Mornington artist/illustrator Russell Murchie is a raconteur of motorcycle culture. He’s owned 32 different bikes in 29 years and is now on his 12th Harley Davidson. Sounds like a lot, but not out of the ordinary if you’re a diehard motorcycle enthusiast.
In his time, he has met thousands of motorcyclists from dirt bikers and sport bike riders to Harley aficionados and bikie club members ranging from the mild to the wild. He mixes with ease and confidence because they like his art, share his enthusiasm for riding, and speak a common language.
Perth-born Russell loved to draw as a boy. His father was an engineer. The family moved a lot. But wherever they went, he could always carry his artwork with him. As an only child, he spent a lot of time lost in his drawings. His grandmother was a well-known ceramics painter but, outside of that, he was a bit of a black sheep as an artist in the family.
Russell grew up reading a lot of science fiction and comic books. The futuristic drawings really fired his imagination. He also loved fantasy writing and the other-worldly illustrations that often accompanied it. Both brought him into new and imagined worlds.
American artist Frank Frezetta, often referred to as the ‘Godfather of fantasy art’, had an indelible influence on Russell. Other influences were the black and white photographers of the 1930s, such as Americans Edward Weston and Ansel Adams ,and German-American Horst P. Horst who shot for Vogue, as well as 1960s and 70s counter-culture psychedelic art.
Russell was first exposed to what he calls ‘real art’ when he took weekend courses at the former Royal College of the Arts in Canberra when he was 10. Years later, he started a Bachelor of Arts in Commercial Photography at RMIT, but left after two years realising studio photography wasn’t his thing. He moved on to become a film projectionist with Village Cinemas at the Jam Factory in South Yarra.
In 1986, he started working in computer graphics and has always had a hand in it. His professional life has included many unusual projects like drawing robots for Melbourne House. That company morphed into Atari where he was a digital artist for many years. Russell travelled to the USA to work on the gaming version of The Matrix. These were the days when teams were small and creativity was high.
When he was 30, Russell fell in love with music. He played countless live shows, toured and worked as a studio musician for ten years before putting down his bass guitar. Each iteration of his professional life brought him into contact with creative thinkers. Through it all, he continued drawing.
What makes his work stand out is that he draws free-hand; he’s come full circle from his digital background. Now, he only produces old-school analogue drawings. Russell does a lot of commission work. His favourite commissions are the ones where he is given free creative reign. He’s often asked to just create ‘a cool poster’. There’s always more to it for Russell. “I want to tell a story with my work and to capture a feel,” he says.
Russell’s art is a real niche field. “I create motorcycle art, but I see it as a vehicle for character. Generally, there is a lot more going on in the image. It’s about the people, not just the bike,” he says. Russell enjoys motorcycle art because, like their bikes, motorcyclists have a very individual style in the way they act and dress. He likes to bring that individuality to light.
“I work with colour, line, shape and texture in a limited palette of three to five colours to keep focus on the image”.
“I work with colour, line, shape and texture in a limited palette of three to five colours to keep focus on the image. I’m not really a colour person. I harken back to my days of black and white photography and that’s really the way I see an image. I like working in a limited structure,” he says. He uses brush and ink and screen printing to achieve his effect.
Russell travels the world to expositions and exhibitions, connecting with like-minded people. Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and the US all have huge custom-vintage bike cultures. His art is very popular overseas. After ten years of praise and appreciation in other countries, he’s thrilled that his work is being recognised and admired in Australia.
The irk of motorcycle art as ‘low brow’ is gone. Like tattoo art, which he also dabbled in, this bespoke form is well-respected. And it’s fun to create. Russell loves the movement, swooping curves and the journey of the line. “Bikes are an interesting shape and they have lots of interesting shapes within them. They are filled with bits and pieces. I like that,” he says.
When he’s not creating, he enjoys riding his Harley through Red Hill, Flinders and the back roads of the Mornington Peninsula. Next, he’d like to exhibit the artwork he has created over the past ten years and hopefully attract new fans to this unique art form.
IG: @russell.murchie
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