In July 2014 the BMX community lost a legendary innovator, a true friend and a generous soul who brought success and smiles to professional riders and kids around the world. Jim Melton was the man behind the exquisite BMX bikes produced by JMC (Jim Melton Cyclery) from 1977-1985.

 

I was recently asked to paint a portrait of Jim for a special tribute JMC Darrel Young build to be exhibited by Paul Alexander at this year’s BMXPO in Sydney, Australia. The twist; it was to be painted on a Haro Flo-Panel number plate, making it the the smallest portrait I’ve ever done in oils. I love a challenge!

 

With the Flo-Panel being fairly slippery plastic and also being super flexible I needed to ensure that my prep work was done really well to prevent any cracking or peeling when the painting was dry. The first step was to sand the area to be painted with 240 sandpaper to roughen it up and create better adhesion. The next step was a coat of Liquitex Gesso over the sanded area to provide a base for the oil paint. I worked some Archival Odourless Lean Medium into the oils as I painted to ensure an evenness of drying time (and evenness of surface tension). When the painting was dry I applied one coat of Derivan Matisse Satin Final Varnish (solvent based) to give the portrait a modicum of protection from scratches and dust.

 

Jim was such a pleasure to paint. So much character and kindness in his face. Thanks for the challenge Paul, I’m stoked with the result and I can’t wait to see it on the completed build!

 

Any others out there wanting a special painting or drawing of your own are welcome to get in touch.

 

Rest in peace, Jim.

 

 

The finished portrait…

 

 

Close up…

 

 

 

Magnified…

 

 

 

Progress pics…