Kirkland artist Shannon Conner Castle has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money so she can build a full Harley Davidson motorcycle out of glass, replicating one she originally made more than 10 years ago.
Castle, who is the wife of Kirkland electric violinist Geoffrey Castle, first made her foray into fine art around 2005, but her next project will take her back to the beginning.
The campaign hopes to raise $29,000, which she said would cover the basic costs of the project. If all goes as planned, they will take the motorcycle on tour around the country, including the 75th Anniversary of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in August 2015.
The motorcycle sculpture is a departure from Castle’s usual art involving intricately detailed images of mermaids, angels and goddesses using a variety of techniques including rubbing, liquid graphite and glass. But for Castle, the project is a recreation of her first major art piece which she completed back in 2002 while working as a commissioned artist.
Castle has had a fascination with motorcycles since high school and college and said she was approached by a motorcycle shop owner to build a sculpture to put on display at his busi
ness. Castle was uneasy about the enormous task. She wanted to make the bike as realistic as possible. But it also was a chance to use her artistic abilities and skills on art for which she had a natural passion.
“If I could make a motorcycle with glass, I could make anything with glass,” she said.
The actual design for her sculpture took several years, as she studied actual Harleys, analyzing them and taking notes on each part. She was also determined to base her sculpture on the original version.
“I had to learn all that, take a lot of photos, take a lot of drawings,” she said. “I had to know all those elements because I’m actually building a bike.”
When she eventually completed the project, the 2,000-pound bike was featured in Easy Rider Magazine and referred to as a “glass-terpiece.” Eventually, however, the glass began to crack from stress points.
If the project receives the necessary funding, Castle said while she intends to use the original plans she drew, the glass in the new bike will be completely rounded to prevent stress points. She also plans to make the bike bigger, roughly 78 percent to scale compared to an actual Harley Davidson.
Castle said one of the most daunting initial aspects of the project was the glass cutting. During the process, she said there is no room for error.
“It was so challenging, the idea of recreating it scared me,” she said. “You have to be exact if you’re going to do it right. It has to stay perfect.”
The process will require using heavy equipment to create and move the cut-out glass sections, which have to fit perfectly with one another, including the bike’s glass v-engine. An Xacto knife will be used to carve away the intricate designs, including the treads on the tires and the buckles on the saddlebag.
When it’s completed, Castle said they will create a base for sculpture. While touring, the bike will be on display in a trailer with a window so onlookers can view it without having to take it out.
Her Kickstarter campaign can be found at www.kickstarter.com/projects/shannoncastle/1892612085?token=7ad03b45. View samples of her art at www.shannoncastleart.com.
