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May 05, 2025
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Conrad Leach: ‘United State’ at Subvecta Motus

12 years ago
1 min read

Painter Conrad Leach is having a show in Los Angeles this month (Feb 9 – Arp 19, 2013), at the new Subvecta Motus Gallery.  Here’s what Paul d’Orléans wrote in the exhibition catalog:


Conrad Leach is wrestling the angel of Art on the Bonneville Salt Flats.  He’s been at it for 15 years, and is winning, fixing on canvas a transcendent vision of the noisy, dangerous and highly romantic struggle of a certain type of character, willing to risk all for a worthless wreath of laurel.  While painters have grappled with motorization since Turner’s ‘Rain, Steam, and Speed’ of 1844, few have made it their career, fewer still push past the nostalgia and kitsch which ruin the genre.  Ignoring all that, Leach’s interior dig, to access that gnawing crux of Meaning, brings us unironically to the realm of signs and icons.  His technique is super-cool, but his blood is burning; like the heroes he paints, he’s in it.



Leach has chosen Los Angeles for his US solo painting début, for this place, perfumed with gasoline vapor and scrubbed-off rubber, designed exclusively for, reliant on, and despairing of the internal combustion engine more than anyplace on earth, has clutched the Wheel to its tarmac heart, squeezing out speed, distorting the vehicle’s very shape in the loving, where all manner of lovechildren -bastard little hotrod freaks- are born.  Conrad Leach is the portrait painter of such beasts and such men.”

Subvecta Motus Gallery is owned by Justin Kell of Glory Sales and Service, and is curated by MOCA veteran Stacie B London; both are fine art professionals with deep roots in motorcycling, although the gallery isn’t ‘about’ motoring…they just like Conrad’s paintings!

Subvecta Motus: 518 West Garfield Ave, Glendale CA


Michael Satterfield

Michael Satterfield, founder of The Gentleman Racer, is a storyteller, adventurer, and automotive expert whose work blends cars, travel, and culture. As a member of The Explorers Club, he brings a spirit of discovery to his work, whether uncovering forgotten racing history or embarking on global expeditions. His site has become a go-to destination for car enthusiasts and style aficionados, known for its compelling storytelling and unique perspective. A Texan with a passion for classic cars and motorsports, Michael is also a hands-on restorer, currently working on a 1960s SCCA-spec Formula Super Vee and other project cars. As the head of the Satterfield Group, he consults on branding and marketing for top automotive and lifestyle brands, bringing his deep industry knowledge to every project.

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