Here's how Rich carefully answered Cloud9's nose-poking:
So, who have we heard of that you count amongst your clients?
My very first acquisition was none other than Troy Bayliss in the year that he became BSB Champion. I was actually at a crisis point in my life at the time. 20 yers of age with a very uncertain future due to a motocross injury and in the midst of trying to make a decision if to continue my education or start my own business.
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| Troy Bayliss- BSB Design |
Troy came along with the gentle push of Ken Summerton of Tru-Track suspension and the rest is history so to speak! He kind of single handedly turned my life around really. In becoming the Champion that year this in turn led AXO Sport, who was Troy's Helmet and leather sponsor to enquire about my services as a freelance designer for the following year. Of course I had to think about this for all of a few milliseconds and before I knew I was reeling off drafts for the following years production models and a new race replica for Neil Hodgson who won the BSB championship the following year.
The client list has been pretty long but the more notable ones would be James Toseland, Jonny Rea, Leon Haslam, James Ellison, Colin McRae, Carl Fogarty, John McGuiness and of course Cal Crutchlow ......oh and the odd request by Royalty!
Do you ride motorcycles?
I did ride for a number of years back in the heyday! Between the ages of 5 and 21. I raced motocross and the last 2 years rode British Championship. It didn't go according to plan if I'm honest. I was either usually injured or engrossed in studying! I learnt very early on that your racing days were short lived and then you had the rest of your life to consider.
Racing as a privateer, especially in the UK is hard work even without injuries. I couldn't have done it without the support of my folks and various sponsors and the final injury was the straw that broke the camel’s back in the finish. In some respects it was a positive outcome. If I hadn't have been forced to quit then I very likely wouldn't be doing what I do now.......on the other hand I really do miss racing and living the dream! I ride and race bicycles now which is a great substitute!
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| Colin McRae's Rich-Art helmet |
What's the most obscure thing you've been asked to paint on a lid?
There have been many strange requests to be honest over the years.....some of which I have chosen to go with and others which are probably unmentionable that I haven't! From pictures of deceased loved ones to naked girls the list goes on! One request that stood out was a jar of Marmite. It actually ended up looking really cool as the entire helmet looked as though it had been splattered with the stuff and the distinctive logo on the rear. Very distinctive and I'm sure would split opinions....much like the product itself!
What's your most famous lid and which one are you most proud of?
I guess this one answers both parts to this question. It would have to be The Cal Crutchlow design. Now that Cal has cemented himself as one of the 'Aliens' it is generating so much interest and media coverage and of course I am proud of this. Obviously without Cal's notoriety, huge talent and success that design would never have received as much exposure as it has. Therefore it's success owes everything to the man that wears it!
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| Crutchlow's British GP lid |
Honestly, not many places at all really! This job has no glamour attached to it. Obviously there is the odd post-race party and shindig that happens here and there but I don't think that Rich-Art is high on the agenda of 'must have' invitations for most guest lists! I'm just a dude who paints helmets but I'm certainly no Alberto Drudi or Troy Lee.......or chief blagger for that matter!
Arai have always been very accommodating towards me or maybe they just tolerate me! But I have had a great relationship with them over the years and I think that relationship has been based on trust and reliability from both sides. It's certainly something that I am very proud of and feel honoured and fortunate to have had.
Is a painted lid (by you!) generally tougher (paint wise) than an off the shelf lid- if so, why?
Generally yes. Most helmets receive 6-8 coats of quality 2K lacquer. This is very versatile and pretty resilient. To produce manufactured helmets with the same finish would be impossible. It's just too time consuming and expensive. I also deal with a product called Ventureshield which is a bit of a revelation in all honesty. It provides an extra protective layer similar to vinyl and is applied to the areas most vulnerable to stone chips and abrasions. It's a product that I supply/fit if requested by the customer and recommend very highly.
What retro biking designs do you admire? Have they influenced any of your work?
I guess they have in a way but then again I think that it has influenced the whole of the painting fraternity. The Cafe racer style and certainly the great bold race graphics of the 70's and 80's made a huge mark. Nothing stands out quite like the Yamaha Speed Blocks circa Kenny Roberts.
It looks as class today as it did back then which is why Drudi's reincarnation was so stunning and so successful on the Edwards Laguna Seca replica. The Easy rider influence has never tired either and I'm really hoping that Arai put the recent Nicki Hayden design into production!
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| McPint's 2010 TT helmet |
It's very simple really. Every painter likes to work with their own methodology and I am no different. For me the customer’s involvement is key. The less guess work I have to do the better really as then the whole nervous anticipation of whether or not the end result will be well received or not is taken out of the equation.
Also this is their little piece of individuality. Something they can be proud of and therefore it's important that it’s a collaboration rather than solely my interpretation or bias. The customer’s ideas can certainly be provided as a rough illustration and I do provide templates for this or sometimes a phone call or emailed description can be enough to produce a visual. I've had many a biro scribble on the back of a cigarette packet sent to me before!
If someone submits an awfully poor design do you grit your teeth and paint it- or do you improve and change it?
A bit of both! My teeth have been slowly ground down over the years but as mentioned previously the customer’s involvement is key! I try to offer suggestions or gently persuade using my humble but honest opinion and usually even the most certain customers come around to your way of thinking.
I have the ability to visualise and see the design in my imagination. I can rotate it, see it from every angle in my mind’s eye so I can generally tell if a suggestion is going to work or not. If it's going to look a pile then I will say so and guide/steer as best I can.....but you can only do so much! the majority are very understanding and realise that I am doing my job and through experience I have learnt what makes for a success and a failure and therefore they give me as much scope as I want. When a job like that comes along it certainly makes the work more pleasurable and everything crossed results in a happy customer!
What's the next big thing in lid designs- or is 'Monster' still very in?
Well this is a tricky question. I am many things but a psychic I am not! Right now it is hard to say as fashions change so frequently. The everyday high street is full of nearly every style and trend known to man and helmet design is very similar. If there is something that you like then it can be acquired. At the moment the current trend is quite minimalist really. Due to the economic climate sponsorship in racing is hard to come by so many riders are using their helmets to promote sponsors more increasingly. It makes sense but obviously the individuality is impacted.
White is still hugely popular as too the matte finish that you see so frequently amongst the race paddock. I think over the next couple of years the current clean, blocky and logo influenced designs will stay around. Flouro colours are in vogue, particularly yellow- and that's not just because of the #46 but because it's just a really popular colour right now. I think that race designs will continue to be heavily influenced by the Retro era which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. These designs never age and suit the majority.
The Monster design I am very receptive to. It does complicate matters with corporate influence, after all a helmet is only so big and these corporates pay colossal amounts of money for the privilege of such exposure but equally they do add vibrancy. I cannot begin to impress on how many enquiries I have each week on painting energy drink logos or utilising them in designs. Unfortunately this just isn't possible due to copyright stipulations but it does show just how popular they are. For as long as these companies keep throwing the money at this sport those logos will always be 'in' and without these brands there very likely would be no racing.
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| Dan Cooper's Help for Heroes Design |
How long does it take to paint a lid, from start to finish?
Very much depends on the complexity of the design. On average 2hrs to prep, 20-60hrs to paint and around another 2-4hrs to detail and re-assemble. Not all in one hit though! I generally have 4-5 lids on the go at any one time and each is left to stand for 2 days halfway though and a further 2 days on paintwork completion in order for the lacquer to cure. It's a long drawn out process but without taking the time the end result would be compromised. Anyway I was never very fond of sleeping!
What else have you painted, apart from lids?
Well pretty much if it stands still I've been asked to paint it! Guitars, complete bikes and bicycle frames as well as console covers and surf boards etc. I try to stick with what I know really. Honestly I am not a talented enough artist to venture away from what I feel comfortable with. I have a certain style which lends itself to race oriented graphics so I generally do not try to dress up my abilities for something that they are not tailored to. There are many other painters out there with oodles of natural raw talent that can paint just about anything in any style conceivable but I am not one of them! (Yes you are! C9b)
If you're a big bike fan, what's the coolest era for bikes and what's your favourite one?
I am a huge fan of bikes! I am 33 years of age now so I've seen a few 'eras'! But I would have to say for me the coolest era is right now. Honestly we live in a world which has seen so much gone before us. Back in the 80's we hadn't seen the influence of the #46 or the #69 for instance.
Therefore we have seen all of what the previous decades had to offer and we can, if we want, bring it all back into the present. The simplicity of the 80's I really like but through reinvention it is still very much alive!
Finally, what do you get up to when you're not painting?
When I'm not being creative I'm trying to do as much as I can to escape it! Personally I find that creation comes from a free mind and that can only happen when you have switched off and allowed yourself to be stimulated by something other.
I ride my bicycles..... a lot! I've always trained hard right from the day I started racing a motorcycle 27 years ago. I would ride my BMX flat out to get stronger in order to ride my motorcycle faster! It didn't quite happen that way but the intention was there! I raced bicycles a few years ago and then through illness have had to take a break. Hopefully next year I'll be back and I must admit I almost love this sport as much as I did motocross.
Besides this though I spend time with the guys that made everything possible for me and got me through the not so smooth times. Friends and family of course are the only thing you have after all said and done so spending time with them is pretty important to me. Honestly I am pretty inquisitive so I like to try and experience as much as I can and while I am still young enough!
You can catch up with Rich on Twitter: @richartconcepts, on Facebook here and of course goold old fashioned website: www.richartconcepts.co.uk
As for Cloud9- www.facebook.com/cloud9bikes and @cloud9bikes on Twitter.
