Velocolour Bicycle Painting

[velocolour]

I don’t believe in randomness or fate. So what else is there? Circumstance I guess. Some of us are lucky enough to start with something, anything. Knowing when or how to use it is the key. I am lucky. I was born a white male, in Canada to middle class parents. I am Jewish but if you’re going to choose a minority to be, that’s not bad. All I am saying is that I have been given opportunities for these reasons alone. I am not in Haiti or Pakistan or Afghanistan and I know how lucky I am.

Part 1
My parents moved from the U.S. to Toronto in the early 70’s. Jobs were good, Canadian politics seemed a lot more civilized, more left leaning perhaps. My Dad was a bike racer so when my parents arrived in Toronto, the old man, who would have been a few years younger than I am today, went around to the various bike shops, trying to identify the bike scene here. Mike Barry and Mike Brown’s Bicycle Sport shop had been open a few years and my Dad quickly established this as the place to be. The Mikes were already building Mariposa Bicycles at this point and were developing a good reputation and a strong following. My Dad Mike, number three or four, started riding with them and ultimately joined the club, Britannia C.C. The Barry’s were to be my parent’s oldest friends in Canada. A few years later us kids came along. My brother was born in 1974. The next year Mike Barry looked at my Mom and said, “were going to have one of those” pointing to my brother in the carriage and soon came Michael Jr. In late May of 1978 my brother was dropped off at the Barry’s house while my parents went to the hospital, I arrived a few hours later. Circumstances you see.

Part 2
I have always been a maker. As a kid I made things of all sorts, shoebox mazes for my gerbils, clay objects, and drawings. In my high school years, among other things, pipes made of found objects for my friends. It didn’t matter. I was lucky enough to have parents who sent me to art classes as a kid fostering my interests. When it was time to go to college the art realm was never questioned. It was not what would I do, but what would I make. I spent six years in school studying mostly ceramics, some sculpture, design, art history etc. Most people think art school is easy, maybe it is. But I think it is as hard as you want to make it. Like anything, you can settle in or push yourself. Every day I questioned how, what, why and why and why? I thought I was going to go on to do my Master’s, get a teaching gig in Ceramics and keep making things, ceramic things. I was well lined up for this but something changed along the way. Three or four years went by with a bit of travel and this and that but most of the time was spent working and trying to keep my studio open.

Part 3
This is when things came together a bit. As well as being a maker, I have always been a cyclist. Yeah I tried some races in my younger years (at 10 or so) but they inevitably turned into nice rides in the country. In 2005 Mike Barry, knowing my interest in bikes and also being aware I was a keen maker of things, asked me to work for him. He was short a painter and thought it would suit me well. Indeed. My focus was still my own work but I knew this was a rare opportunity. I spent three years with him, and builder Tom Hinton. These were the last three years of Mariposa and Bicycle Specialties. I learned a lot from them and I learned how to paint. I also got to see and work on things many don’t, the classics, maybe the beginnings: Bianchis, Rene Herses, Claude Butlers, CCMs, etc. Many examples of these still hang from our rafters. In 2007 Mike decided it was time to pack it in. Fourty years on and he had had enough of running the business and wanted to spend more time working on those old classics at his leisure. He has a massive collection, enough to keep us all busy for some time. The business was offered to me to take over. We would keep Tom on building and I would paint and keep track of customers and accounting. My interest was still in my own work though. I loved painting and bicycles but with this there would have been nowhere for me to go. I sadly turned it down, perhaps sadly for both of us. Some thought I had horseshoes in uncomfortable places and was being foolish but it was not right. Through this, new circumstances were born. I either had to find a new job or start my own business. Mike had recently bought the space we had been working out of to store and work on his bikes. So…

Part 4
January 1st, 2008 I started Velocolour Bicycle Painting. It’s funny how things go. Even then I liked it but this was still a job. My studio work and shows remained the focus. It is only in the past year and half, maybe two years that painting has really become my primary interest and now I can think of nothing better. It was a bit of a slow start, some lean times with bikes trickling in. I, and others, weren’t sure there were enough bikes around to paint full time. I figured more people had to know what I was up to add it would all work out. This is the nice thing about painting. It is affordable enough for people who just like nice objects. Word grew quickly and a little NAHBS award can do wonders. For most the progression from painting is into frame building. I have little interest in this though. I am building, slowly, a bike for myself now. It will be a grass track racer to challenge friends in the park. I could build fine bikes but others are doing amazing things already, and the painting is too good. From my perspective, each frame is its own object to be independently layered in designs, colours and ideas. Painting offers a huge amount of freedom and creativity though it has taken time to get to the point of becoming remotely comfortable. Painting bikes is the hardest thing I have ever done. There are infinitely more ways to screw it up than to get it right. As I become more comfortable I am also learning to blend my art background with painting and I think this opens doors. There are more options, concepts and collaborations and it just gets better. I have no idea where Velocolour or I am headed though I am where I expect to be. I am still just a kid and this has all been pretty easy for me. I am lucky in that I have had more support than many and more mentors too. Instead of working for Mike Barry, we now share a space. As kids young Michael and I used to have sleepovers. In the morning we would run into Clare and Mike’s room for tea and cookies. Now, Mike and I take turns making tea in the shop. I still learn from him everyday and hopefully once in a while he learns from me too. It is a great time to be a maker in the custom or boutique bike field. Frames, paint, accessories, you name it. They are all doing well and showing people how great bicycles can be. The big shows have changed the scene and the Internet has connected all of us to each other and our customers. Of course I have not be in this long enough to know any different. What I do know is socially, economically, environmentally and therefore politically, bikes are it and the circumstances seem to be right.

Thanks for reading.
noah

WELCOME TO VELOCOLOUR

[hampco]

can i go first?

noah, i love your paint and hope that someday you can paint one of our frames. actually, i have a frame in mind for Nahbs - would you be interested?

but my real question is: bicycles aside, who are some of your favorite artists and influences on what you do today?

[velocolour]

can i go first?

noah, i love your paint and hope that someday you can paint one of our frames. actually, i have a frame in mind for Nahbs - would you be interested?

but my real question is: bicycles aside, who are some of your favorite artists and influences on what you do today?

Thanks Steve,
I think my influences are fairly generalized. It used to be something that I was really specific about. Like one or two people that I would really focus on and read about. Now we are hit with so many images and ideas that I find it is hard to pinpoint too many specific people. It is a lot about the people around me though. Suzanne, my girl friend, has a big impact on what I do. We talk a lot about designs patterns, colours. Micah Adams who works for me is a very skilled maker as well. We are often talking about our own projects and how they should work or what they should be.
On a non-aesthetic level the conceptual artists of the 60's and 70's I think have really impacted the way I look at things and how I may approach a project. I guess now that I think about it. Ideas have often had a bigger impact than visual stuff. Most of the art or artists I have been interested in over the years have focused more on concept. It seems like a funny thing than to do what I do now, a glorified aesthetition (sp.) perhaps.
Ceramic history is something I something I draw on a lot. The use of images and pattern created from daily life is important. Using the stuff around you and putting it back in to the work.
And cars, everyone likes cars eh? My Dad raced vintage cars from the time I was 8 or so years, and myself, go carts. I spent my youth traveling to races around North-America and I think the forms and colours of those machines I saw is always there.
Convoluted perhaps but I try to avoid nailing it down with a list specific people.
It would be great to talk with you a about a NAHBS project if you are interested. I don't do a lot of painting for builders but singular projects are what excite me the most.

[GrantM]

Hey Noah,

How do you go about getting on the "same page" as your customers when it comes to understanding what they want?
Is there something you've learned, or a process you follow so you can avoid that scary surprise that can accompany any custom project?

Grant

[velocolour]

Hey Noah,

How do you go about getting on the "same page" as your customers when it comes to understanding what they want?
Is there something you've learned, or a process you follow so you can avoid that scary surprise that can accompany any custom project?

Grant

Hey Grant,
Good question.
More and more people want me to tell them what they want or what they should do. That is the fun and difficult part about painting. Mostly people get in touch or come in to the shop without too many concrete ideas. Which means they respect me enough to put ideas together for them but it also means it is a lot of extra work for me interms of planning out colour schemes etc. If they are in the shop I try to nail it down right there so we don't have to drag the process out too much. I will often pull out some tape and start laying it down in front of them so they can see what we can do. Also pointing out colours and details on other bikes around the shop is really helpful. We have a lot to look at here as you know.
Really it is different with each customer and you have to feel out how comfortable they are and if they are into something more classic or modern, bold colours or something more muted. Money unfortunately is the boundary. I try to identify what they want to spend first so I know how far we can go and know not to spend too much time putting together a grand scheme for a conservative budget.
Unless I know they are leaving it completely open to me I want the customer to know what to expect, have colours chosen and the design more or less laid out. I don't know of any dis-appointments yet.
Does that answer #2 also?

[Dornbox]

Noah, was your decision to not become partners in a shop purely based on that you just didn't want a partner or at that moment did you just not realize that you wanted to paint bikes? -Chris

[velocolour]

Hi Chris,
You are referring to taking over Mariposa?
This was not a matter of us becoming partners. I was to buy the business and run it myself of course with some of Mikes guidance. I was flattered and a bit surprised that he would have wanted me to carry on the Mariposa brand but I didn't think I could do it. First of all at that time the other stuff I was doing was more exciting to me. I hadn't wrapped my head around being a full time painter without another focus yet. Second, Mike knows what he likes, he is an old school Brit and has his ways. I am constantly trying to identify my interests and what I would like to see and do and wouldn't have been able to or wanted to experiment with his style of bikes in that way. He rolls his eyes a bit when I come up with some of the designs we do here. For instance, I created a flower decal set for a show bike a year ago and have since been selling these as a part of paint schemes I've done. There has been a fair amount of interest in them and I am excited too but Mike hates them. He doesn't really get. That's fine but I wouldn't want to do that with the brand he created.
Mariposas were also extremely labour intensive bikes. Mostly they were tourers with full fenders, racks some internal lighting systems. It was more than I wanted to do. They weren't made for flare, though some had a lot of it, but they had to be right with fender clearances rack mounts etc. The wiring alone could take a half day to get set up. It all depends on how you want to spend your time. All of the small details might have driven me mad. I like making myself mad in other ways I guess.

[e-RICHIE]

hi noah atmo -

how do you paint such that the vision you have for the particular project doesn't overshadow the very canvas it's on?
from a layman's perspective, i could see where any, and i mean any frame at all could allow you a creative outlet. but
on brands whose work stands on their own, how do you juxtapose (i heart that word) keeping your skills and imagination
from overshadowing what's beneath it atmo.

i'll hang up and take the answer off the air.

[velocolour]

hi noah atmo -

how do you paint such that the vision you have for the particular project doesn't overshadow the very canvas it's on?
from a layman's perspective, i could see where any, and i mean any frame at all could allow you a creative outlet. but
on brands whose work stands on their own, how do you juxtapose (i heart that word) keeping your skills and imagination
from overshadowing what's beneath it atmo.

i'll hang up and take the answer off the air.

That is the question atmo, and a valid one from the man with one paint scheme.
I think all frames need to be treated differently based on their inherent qualities. A lugged steel frame has natural edges to follow based on the lug detailing, cut-outs etc. where as a tig-welded frame has different rules because it doesn't have those same hard boundaries. I would naturally paint those two differently even with the same colours. I am always aware of the frame I am painting and try to design schemes that do the justice to the frame. Also I'm a bit of tradionalist though some may not see it that way. I am a sucker for panels. I find they can be a nice way to add something to frame without taking away from what is there. They create smaller boundaries to work within. Polka-dots, stripes, what have you. It gives you a little place to have fun without going over the top all over.
.
I just painted one of yours by the way. The lugs are nice and crisp so I wanted to keep it simple and give respect to the maker. Light metallic blue overall with dark blue lug lining. I have rarely if ever seen one of your frames lug lined but I think with more simple lugs this can highlight and draw attention to the frame work. Sometimes it's too much on really heavily carved lugs. It is finished off with red box lining to keep it real.
A carbon frame is mostly an open surface to play with. I paint piles of Cervelos these days. I don't get how a lot of manufactures have these really smooth molded frames and then throw lines all over it ignoring the forms of the frame. That is often my starting point with carbon. I have trouble designing a paint scheme for a carbon bike that I don't in front of me. You have to see the thing and the actual shapes and how colours will work over the contours of the frame.

[e-RICHIE]

thanks, noah -
but i actually wasn't asking from my perspective (and i do, in fact, offer an infinite paint and scheme selection atmo).
let me rephrase the question: how do you keep a frame that's not made by you from becoming a finished piece that
screams velocolour as opposed to <insert f'maker's name here ________ > representing the cat who made it atmo.
is it your canvas or his frame?

That is the question atmo, and a valid one from the man with one paint scheme.
<cut>

[velocolour]

thanks, noah -
but i actually wasn't asking from my perspective (and i do, in fact, offer an infinite paint and scheme selection atmo).
let me rephrase the question: how do you keep a frame that's not made by you from becoming a finished piece that
screams velocolour as opposed to <insert f'maker's name here ________ > representing the cat who made it atmo.
is it your canvas or his frame?

Yeah I was just making a joke about the one paint scheme and wasn't trying to give an answer specif to you.
The thing is I don't paint many frames for builders, really only a handful aside from the Mariposa days. The builder is rarely a concern as when the frame is sent to me it is most likely in for a repaint.
The few I have done though I try to take both the end customer and the builder's concerns into account. It is important for everyone to be happy and I definitely don't want a visual screaming match beween the material and the coating.
Like I was alluding to in the first post I try to see each frame within it's own context. Who built it, who's it going to, where do they live, what kind of riding is happening, etc,etc. I think it all plays in.
That being said I know some of my paint work has brought attention to certain builders which is good for everyone me thinks.

If the builder is not happy with my work than I guess were not working together.
So far it seems to be working Atmo.
The few I have worked with were very happy with what I put together and want to send more work my way.

[e-RICHIE]

Yeah I was just making a joke about the one paint scheme and wasn't trying to give an answer specif to you.
The thing is I don't paint many frames for builders, really only a handful aside from the Mariposa days. The builder is rarely a concern as when the frame is sent to me it is most likely in for a repaint.
The few I have done though I try to take both the end customer and the builder's concerns into account. It is important for everyone to be happy and I definitely don't want a visual screaming match beween the material and the coating.
Like I was alluding to in the first post I try to see each frame within it's own context. Who built it, who's it going to, where do they live, what kind of riding is happening, etc,etc. I think it all plays in.
That being said I know some of my paint work has brought attention to certain builders which is good for everyone me thinks.

If the builder is not happy with my work than I guess were not working together.
So far it seems to be working Atmo.

good answer atmo.
okay - we can still hang.
let's find some bros and get a corned beef sandwich on pumpernickel.
i like sauerkraut on the side.

[fixednwinter]

Hi Noah;

No questions from me, simply well wishes to you and your great business. I've admired your work for years and it gets better all the time. I also think it's fantastic that you're in the same space as Mike Barry Sr. I couldn't imagine better synergy & interaction.

Here is to your continued success. Best regards, Marco

[velocolour]

Hi Noah;

No questions from me, simply well wishes to you and your great business. I've admired your work for years and it gets better all the time. I also think it's fantastic that you're in the same space as Mike Barry Sr. I couldn't imagine better synergy & interaction.

Here is to your continued success. Best regards, Marco

Thanks for the kind words Marco,
I have been very lucky to share a space with Mike. He has helped me so much and continues to everyday. Brazing questions, a headset or part I have never seen before. He seems to know it all as long as it was made before 2000. He likes to play these guessing games where he'll pull a part out of a drawer and I have to figure out what it is. It's amazing how much shit I don't understand or know about and Mike is a walking bicycle enCyclopedia.
I agree, my work is getting better all the time, it is only natural, but there is a long way to go with no end in sight.

[fixednwinter]

It's amazing how much shit I don't understand or know about and Mike is a walking bicycle enCyclopedia.

That's an amazing interaction with Mike. I'm very envious, Noah. I only had that privilege for one summer's worth of full-time work for Mike, almost 25 years ago. To this day, Mike's teachings, both functionally and aesthetically, influence my decisions on what & how to ride in cycling. It's almost a DNA or knowledge thread that Mike is transmitting to the next generations.

I remember three years ago, when I ordered my first custom Hampsten from Steve. After a few e-mails back and forth as Steve interviewed me to learn my preferences in bikes, I seem to recall him figuring out that I was taught by Mike Barry. Mike's influence is that strong & evident.

[velocolour]

No Doubt Mike has had a big influence on me.
Believe it or not, I only had one bike for a long time. I know how can anybody get by with just one bike.
I was a mountain biker so had a Gary Fisher that I used for everything with extra wheel with slicks mounted for commuting. Every time I saw Mike he would shake his head and say "get a road bike". Eventually I did, a shitty one, only three or four months before starting with him which has changed it all. But what I didn't know then that I know know is that he doesn't really get mountain biking. Cross is good because it still has drop bars and looks more or less traditional. But suspension forks and fat tubes, or worst of all a duel-suspension bike, will be scoffed at. The only Mtn bike in the shop is Michael jr's. It's only moderately tolerable because it is Michael's. We occasionally ride the trails when he's in town so it continues to hang here between a wooden rimmed CCM and a woman's 1960's Olympia complete with rod brakes, fenders and skirt guard.
I have used this as a bit of a lesson though. He knows a lot and has seen so much. Trends that have come and gone. Components or bikes that were supposed to be the next big thing that went know where. But he has a very specific aesthetic view. His Mariposa is all black, with honjo fenders. It is beautiful and simple and if it were up to him I think they would all look like that aside from the Beloved Bianchis of course. I look for the modern ground between the modern stuff and the Mike Barry view. It is important that I listen but with a grain of salt as to be able to find my own road and make my own choices. I have learned to take his head shaking now and we can laugh about it a bit. It is funny though, I still look for his approval even when I know I've gone too far for him. But sometimes he surprises me.

[edoz]

Hey Noah, thanks for getting Smoked Out. Do you have a favorite style of frame to or a favorite builder to paint?

[velocolour]

Hey Noah, thanks for getting Smoked Out. Do you have a favorite style of frame to or a favorite builder to paint?

Hi Eric,
Everything has its bonuses.
Like I said above differing materials or building styles demand a different approach when it comes to finishing. After my time spent with Mike I definitely lean towards the classics and favour the look of a traditional lugged frame. If it is nicely built you don't have to do much to make it look good. I appreciate the simplicity in that. One of my favourite paint jobs was Mike's Celeste Bianchi with matching Italian fenders. His Spain bike. It is so simple and elegant I am not sure if I could ever top that.
On the other side Carbon bikes with seemless joining really give me a chance to have some fun. This sort of thing opens me up to more options and expands the way I think about designing a scheme. I like it all really. A one colour job for a commuter that I know will ride the bike everywhere and be excited to be on the thing is fun to be a part of.
As for builders I don't have a wish list or anything in terms of painting, owning is another story. If I had a list the only person on it would be Dave Wages of Ellis Cycles. I really like what he does and feel a bit of a connection to him. When we were both starting out more or less with our new businesses we both got suckered by the same guy with a sob type story. A good talker who would "shout our names from the hilltops". The frame from Dave was immaculate though I didn't know who he was at the time. I introduced myself at the first NAHBS I attended and we commiserated about our common frustrations with this individual. I think I could have a lot of fun painting one of his stainless frame sets too. We have spoken about it before but not gotten down to it yet.

[jmoote]

Hey Noah, thanks so much for sharing with us.

I especially enjoy hearing the full story of why you did not take over Mariposa. While not for the same reasons, I think I would find myself equally frustrated as you would if I tried to continue a legacy like that. I am glad you respect Mr. Barry's vision for that line enough that you knew this would be the case and let that opportunity go.

Now my question, for now anyway: you've said you enjoy the individual projects the most, and do on occasion work for/with builders on such projects in addition to all of your repaint work. If approached by a builder to do a number of frames - perhaps a series if you will, not identical but certainly of the same theme - would you be interested in this? Does the idea of painting a number of similar frames with some shared attributes appeal to you, or do you really feel you work best with single frames?

[velocolour]

Now my question, for now anyway: you've said you enjoy the individual projects the most, and do on occasion work for/with builders on such projects in addition to all of your repaint work. If approached by a builder to do a number of frames - perhaps a series if you will, not identical but certainly of the same theme - would you be interested in this? Does the idea of painting a number of similar frames with some shared attributes appeal to you, or do you really feel you work best with single frames?

Hey Jeff, good to hear from you.
I have never been one for numbers. When I was making pots it was the same way. I was good at the production stuff, fast and proficient, but I got bored easily. I wanted to keep moving and knew then as I know now that high production isn't my thing. Sometimes you just have to make cash and for ceramics that's sometimes what you have to do. I have plenty of work and can do it as I like it. But the one of stuff comes with its own problems. Constantly coming up with new designs is time consuming and can sometimes take the focus away from just getting work done. It also means you're never comfortable. You're always trying to keep up and figure out how things are going to work. Of course this comes with experience as well.
Working on a series is something I have thought about previously, something using a common thread to tie it all together. Every idea can go in ten different directions so something like that would let you work each one out just a bit without re-inventing yourself every time. If a builder approached me with this in mind sure I would be excited to take it on and work with them to make it happen. A small run 3,4,5 frames with variation would be the best of both worlds.
Thanks for the question Jeff.