Race to Intercourse
As a study into the Lancaster, Pennsylvania region, I wanted to paint images acknowledging the many surrounding towns that were unusually named. Towns such as Blue Ball, Intercourse, Bird-In-Hand, Paradise, and Fertility dot the landscape. Acknowledging these names makes many a 8-year-old snicker, despite their names having in reality an innocent beginning.
This painting blends many concepts into this popular selling image. Yes, Route 340 is the main road to Intercourse. The image also pokes fun at the fact that in the Plain community, women would not typically hold the role of operating equipment and especially a motorcycle with a man holding on the back for dear life.
Many Plain people ride scooters and bicycles. Motorcycles had their roots in modified bicycles. In the late 1800s, early 1900s engines were being designed and placed on bicycles making motorcycles. As early as 1910, races were being held on large oval wooden tracks and the machines were called board track racers. In 1901 the Indian Motorcycle Company was formed by two bicycle racers. In 1902 Indian built 500 motorcycles. In 1913, Indian produced a peak of 32,000 motorcycles per year.
The motorcycle featured in this painting is the 1913 Indian V-twin engine with an incredible 1000 CC’s. Speeds on the board track were over 100 MPH. It uses a two-speed chain drive, complete with pedals revealing its bicycle roots.
The motorcycle bikes had no brakes relying on coasting or the riders’ feet to slow them down. Safety gear was non-existent with riding gear like googles and perhaps a leather riding cap.
Racing was cross country as well with races such as the Isle of Man or other flat-out road ridings. This painting whimsically imagines Plain people also evolving from bicycles to motor-driven machines and racing from Lancaster to Intercourse on route 340 and enjoying (or not so much) the bike’s speed.