If there is any single issue of this magazine I've ever worked on that I would consider "my baby," the Handbuilt Issue is it. I've always liked getting my hands dirty, and, as a working writer, there is nothing more wonderful than starting with a blank sheet of paper. Even if I use a laptop instead of cotton bond. So when we were staring at the theoretical blank page that would be the cover, I knew we had to do something different. Enter Ornamental Conifer, a.k.a. Nico Sclater, the 32-year-old artist who hand-painted on plywood the cover gracing this month's issue. I first saw Sclater's work when I'd sent Gary Inman to Spain to investigate this strange El Solitario phenomenon (February 2013). Sclater had hooked up with the crazy custom-building Spaniards to "paint whatever," his payment the cost of the flight, a bed to sleep in, and all the beer he could drink. Sclater has since built a strong reputation in motorcycling, his sense of mischief and humour (he's English, after all) coming through in his art, whether on bikes, skateboards, helmets, jackets, or general graphic work.
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