Either
a work of art that can go very, very fast or a bicycle
that is a work of art, Hank Matheson has designed
and built a unique, race-ready bike (suitable for
Olympic competition) that he has donated specially
to this Oxbow annual benefit auction. Why? Well,
Hank is an Oxbow alumnus, a proud member of OS 5,
one of the first, pioneering classes of young artists
to discover art—and discover themselves—on
the banks of the Napa River. For Hank, the bicycles
he designs and races are both metaphors for and
the direct result what he learned at Oxbow: “Oxbow
helped me develop a keen eye for lines and getting
the message across in a straightforward, direct
manner. I learned to create work with nothing extra
so there is little to distract the eye.” (And
like many Oxbow alums, Hank knows a thing or two
about making it in the world: bicycles like this
go for $5,000—and up.) Unspoiled by the irrelevant,
the Matheson artwork features Phil Wood hubs, Velocity
rims, Sugino cranks, Sylvan pedals, a Chris Kind
head set and, of course, a Thompson seat post. (For
aficionados only …) Thanks, Hank!
