When ‘Cycleangelo’ finishes a piece of art, he has to step back in order to view it. In fact, he has to step so far back, he relies on satellites to view his final product. His brush strokes, some up to 220 kilometres, are made with his bicycle, a map, and a GPS tracking device.
Oak Bay News joined Stephen Lund on his latest cycle masterpiece, Jog with a dog, conducting a three-hour, 40-km interview for the inside scoop on his craft.
Since starting his first design in 2015, Lund has created over 200 drawings, averaging about 70 km a piece – his largest being a 220 km mermaid. Lund’s Strava account shows close to 60,000 km of cycling logged, which is equivalent to going around the globe one and a half times.
From flappy inflatable tubeman to Thug hijacking a giraffe, Lund’s humour and creativity have gained him an enthusiastic following.
Garmina the Giraffe has proven to be a favourite. The most lucrative one was an Olympic Day doodle that won Lund a trip to Switzerland. Lund’s #olympicday doodle was the hand-picked winner out of 23,000 entries.
“I’ve done a series of the muscle-bound Thug. I really like him. He’s always up to something and he’s always wearing a different hat. He’s been Santa, he’s ridden Garmina the giraffe, he’s wrestled crocodiles,” said Lund. “He’s always flexing.”
The creative process begins with Lund studying a map of the city and he says eventually shapes pop out. Once a shape appears it is just a matter of flushing out the details and finding the roads to make it happen.
“There are such a variety and each of them is fun in its own way and each of them is frustrating in its own way,” said Lund.
RELATED: Cyclist uses GPS tracker to create unique images
With a career as a marketing consultant, 52-year-old Lund says he uses creativity every day but he credits his GPS doodles with infusing energy and a different perspective into his ideas. The cycle art keeps him both healthy and inspired.
“It is fitness first, and creativity second, but I love the urban exploration that happens along the way,” said Lund. “And I love the problem-solving it takes to plan a route. Watching the plan come together and then actually going out and executing on it is pretty exhilarating.”
What’s next for the GPS Doodler?
Lund has practiced his art abroad, completing one in Venice and a few in Mexico, but he would like to explore further.
“In terms of aspirations for my doodles, if I could get into other cities and explore other canvases, that’s really exciting,” said Lund.
Jog with a dog joins his ongoing collection of canine drawings in honour of 2018 being the Year of the Dog in the Chinese zodiac.
Follow the adventure online at gpsdoodles.com.
STRAVA: Jog with a dog
RELIVE: Jog with a dog
keri.coles@oakbaynews.com
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