A copy of ‘the Motor Cycle‘ of 19th October 1961 was keenly opened for the first time today to find a collection of interesting post ISDT 1961 event notes which will appear in a future blog. But of a greater interest to me where a series of sketches made of the event by Gordon Horner. Those not familiar with the man who was a well respected artist and lived 1915 to 2008 and was the last of the major artists working for ‘Autocar‘. I was particularly pleased and surprised to find these drawings and would love to see the originals if they still exist, probably hung framed on the walls of the family of ex-staffer at the old magazine or its publishers and today quite a collectible item.

The motorcycle artists still exist with painters like Robert Kinsey actively covering the motocross scene on canvas mostly for commissioned works by the industry but in the media the use of the artist has largely vanished to be replaced by CAD and 3D design.

Dont forget like with all our blogs clicking on the image will provide a larger image

Not only the competitors find the International Six Days Trial tough. The camp followers likewise, including the writers, forever chasing stories and typing into the small hours, the ubiquitous photographers and, of course, the artist with pencil  and brush ever at the ready.
These sketches, built up from first-stage, on-the-spot studies, go a long way to capturing the unique atmosphere of the great trial: the cold early starts hit by film crews’ flares; the early morning mists and the mud; the mad but organized chaos at time and fule controls; and finally the comparative calm of the end-of-day run back to the park fermé in Llandrindod Wells.

All incredible I am so sorry we have not got larger images for each picture rather than the magazine collage.

Sadly we don’t have any coloured works because his colouring was very vivid. Maybe next time the grandkids come around on a rainy day, why not print off these images, get them with pencils or crayons to colour them in scan and submit the results we will publish any copies we get.

Gordon Horner was one of the most renowned automotive artists of all time which placed him at the centre of motorsport. However his record of art works commenced whilst a prisoner of War captured by the Germans in the Western Desert. He painted in the Prisoner of War camps which he self published examples of his works are provided below for reference purposes: