Recon | Valenti Original Art Print

Seasons change. I have always been a big fan of cyclocross, and an even bigger fan of riding alone in the woods. So to say the change of seasons from road cycling to cyclocross is important to me would be an understatement. This new painting – “Recon” was a departure of sorts for me. First given it’s size, it’s much larger than I usually work. 72×48 inches is a full sofa size painting. And it’s horizontal. While being horizontal doesn’t sound like it should be a departure, it is for me. Of the hundreds of posters, paintings and drawings I’ve done over the past ten years the horizontal orientation doesn’t show up very often. Vertical is my most comfortable space. So here we are with a departure, a new painting on new ground. A large landscape of brightly colored trees on an autumn day with a cyclist riding through the painting. Wild stuff indeed. And if you’re still not convinced its a departure for my work, the painting attempts to portray a real moment, an actual event – a scene of a lone cyclocross rider taking a recon lap before a race. In the Belgian national jersey, a favorite. “Recon” the original painting has already been sold, it was bought before it even got off the easel. But I’m happy to say the prints are available. Artist Michael Valenti