
member of the Associated Guild of Motoring Artists (AGMA).
In 1963, Colin was taken to
his first bike race meeting at Brands Hatch, where he was
immediately smitten by the noise, the atmosphere, Minter,
Degens, Croxford, Read and Ivy.
The early 70's found Colin
working as a pictorial artist, designing and painting pub
artwork and signs. Sadly, very little of this work remains
as the ravages of time have taken their toll, the average
pub sign lasting no more than 8-10 years.
In the mid-70's, Colin drove a
Routemaster in London whilst also working as a freelance
cartoonist for the Beano comic. His character was Dr Rotcod;
a vet who specialised in "backwards" animals (hence the name
- geddit?) He treated an elephant that was always forgetting
and a sweet-smelling skunk amongst other oddball patients.
Again, we have no copies of this work (does anyone out
there?)
In 1985, Colin was working for Practical Classic magazine;
his angle being not painting concourse classic cars, but
painting them as they came out of the barn or scrapyard,
covered in dirt and rust. These proved extremely popular and
most went over to the USA.
Colin spent 12 years teaching
Art at Minster College on the Isle of Sheppey and it was
during this period that he re-discovered his passion for
drawing motorcycles when endeavouring to engage a
particularly uninterested group of 5th Form boys.
Now a self-employed artist,
Colin specialises in sporting and historic motorcycles and
their riders. |
