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Clara Nesbitt visits her grandson in art school 1992
Being a Fine Arts Major obsessed with motorcycles made for an awkward educational experience. At the time, none of the staff in the Fine Arts Department at Louisiana Tech University understood what was to become my lifelong quest; to merge the two passions – Art and Motorcycles. Building wacky motorcycles and expecting to receive a “grade” from classically trained Professors was a big miscalculation on my part.
The first person to ever encourage my passion, and alter the trajectory of my life was David Snow. As the editor of Iron Horse Magazine, his wit and rebellious nature created an entire counterculture that is still with us today. Snow would allow me to write for Iron Horse. It was my first big break.
My first Assignment for the magazine was to document a post-graduation motorcycle adventure across the Western United States aboard the ridiculous Guzzi chopper “Mopackel”. It was Performance Art, a recurring theme that I would explore for the rest of my life.
Being required to write about custom motorcycles, and the cultural experience that goes along with them, was the perfect lesson at the perfect time for a lost young man. In late 1995, while on assignment covering a motorcycle show in Baton Rouge, I stumbled upon an amazing motorcycle and another person who would inspire me and challenge everything I thought I knew. The motorcycle was a 1995 Confederate Hellcat and the man behind it was Matt Chambers.
Years later, I would purchase the exact motorcycle (chassis #3) that I took photos of that day in 1995. In 2019 a total restoration was completed. (See in the gallery of Studio Construction)
