Dream 103

Name: Dream 103
Brand: A.D. Cook

2016, 24″ x 36″, acrylic on specially-prepared canvas

Some stories are told in ink. Some are told in paint.

Skin and Bones

I created DREAM 103 especially for the SKIN AND BONES Exhibit at the 2016 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

One afternoon in the summer of 2016, motorcycle photographer Micheal Lichtner and I were chatting about art and motorcycles. He mentioned that he was putting together his annual exhibit at the Buffalo Chip.

Michael mentioned that the exhibit’s theme was to be Skin & Bones. Skin, to represent tattoos, and bones to represent motorcycles. He asked if I had any pieces that featured both of those. I didn’t.

I’ve seen that over and over throughout the years. As a young man, I considered becoming a tattoo artist. My art took me in another direction. First, as a graphic designer, then as a wall artist/muralist for Hollywood Video, and then on to my epic motorcycle paintings.

Today, my art embodies my passion for America’s motorcycles and the lifestyle they inspire. Like tattoos, my paintings tell stories of individuality, freedom, and remembrance.

Tattoos are a Healing Form of Art

Aside from cave paintings and early wall art, tattoos are among the earliest art forms. We collect them to celebrate our passions, spirituality, and memories and mark accomplishments. Each shares a story and connects us to one another.

I got my first tattoo in 2007. After considering it for a long time, I knew it had to be something profound that meant enough to me to wear for the rest of my life. After all, tattoos are a permanent statement.

When my father passed away in 2001, I knew I wanted to somehow pay homage to him through art. Since I had considered getting a tattoo for years, it seemed like the obvious choice, but it took me a while after his passing to resolve how I would commemorate his memory. We shared a passion for motorcycles and often rode together. He was a charismatic man of optimism, creativity, and new beginnings. In many ways, was a Phoenix.

My ink needed to be a joyous remembrance and unforgettable. I decided on a mighty Phoenix symbolizing my birthplace, where my father’s journey ended, and my rise from the ashes to a new beginning. And while he is long gone, my ink is a daily reminder to be the best new me each day.

The original painting is in a private collection.

DREAM 103 PROVENANCE

Currently on tour with the LUSTER: Realism and Hyperrealism in Contemporary Automobile and Motorcycle Painting Exhibition, 2018-2023
Skin & Bones Motorcycle and Art Exhibition at Buffalo Chip 2016
My First Art NFT

Luster Exhibition

LUSTER: Realism and Hyperrealism in Contemporary Automobile and Motorcycle Paintings

Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, cars and motorcycles have been ubiquitous on the nation’s streets and highways and in the film, top forty hits, and in painting. With the emergence of photo-realism in the 1960s, motor vehicles assumed a special place of distinction as subject matter in American art’s iconography.

Since Dream 103‘s creation in the summer of 2016, the original artwork has been showcased throughout the United States, starting in Sturgis, SD, for the SKIN & BONES Exhibit. Shortly after, the painting has been traveling with the Luster Exhibition and has been featured at the Museum Of Arts And Sciences (MOAS), Dane G. Hansom Memorial Museum, Maria V. Howard Arts Center, The Evelyn Burrow Museum, Saginaw Art Museum, Sangre De Cristo Arts & Conference Center, Haggin Museum, The Morris Museum of Art, The Michelle and Donald D’Amour Museum Of Fine Arts, The Ella Carothers Dunnegan Gallery of Art, Art Museum of South Texas, at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum.

Dream 103 is currently exhibiting at the Museum of the Rockies through May 1, 2022.