David UHL's Exclusive Artwork For The 110th Harley-Davidson Europe Celebration in Rome

We are here in Rome for Harley-Davidson's 110th European Celebration, June 13 to 16 that promises to be uniquely Roman, right down to a "Blessing of the Bikes" by Pope Francis at Saint Peter's Square in the heart of Vatican City.

Official oil painter for Harley-Davidson, David Uhl created this stunning portrait of a 48' Panhead entitled "Chance Encounter" for the event. Participants will be able to buy a postcard print for 15 Euros to commemorate the 110th -- and you can purchase a limited edition print of the painting now through August at the David Uhl Studio website: www.uhlstudios.com.

A series of unique Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary activities will take place across multiple sites in Rome for motorcycle enthusiasts and fans to experience and explore including a 3,000-strong bike parade through the historic streets of Rome on Saturday and a bike blessing by Pope Francis on Sunday at Vatican City. For more information on the Harley-Davidson 110th anniversary celebration in Rome, please visit: www.harley-davidson.com

Here are a few sightseeing pictures... Enjoy.

Roma sits on seven hills, lined with sculptured pines. A transportation route known as the GRA circles the city.

More than 1,400 Harley-Davidson motorcycles are expected to arrive Sunday, June 16, 2013
  to Vatican City for a "Blessing of the Bikes" by Pope Francis.

Friday Mass at St. Peter's Basilica  will be attended by 2,000 HD owners.
Blessing of the bikes in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City - This traditional blessing is normally open to the public, who arrive on foot to St. Peter's Square. But 1,400 lucky owners of Harley-Davidson motorcycles will win the opportunity to bring their own bikes to Piazza San Peter. 

The road leading to St. Peter's Square and Via della Conciliazione, will be closed and will be available for the parking of motorcycles only on the day of blessing.

Trevi Fountain is in the historic downtown district, about a 40 minute walk east of Vatican City.

Bikes are everywhere in Rome year round because they are easier to maneuver in traffic and easier to park. 

Picture of the marble statues that circle the playing field at the stadium in Rome, built to host the 1960 Olympics.

The sports complex north of Rome is one of the major venues for the HOG Europe 110th.

Rome has clean water, rich in calcium and lots of public drinking fountains like this one designed by the sculptor Bernini -- you just dip your hands under the flow of water and grab a sip.

We traveled 30 miles west of Rome to Ostia on the Mediterranean.

Ostia - the beach of Rome - will be the starting point of Saturday's parade of 3,000 motorcycles into the historic city of Rome -- or as we say "Roma".

David Uhl's Newest Pin-Up Girl Comes To Daytona Bike Week

The 70th Daytona Bike Week is just around the corner – March 4 to 13, 2011 and I can’t wait to see David Uhl’s Vintage Pin-up Series.

David is always set up in front of Destination Daytona and you can usually catch him working on his latest series of paintings. His vintage pin-up series pays tribute to his favorite pin-up artist, Gil Elvgren.

The paintings have a simpler, lighter background that was the popular choice of most traditional pin-up artists.

His previous 4 pin-up prints sold out in a matter of hours. His newest offering is “Clothing Optional,” now available as a hand-signed, numbered canvas print edition. Each print comes beautifully framed with a certificate of authenticity.

I am also looking forward to meeting the  MeanStreet Riders, a group of musician song writers, who ride together. They did the music behind a David UHL video.



Last year, it was "Stella" who came to Daytona Bike Week 2010 with David UHL

Born in a small fishing village in Michigan, David Uhl earned a scholarship to attend the Colorado Institute of Art. An avid Harley owner since 1988, Uhl's passion would soon coincide with his artistic talent. Harley-Davidson Motor Company executives recognized David's creative talents and introduced him to Segal Fine Art, a licensed publisher of Harley-Davidson fine art. 

David spends endless hours in the Harley-Davidson Archives researching vintage photos to use as reference for his official fine art paintings. Captivated by the extraordinary history of the Motor Company, David's desire is to memorialize the legacy.

Sturgis Painting by David Uhl Celebrates 70th Anniversary

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”.

For further details, visit uhlstudios.com.

David Uhl & MeanStreet Riders - Daytona Bike Week 2010

Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010 - Temperatures at Daytona Bike Week were in the 40s this morning, with a light rain due to pass by late morning. But tomorrow will be a sunny day and a good riding day with temperatures in the 60s -- possibly a good day for the Meanstreet Riders to visit Harley-Davidson commissioned artist, David Uhl, who is painting in front of Destination Daytona.

The MeanStreet Riders' song “ High on the Hog” from their upcoming album was featured on a video created by Uhl to introduce his latest painting in the "Women of Harley" series - "Stella." 

So, enjoy a listen and watch the latest Uhl painting come to life before your eyes.

Go here to purchase "High On The Hog"


INTRODUCING STELLA - There's a new girl in town

Uhl Studios

The MeanStreet Riders are still finishing up their LP and video for early summer, but they are at Daytona Bike Week and a few of the riders are expected to come by and say hello to David Uhl.

Born in a small fishing village in Michigan, David Uhl earned a scholarship to attend the Colorado Institute of Art. An avid Harley owner since 1988, Uhl's passion would soon coincide with his artistic talent. Harley-Davidson Motor Company executives recognized David's creative talents and introduced him to Segal Fine Art, a licensed publisher of Harley-Davidson fine art.
 
David spends endless hours in the Harley-Davidson Archives researching vintage photos to use as reference for his official fine art paintings. Captivated by the extraordinary history of the Motor Company, David's desire is to memorialize the legacy.

The MeanStreet Riders music group was formed in the fall of 2008 when a group of songwriters from NW Florida spent 4 days in NC riding some of the worlds most challenging and dangerous roads.


The members of the Rock band include Shannon Wallace, Dowlin Mayfield, Blair Colson and Tommy Dawson.