Art in motion…

Let’s face it, a beautiful classic motorcycle is a rolling work of art. Meet Bob Spendlove, the biker who can put your pride and joy down on canvas for posterity.

- Bob Spendlove

“I have been painting and drawing for most of my life. When I was five I can remember drawing a Foden lorry at primary school things,” says Bob Spendlove.

For many of us, doing what we truly love as a day job means we are blessed – and Bob knows how lucky he is. “I love doing what I do, really, I do and I’ve been lucky enough to do this for 40 years,” he says. But how did it all start, Bob? “Things moved on from that first drawing. I served an engineering apprenticeship with good old Joe Lucas (well, Lucas Engineering) and continued painting as a hobby in my spare time. I moved to Telford, Shropshire (lovely biking roads) and painted in my spare time. I had a few different jobs and was asked by a local college to run art classes for mature students. One of those students asked me to paint her Triumph 500. This was many years ago, but that’s how it started, really.”

Bob’s already hinted that he’s a motorcyclist at heart, having first had a BSA Bantam. “It was a D7 Deluxe, bright red and chrome tank with gold line work, wonderful in the eyes of a 16-year-old kid. I sold it for £50, but look at the prices now! This was followed by a much faster and more reliable grey Honda 175, followed by various Yamahas, Suzukis, Hondas and more recently, Hinckley Triumphs.”