STORY: Andrew Frood
IMAGES: Supplied, V8 Sleuth
IF you’re a diehard Aussie motorsport fan then you’ll understand the importance of showing your colours.
When someone steps into your man cave, pool room or garage the walls need to reflect your impeccable taste for all things motorsport.
The V8 Sleuth store here is packed to the rafters with posters and prints celebrating great moments in Australian racing. No matter what you’re into we’ve got you covered.
We’ve commissioned a number of artists to produce limited edition artwork that is exclusively available through the V8 Sleuth.
Perth artist Tristan Groves is one such artist. You may have seen his recent releases covering the Moffat Ford Dealers 1-2 win at Bathurst in 1977 and the Bill Patterson Racing Torana A9X.
We spent five minutes with Tristan to learn a little more about him and his art.
Where did your interest in creating art come from?
My late Nan considered herself a bit of an amateur artist and we would often draw and paint together much to her encouragement when I was young. This resulted in me painting a wall in my fathers shed one afternoon without his knowledge – suffice to say, he was a little less encouraging than Nan on that occasion!
Why motorsport?
I wasn’t really a huge fan until my mid-20s! I have always loved sports and AFL in particular but it wasn’t until I started working in the industry that motorsport really captivated me. Being fortunate enough to go behind the scenes to an extent in V8 Supercars in the pits, on some hot laps and even the first time I walked around the top of the mountain at Bathurst is where it began and I have been hooked ever since.
Why motorsport art?
I love how motorsport resonates with people who are also passionate fans of the sport. I like how it makes people feel – someone saying they really love that car or driver based on a piece of artwork I have produced to me is very rewarding. I’m always humbled and very thankful whenever someone likes my artwork enough to say so and even more if they want to buy it.
How do these prints come together?
Essentially it’s me banging my head against a wall for an extended period of time until I’m happy with the content, composition and style! My artwork is vector illustration based which means it has been produced digitally using Adobe Illustrator. I usually start with either a rough sketch of a layout or start with an idea in my mind, collect some references and begin crafting the piece together. I start with black first and then start working the colour, details and typography in from there. It’s a very long, technical process for me and I normally work on and off on pieces for weeks at a time.
