Walk past the ‘100m to go’ banner before the finish line of the UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016 on any given day and you are likely to see an artist, canvas propped up and brushes on the ready, briskly painting the scene before him.
Meet Rob Pointon, a 34-year-old Briton, who is trying to capture the excitement of Middle East’s first-ever UCI Road World Championships on canvas, for posterity.
He spoke about his Doha trip.
“Qatar Airways flew me into the country for a month to produce a series of paintings about life in Doha. We thought it would be great to coincide my trip with the UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016.
“Since I love painting movement around me, this was a really great subject. I’ve been working on this painting since the competition started and I hope to complete it by the end of the men’s road race, on Sunday,” he said.
So how exactly did he go about doing his craft? Pointon, who studied painting as a child under the expert supervision of his grandmother, explained: “I started by making sketches during the Team Time Trial event on the competition’s first day. I then tried to simplify the event and draw abstracts of it. Once I figured out what composition I needed, I began doing the actual painting.”
Pointon, who raised enough money via a KickStarter campaign to go around the UK on a painting pilgrimage, said it was a natural step for him to make paintings about cycling.
“Cycling and painting are closely connected. If you doubt it, just have a look at some of the earliest posters for the Tour de France. Cycling is a great, moving subject that inspires artists. It’s bright, colourful and exciting.
“It can also be a great subject for abstract painting, especially as you see streaks of colours whooshing past you at great speeds. It can allow for some bold abstract shapes,” he said.
The artist, who has already exhibited his works at many locations around the world, felt the UCI Road World Championships Doha 2016 was an ideal way to showcase the country in front of the world.
“The competition has showcased Doha’s vast landscapes well in front of a world audience. Doha is changing very fast. By the time the 2022 FIFA World Cup rolls around, this will be a transformed city. So it’s great to share the city’s vision for the future with the world,” he said.