Give Me Speed.

Started getting back to blogging in a different way.

Most of what I enjoy revolves around art and riding motorcycles. Recently I began riding on track to try and pursue racing as a hobby. Track day riding and high performance riding in general is so much more difficult than I could have imagined. It is so addictive.

To find out more about that, visit my new(ish) blog.

Give Me Speed

Here's one of the latest pics from a trip to the track...

35mm Film Camera Photos

I've had a Canon Powershot for years. Just a little thing to throw in my bag when I go out for rides and I typically used it for quick snapshots to use as reference for later art projects. I think it finally died the other day. I added fresh batteries, a new SD card, and turned it on and nothing happened.

Dammit.

Then I found a cardboard box with a bunch of cameras in it! Huzzah!
The camera that I'm using now is an old 70s Pentax MX 35mm SLR. It's nice and easy, and it even had two lenses and the instruction manual in the box with it. Flippin' sweet!

After purchasing a few rolls of film, 2 black and white and 3 color film negative, I had the colors developed and am trying to find somewhere to have the B&W film developed. In the meantime, here are some of the photos that I had taken on the color rolls...

P.S. These are my photos, so if you want to repost them to anywhere, that's totally cool, just make sure that you credit me as the photographer. That's all, carry on :)

The new motorcycle, the Hell Kitty, also had it's portrait taken...

Crash, Bang, Boom!

Around the last time that I had posted here to the blog, I had been feeling kind of odd. Not sick, not unhealthy, but definitely not as sharp as I was used to feeling. So on a nice, breezy Saturday afternoon I decided against my better judgment that a motorcycle ride would be a good idea. "Maybe it'll help me get back into a rhythm. Plus it's nice outside, and I can stop off for lunch somewhere," is what I had thought to myself.

That, as it turns out, was a horrible plan. I was traveling northbound on my local two lane highway and got into an accident at highway speeds. Totally my fault, not gonna get into how or why it happened, but rest assured I was not revving at old ladies or trying to wheelie past police officers. I was being well behaved and cruising around like a good boy and just had a bout of crappy luck that day.

Myself and my trusty SV that I've had since it was new in 2007 made contact with the car and were separated. I can tell you that having an accident is no fun, and being virtually unprotected while your place in space is completely unknown to you is even less so. I was wearing full body armor from head to toe, a full face helmet, and proper boots and gloves. All the gear however didn't stop my mind from thinking a million "last thoughts" at once....

Here's a taste of my train of thought...

"SHIT!"
"I got this!"
"I don't got this!"
"Where's my bike?"
"I hope my bike doesn't fall on me"
"Is that the sky?"
"That's the sky spinning... I'm spinning?"
"Yup, definitely spinning."
"Where did my bike go, again?"
"What's on my back?"
"Oh, that's ground. I'm probably sliding."
"Yup, sliding."
"I stopped?"
"Oh crap, I hope I'm not dead."
"Wiggling fingers and toes... if I'm dead, at least I'm not paralyzed."
"Wait, that doesn't make sense... I'm gonna take a look."
"I'M ALIVE!"

That my friends is what goes through your mind during a motorcycle accident. I was extremely lucky. A few women from across the street said they saw me fly through the air, hit the ground and roll to my back, and then slide between a telephone pole and a guide wire (said telephone pole is what stopped my motorcycle from coming after me). I got up, apologized to the driver and gave him my information, police showed up and I was issued a ticket (fine police work, boys. Bravo), and then finally coerced into going to the hospital, where I flirted with one nurse, received two Advil and some bandages, a pair of crutches that were missing screws, and then flirted with the nurse again.

Unfortunately the SV was totaled and later in the month it was hauled away. I started recovering and went back to work earlier than I probably should have. My left leg still had open wounds from car shrapnel and my knee and ankle didn't really work very well. I was worried about getting fired for missing work, so I sucked it up and went anyway.

Truth be told, I couldn't even look at a motorcycle without feeling nauseous. I've had accidents before in different cars, either as the driver or the passenger, and after the fact I considered it an adrenaline rush. It was fun. Now, I'm not a crazy person, I certainly don't like getting into traffic accidents or rolling over cars (which has happened), but I try to look on the bright side.

This motorcycle accident was not fun. I started looking for bikes and didn't care. It was such a draining feeling. I love motorcycles, I know I love motorcycles, I can't go without having a motorcycle.

That feeling finally went away when I found a 2006 Honda CBR600RR, which I've now affectionately named, "Hell Kitty."
This bike is terrifying, it's thrilling, it's fast, it's sexy, it's putting back into me what I lost when I killed my SV. I'm very pleased to have found her, I think she'll make a very good addition to the garage.

Black and White Garage Photos

It occurred to me the other day that I've wandered far and away from Photography in the past while. I haven't thought about it much since the Tesla project. I've never considered myself a photographer, just someone that likes to play with cameras... who also owns Photoshop... and went to Art school...

Okay, so maybe I'm gloating a little bit. I really don't consider myself a photographer, but I am pretty happy with the end results in the photos! Take a look-see, some of these will be for sale a little later in the Etsy Store. Until then, feel free to e-mail me if you'd like to request one :)

E-Mail: zenangel13@gmail.com

Gas Mask

Honda Dream

Honda V-Twin Cafe Racer, courtesy of Saint Motor Company

Honda V-Twin Cafe Racer, courtesy of Saint Motor Company

Honda V-Twin Cafe Racer, courtesy of Saint Motor Company

Honda V-Twin Cafe Racer, courtesy of Saint Motor Company

Honda V-Twin Cafe Racer, courtesy of Saint Motor Company

Honda V-Twin Cafe Racer, courtesy of Saint Motor Company

Honda XR650L, courtesy of Saint Motor Company

Junk Drawer

Junk Drawer

Junk Drawer

Engine Screws.... and more Junk

British and Japanese Axles

Ratchets

Yamaha Seca and Honda Goldwing

Sockets

Sockets

Sockets

Sockets

Vice Grips

Work Bench

Work Bench

Wrenches

All of the above images are the intellectual property of Kyle Yarrington (me). Don't plagiarize me or edit my name off the photo. I will find you, and I will destroy you. However these works are published under a Creative Commons License, which allows you to share these images with your friends, family, or the rest of the internet (provided the image is unedited, credited to me, and not used for any commercial purpose).  If you can adhere to these rules, then you will be sent hugs, kittens, and good vibrations via USPS.

There, I have made jargon :)

Gas Mask

"Gas Mask"

12" x 18"

Watercolor and India Ink

on Cold Press Watercolor Paper (140lb / 300g)

Now for sale in the Etsy Store!

One Done Overnight

I've had a bit of trouble sleeping in the past few weeks. I won't get into why as it's not that thrilling of a reason, pretty normal for this day and age I would guess. So, in spite of my bouts of insomnia, I decided that it would be prudent of me to do something productive with my extra hours. Instead of pacing around the house and having conversations with the cats and dogs, I painted this piece. It's a triceratops skull (I know you know, we've all seen "The Land Before Time", or at the very least, "Jurassic Park") with the important bits labeled in old-timey handwriting. I then "stained" the paper with watercolors to give it that parchment paper look. I may end up going back over some of the lines to make it pop out a little more, and add some white highlights for the sake of separating the skull from the neutral tone of the paper. That's all for now :)

Anatomy of a Triceratops' Skull

12" x 18"

Watercolor and Ink

on Watercolor Paper

Three New Paintings in the "Colors" Series

Here are three new paintings in the "Colors" series. Each one is 12" x 18" on watercolor paper, done in watercolor and ink (and colored pencil on the Deer Skull piece). Visit the link to see which ones are still available on Etsy :)

Two New Paintings. Starting the "Colors" Series

These paintings are new as of this week and are the second and third paintings in a series called "Colors". The first was "Retro Joe", which has already sold. These two paintings are now up for sale on Etsy :)

Butterfly Eyes

12" x 18"

Watercolor, Pencil, and Ink

on Watercolor Paper

"People are naturally organic just like Butterflies. We are all essentially the same at birth, but throughout our lives we develop our own personal tastes and characteristics, like butterfly wings."

Self Portrait 

12" x 18"

Watercolor, Pencil, and Ink

on Watercolor Paper

"It's imperative, every so often, to create something completely out of spontaneity. This piece had no plan except that it should be a portrait. Only through experimentation and quick thinking were the fundamentals of art considered and implemented."

Retro Joe

New Painting! Woo-Hoo!!

I'm calling it "Retro Joe" because I based this off of a photo of a man who's identity is still unknown to me.
The painting is watercolor and ink on paper, which measures 12 inches x 18 inches. I really like the look of the motorcycle racers from the early 1900s through the early 1950s. The clothes and gear were typically handmade, and not many racers were sponsored by high-dollar companies, most did the prep work themselves in barns or sheds with their friends. If a bike broke down on the side of the road during a race, then the rider would pull out his tool kit and try to fix the bike before the other racers could pass (it was okay if they did, because chances are they would break down at some point too).

It's because of men like the one in this picture, and the work of himself and others like him, that modern motorcycles are more powerful and efficient than they have ever been, and that we as riders have better protective and safety equipment than ever.

Brake Line Kit

Got a Galfer Superbike brake line kit in the mail the other day. They lines are easy enough to install on the bottom side where they meet the calipers. I still don't have a master cylinder or bars yet, so I'll have to get back to that before I can say it's easy or hard. (Looking at the instructions though, it seems pretty straightforward).

Painting the Fender - Part 2

After spraying a clear coat over the fender I had to start over. The clear paint I was using was incompatible with the black paint, so once it dried it turned white and looked really cloudy. I ran my finger across it and in came off like dust in some spots. So I sanded it off and began again.

Here's the cloudy fender after the clear coat had dried...

I sanded the fender, cleaned it off with mild detergent and rinsed it with water. I started spraying it again with a semi-flat black (just a hair less glossy than the satin I started with) and eventually after a few coats it came out looking like this...

And here it is mounted on the front end that will eventually go on the SV...

I'm happy with the end result. This was the first time that I had painted anything larger than a small piece of metal, and the texture is relatively smooth and pretty uniform throughout. All in all I'll call that a win, and a small step forward towards making my little Suzuki a bit more attractive :)