Written by Zack Boxx, curator of the Art and Fuel Exhibit and owner of Throttle Addiction.

It has been said that Born Free is sensory overload. With so many friends to catch up with, bikes to see, and vendors to browse, it’s hard to fit it all in and not feel like you missed out on something. I, for one, was relieved to have 2 days to lose my mind instead of just one. If you managed to make it to the far end of the show, you might have stumbled across a little gas tank exhibit called Art and Fuel. A few months back, the founders of Born Free were kind enough to entertain a simple idea I came up with: Give Throttle Addiction gas tanks to 8 world class painters and let them do their thing. Set them up in a fancy booth, give the painters the credit they deserve, and let the people vote on a winner. 7 painters were invited: Denis Babin, Gen Katsuragawa, Jack “Pacman” McCann, John “Harpoon” Harpov, Scott Takes, Pete “Hot Dog” Finlan, Scott Hoepker and the final painter was voted in by the Chop Cult faithful. The members chose Shawn Long from Imperial House 71 to represent them.   

Photos by Elvis Castillo

Hanging around the exhibit for 2 days, I had the pleasure of hearing the crowd’s continued amazement at the talent and skill that these guys possess. To make things a little interesting, we set up voting on Saturday and Denis Babin ran away with it. His cracked and patinated “old” paint stole the show and he walked away with $500 cash and prizes from our sponsors.

Denis Babin-The Reservation

Gen Katsuragawa - Love Ear Art

Jack “Pacman” McCann

John “Harpoon” Harpov

Scott Takes - Underground Art Studios

Pete “Hot Dog” Finlan

Scott Hoepker - Chemical Candy Customs

ChopCult member Shawn Long- Imperial House 71

I’d like to thank all the painters, Born-Free co-owners Mike Davis and Grant Peterson, everyone that voted, Chop Cult and our sponsors, Paint Huffer Metalflake, Dice Magazine and Mucho Moto for helping out. Also to Lisa Ballard for helping me bring this concept to life.

-Zach

www.throttleaddiction.com