Saturday Night, Sunday Morning

Comet Classics - Ace Café Mural - April 2015

One of the things I like best about working on murals is meeting people. And this was great fun, this one. There was a fellah working there as a sort of 'part-time mechanic'*, working on restoring and refurbishing some of the old bikes as they came up for sale. He was apparently supposed to be at 'work' - wherever that was; and he had loads of great stories about motorbikes, boats, breakers yards and all manner of things. What the truth of any of it was, is irrelevant, but we had a laugh.

The showroom began as the 'hobby'* of two gentlemen, one 'retired'*, the other, the owner of a car paintwork care business. Comet started out as their private classic and vintage motorbike collections, and has steadily grown into a nice little business. Check out the website; Comet Classics.

They'd seen what I'd done at Trojan Cars showroom and wanted something relevant to give some interest to what was otherwise a blank white cube; to add some context to the outstanding machines and automobilia, and evoke something of the halcyon days of the 'ton-up boys', greasy spoons and rock and roll. 

The Ace Café London opened originally in 1938 between Willesden and Sudbury, and is to this day, an iconic (and I don't use this word lightly), place. It has been synonymous with motorbikes and bikers for over fifty years. Sadly, the area where the building stands now is something like an airport carpark to look at. Bland industrial, and out of the way since the North Circular was rebuilt as a modern motorway 200 yards to the east. So we've shifted it a bit, to somewhere slightly more, er - romanticised... 

The owners also wanted themselves included - and I'll be the first to admit, I'm no Rembrandt when it comes to painting a portrait. In fact I'm barely a Francis Bacon or Franz Kline either, but I did my best and breeze block as a surface is very forgiving - hides many sins (but not quite all...)

But for the over all look of the thing, the disparate elements and way it's come together, I'm pleased with it.