The Legends Gallery at Broken Spoke Campground will host a reception at 8 p.m. Aug. 7th for motorcycle artist David Uhl to kick off the 70th Anniversary of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The reception is free and open to the public to attend.
David Uhl will be presenting his Sturgis Commemorative Collection of fine art prints, including “70 & Counting” – his newest piece commemorating the 70th Sturgis rally. The exhibit will also feature “Stella” and “Evelyn”, which are the two last pieces in the Women of Harley-Davidson Collection.
David Uhl was born in Toledo, Ohio on September 20, 1961. Early on, David began creating amazing drawings and, by high school’s end, had decided to pursue a career in art. He applied for, and won, the only full-ride scholarship to the Colorado Institute of Art offered to a high school senior in the U.S. He was dissatisfied with the design programs the school offered, yet he excelled at the life drawing and illustration classes. Leaving school after one year, he focused his talents on commercial illustration, eventually forming Uhl Illustration, an award-winning firm servicing many prominent clients such as FedEx, IBM, Coca-Cola and Time magazine.
Acquiring a motorcycle in 1988 and riding to Sturgis, South Dakota, David saw first hand the culture of cycling enthusiasts. He entered the world of Harley-Davidson® apparel (t-shirt designs) with great success. Yet, after a time, David felt there was something missing, artistically.
In the beginning of 1996, after 20 years of producing drawings for commercial clients, David entered the world of oil painting. This radically changed everything. Developing his own unique style, he focused his attention around the turn of the century. In 1998 David conceived of a brand new, yet timeless avenue for Harley-Davidson art; museum quality oil paintings. Harley-Davidson, exhibiting nearly a century of history at the time, was the perfect match. David researched motorcycle imagery from the 1930s and ‘40s. This led to his first work; A Change in the Weather. He flew to Milwaukee to present the painting to Harley-Davidson executives. Over a hundred paintings later David feels he is still in the infancy of his painting career.
The Legends Gallery is located at Broken Spoke Campground, 79 North Highway, Sturgis, South Dakota. Phone: 917-763-1334
David’s main collections include: The Women of Harley- Davidson, Sturgis Commemorative, Daytona Commemorative, 100th Anniversary, The Graceland Project, The Rosenkrans Collection, Aviation and Military, among many others.
David’s artwork is displayed throughout the world, and sought by serious art collectors and celebrities alike. Charles Osgood, of CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood, referred to David as “The Norman Rockwell of Harley-Davidson artists”.
"We enjoy dad's run as one of the traditions at the NASWA," said his eldest daughter, Karen Makris. "We consistently have over 300 bikes participating," said Cynthia Makris, president of the family business. "They come from all over the country and Canada to share my father's passions and pay their respects in a way that would have made him so very proud."
, a group of musician song writers, who ride together. They did the music behind a David UHL video.
