If you want grandfather’s 1925 Scott immortalised, an image of your favourite all-time racer in action, or even a painting of your own, rather unextraordinary bike, Andy Crabb is the man you need to talk to.

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Andy, a resident of Cannock, in the West Midlands, spent most of his working life as a fork-lift engineer, but when he was made redundant about 4 years ago, he decided to invest  more time in his painting, a hobby he had taken up many years ago when he was off work with a broken arm.

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A lifetime motorcycle fanatic, his father had been a dispatch rider in WW2 and a good trials rider, Andy really got interested in motorcycle sport when big brother Barrie, went scrambling in the AMCA back in the 1960s and he would tag along. Though not an off-road performer himself, Andy has always had road bikes. However, in recent years Andy, in company with Barrie and a few of his friends, tried his hand at trials riding as a member of the Acorns MCC. A 250 Dot was soon replaced by a very neat Rob Homer Bantam in April 2016, but this in turn has recently been replaced by a TY 175 Yamaha. Andy likes to tell people; “I have a promising trials career behind me!”

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I first became aware of Andy’s talent when he started posting examples of his work on the social media and I’ve watched with interest as he has progressively honed his technical skills. As he is working on a project, he often posts photos of the various stages of the process; his initial sketch, followed by the introduction of colour, right through to adding the final touches. 

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                                                           A water colour of Triss Sharp takes shape

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Andy is building an impressive portfolio and can offer a number of prints at very reasonable prices. However, he is increasingly being requested to produce original artwork including commissions from Europe and the USA, which is where I come in. Back in November last year, I sent Andy an old, faded photo that I had long admired. It depicts Arthur Lampkin, Dave Bickers and Jeff Smith, side by side by side at Hawkstone Park, in March 1962. Though beautifully composed the photograph was slightly flawed as it was not perfectly focused. However, for me it perfectly illustrates that era, when these three giants of the sport dominated racing, not only on home soil but also throughout Europe. Andy was confident that he could do a good job of bringing the big three into focus and set me the task of providing him with some colour references, especially for their riding gear.

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I was amazed how quickly Andy progressed with the project; within a few hours I had received his initial sketch and over the following few days saw the work coming to life. “It always helps if I’m painting something that interests me.” Andy told me. I guess this one did just that!

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                                               After an initial sketch, Andy begins to add some colour.

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In late December I drove up to Cannock to collect my wonderful piece of original Andy Crabb artwork. Prospective customers don’t have to do this as he is more than happy to post work out be it to Birmingham, West Midlands, or Birmingham, Alabama. The watercolour, which I have christened ‘The Unholy Trinity ’, now hangs proudly on the wall just outside my bedroom and it is one of the first things I see on waking each day.

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A commissioned work on A3 paper will cost you £100, complete with a Certificate of Authenticity , and in my opinion is money very well spent and prints of non-commissioned work are available for as little as £10 (plus P&P). Andy’s work is not restricted to motorcycles and motorcycle racing, however, and various paintings that tend to be of nostalgic themes such as street scenes, prominent buildings, classic cars and many other forms of transport have been displayed in several exhibitions locally. 

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             Andy captures Joel Robert and Torsten Hallman doing battle at the 1967 250cc British GP.

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For more information visit Andy’s Webpage: https://andycrabb.wordpress.com/paintings/ or Facebook page: https://andycrabb.wordpress.com/paintings/  

 

Update: Since writing this profile (in 2017) Andy has gone from strength to strength and his work has taken on a global audience. He has also been bitten by the Classic Scrambles bug and has taken part in his first event on an early 1980s 250 CZ with the Acorns MCC. Wishing you good luck with the scrambling Andy, and continued success with your artwork.