At first glance, it's easy to dismiss Endo Makoto's art as a bike-obsessed impersonation of Ralph Steadman. But hidden between the splashes and scrapes and frantic lines of his work lies an amazing attention to detail. And it's even more intriguing when you realize it's all done with chopsticks.
Makoto paints in his socks, with a blanket to cushion his knees, black and white ink as his medium, and a few pairs of chopsticks as his tools. But he's doing more than splashing paint onto six by four-foot canvases. He creates an outline, adds a flurry of sprinkles and splatters, then painstakingly drips and spreads the ink with deft swipes.
His subjects include the classics, like a stunning '47 Harley-Davidson knucklehead, and modern bikes like the sublime Ducati 900SS and retro-modern Indian Chief. His work is aimed at the type of people who know why those bikes are so beautiful.
"Humans can be distinguished into two types," Makoto says. "One rides a bike, the other does not. The one who rides doesn’t care how much it costs, or about pain or injury. I paint only for them."
He'll paint one for you, too, for $1,500 to $2,500. If that's too rich, you can get a print for $100 to $300. Want your own bike immortalized? Drop him a line and send him a photo.
Tell us what you think of our new gallery.
