Photo by Rachael Cook

Jacob Dodson is a NAHBS staff blogger

One of the more beautifully painted bikes in the show this year is one built by KirkLee Bicycles and painted as a reproduction of Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

The bike was commissioned to be a gift for a customer’s wife for her birthday and he initially presented it to her as a naked frame so she could decide how she wanted it painted.

KirkLee got the frame mailed back and instructions to paint it purple and silver.

A couple days later though, they got an email requesting that the bike be painted to replicate Starry Night. That was when the bike became something special.

More accurately, 4 months later and after 36 hours of brushwork, plus 10-15 hours of clearcoating, labeling, planning and other details, was when the bike became something special.

The result is a unique and beautiful bike with intricate detail based upon one of the most recognizable paintings in history.