David Uhl

David Uhl is an American artist who specializes in oil paintings of vintage Harley-Davidson motorcycles and is known for his Women of Harley-Davidson collection.[1][2]

David Uhl
BornSept. 20, 1961
Toledo, Ohio
MovementAmerican Romantic realism
Spouse(s)Elizabeth Uhl
Patron(s)Harley-Davidson

Career

David Uhl was born in Toledo, Ohio on Sept. 20, 1961 and was raised in Luna Pier, Michigan, where he was one of seven children.[2][3] He attended high school at St. John's Jesuit High School and Academy in Toledo. When Uhl was in high school, he planned to become a marine biologist. During classes, he had a habit of creating images with his ballpoint pen while taking notes. Eventually, he started selling his pictures to his classmates.[3] In 1979, Uhl applied for and received the only full-ride scholarship offered to a high school senior in the United States to the Colorado Institute of Art (CIA).[2] Uhl left the institute before completing his studies and became a freelance illustrator. His clients included Coca-Cola, Apple, IBM, Federal Express, and Time magazine.[3] He and Danial James Stuckenschneider founded Uhl Studios LLC in 1989.[4]

Uhl’s artistic focus started to shift after he purchased his first motorcycle in 1988 and was exposed to the culture of motorcycle enthusiasts during a ride to The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota.[5][6] While attending a dealer meeting in Boston, Uhl presented Harley officials with an image of the Harley Motors symbol superimposed on Mount Rushmore. As a result, Uhl landed an account creating images for Harley T-shirts in 1993.[3] He became Harley-Davidson’s first licensed oil painter in 1998.[7]

Uhl has become known for using black and white photos from the Harley-Davidson photo archive to create painted images of the company’s motorcycles with accurate colors and mechanical details. In 2013, he was commissioned by both Harley-Davidson and the Vatican to create paintings commemorating Harley-Davidson’s 110th anniversary celebration in Rome.[8] Uhl presented the piece Chance Encounter to Pope Francis and the Vatican during a private meeting. The painting depicts a group of clergy noticing a 1948 Harley-Davidson FL panhead while walking in St. Peter’s Square[7] and is now part of the Vatican’s art collection. The image is also sold as a commemorative postcard with a Pope Francis stamp. The Vatican Post Office designed a mark for the postcard based on Uhl’s painting.[9]

By 2013, Uhl had painted between 400 and 500 images depicting Harley-Davidson motorcycles.[10] He has been described as the "Norman Rockwell of Harley-Davidson artists" by Charles Osgood of CBS Sunday Morning.[1]

Collectors of Uhl’s work include Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler and former Tonight Show host Jay Leno.[8][9] In 2013, Uhl created a painting of Tyler riding through a crowd of paparazzi on a motorcycle. The Reckoning was made available as a limited-edition print to benefit DonorsChoose, an online charity that connects the requests of teachers in high-need communities with donors who want to help.[1]

Uhl also has created archival paintings for Shelby American and has done work on the history of wine making in Napa Valley, California. He was selected in 2011 to design the program cover for the 100th running of the Indy 500 on May 29, 2011.[11] His painting was inspired by a 1911 photo of the car race.[12]

Exhibits and Collections

Uhl launched his Women of Harley-Davidson collection in 1998 and adds a new painting every two years. His latest addition, Jessi, inspired by women who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, was released in 2014.[13]

Uhl’s artwork is displayed at Doubletake Gallery in Burnsville, Minnesota, and at David Uhl Studio in Golden, Colorado.[14][15]

His work has been in exhibits at the Marietta/Cobb Museum in Marietta, Georgia;[16] Shelby American Museum in Boulder, Colorado;[17] Antique Automobile Club of America Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania;[18] The Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, North Carolina;[19] Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana;[20] Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin;[3] Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado;[13] National WASP Museum, Sweetwater, Texas; Legends Vintage Motorcycle Museum, Springville, Utah; National Motorcycle Museum, Anamosa, Iowa; Sturgis Motorcycle Museum, Sturgis, South Dakota;[21] Chandler Vintage Museum of Transportation and Wildlife, Oxnard, California; and American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame Museum, Pickerington, Ohio.[22]

Personal life

Uhl lives and works in Golden, Colorado, and is married to Elizabeth Uhl. They have two children, Isabella and Sterling.[3]

Paintings
Name Year Reference
Change in the Weather 1998 First Painting for Harley-Davidson
Ruby 1998 First of Women of Harley-Davidson
The Enthusiast 2002 Harley-Davidson 100th anniversary
Willie G. Davidson 2005 Portrait donated to Muscular Dystrophy Association
Censored '33 2005 First Daytona Bike Week commemorative
Stranger in Town 2005 First Sturgis Rally commemorative
Ruth 2006 Women of Harley-Davidson, WASP tribute
Art of the Motorcycle 2006 Norman Rockwell Tribute
In Tune 2007 Elvis Presley
Evelyn 2008 Women of Harley-Davidson
Glorious Failure 2008 Indy 500 Program Cover
Brickyard Battles 2009 Last National Air Race 1949
Whiskey Business 2008 Inaugural MotoGP Race, Indy Motor Speedway
Cleveland '49 2009 Last National Air Race in 1949
Stella 2010 Women of Harley-Davidson
Bake 2010 Cannonball Endurance Run trophy
Clothing Optional 2010 Gil Elvgren tribute
Snake Oil 2011 Carroll Shelby tribute
Teenie 2011 Teenie Harris portrait
In the Beginning 2011 100th Anniversary Indy 500 Program Cover
Georgia Peach 2013 Warbird Nose Art
Steampunk Seduction 2013 Steampunk genre

References
  1. Huze, Cyril. "The Secret Life of David Uhl." Cyril Huze Post. May 25, 2011
  2. “Sexy Girls and David Uhl’s Classic Motorcycle Pin-Up Art" Archived 2014-07-15 at the Wayback Machine American Iron Magazine. May 29, 2014
  3. Layman Roman, Maryangela. "Harley Artist, God Ride Together" Catholic Herald. Aug. 22, 2013
  4. "About Danial" Uhl Studios website
  5. "About David" Uhl Studios website
  6. “20 Questions With Artist David Uhl" Quickthrottle.com. Dec. 2010
  7. Fliby, Julie. “'Norman Rockwell of Harley-Davidson’ paints for Pope” Catholic News Agency. Aug. 17, 2013
  8. Cravy, Katrina. “Artist commissioned by Harley, Vatican to paint 110th piece" Fox 6 Now. Aug. 30, 2013
  9. Mitchell, David. "“Colorado artist’s motorcycle paintings are world famous" Fox 31 Denver. Aug. 30, 2013
  10. Lawrence, Larry. "The Harley Painter." Cycle News. Mar. 12, 2013
  11. Moss, Greg. “Colorado man honored as Indy 500 artist” Archived 2014-06-05 at Archive.today 9 News KUSA-TV. May 2, 2011
  12. Leach, Gordy. “Gordy’s Garage: Indy 500 Art" CBS Minnesota. Apr. 12, 2011
  13. Anderson, Tim. “David Uhl’s Latest, ‘Jessi,’ A Colorado Project" Southwest Scooter News. Jan. 29, 2014
  14. “Artist’s Biography – David Uhl" Doubletake Gallery
  15. "David Uhl" Vintage Allies. Apr. 29, 2011
  16. "The Atlanta Nation"
  17. "David Uhl Motorcycle Art" David Uhl Fine Art World
  18. Sholly, Chris. “Indian motorcycle exhibit to open at AACA Museum in Hershey" Lebanon Daily News. Mar. 26, 2014
  19. "WTT Anniversary Celebration—July 5-9, 2012!” Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine Wheels Through Time. June 2012
  20. Patterson, Doug. “David Uhl’s ‘In The Beginning" OpenPaddock.net. Apr. 23, 2011
  21. Schmitt, Genevieve. “Editor’s Blog: Motorcycling Sidenotes, Week of January 23, 2012, Women and motorcycling history immortalized,” Women Riders Now. Jan. 23, 2012
  22. ""AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame"". Archived from the original on 2014-02-17. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
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