There are few things more iconic — more American — than Sailor Jerry tattoos and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. That’s why, when the two brands announced a partnership last year, it made perfect sense.
“It was a match made in heaven from the start,” Sailor Jerry ambassador Ashley Marsh said.
We agree.
Flash(sheet) forward to 2018, and the brands have announced the winners of their My Work Speaks for Itself motorcycle design contest, where artists from around the country entered original designs — based on or featuring Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins art — for the chance to have their work emblazoned on a number of 2018 Harley-Davidson Street Bob motorcycles. Not only will contest winners’ artwork be seen on the painted bikes as they travel across the United States on the most American of road trips, but they will also receive a behind-the-scenes VIP experience from Sailor Jerry at the Harley-Davidson museum and complimentary enrollment into the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy.
The winning designs were chosen by some of the baddest-ass people in the biz: Megan Massacre, Oliver Peck, and Sailor Jerry’s own Ashley Marsh. The lucky folks chosen were:
- Britton McFetridge (Sacramento, California)
- Luke Wessman (Los Angeles, California)
- Bobbi Bradbury (Pensacola Beach, Florida)
- Adam Diosdado (Santa Monica, California)
- Melissa Freeman (Wildomar, California)
- Stacy Giorno (Kenosha, Wisconsin)
With so many amazing entrants to choose from, deciding on winners wasn’t an easy task. On making the final decisions, Peck (who has over a dozen Sailor Jerry tattoos himself) said he was looking for “unique designs that really fit the shape of the bike, but also captured the spirit of Harley-Davidson motorcycles and still staying in tune with the design elements of original Sailor Jerry style flash art.”
- 1. Stacy Giorno Design
- 2. Melissa Freeman Design
- 3. Luke Wessman Design
- 4. Adam Diosdado Design
- 5. Britton McFetridge Design
- 6. Bobbi Bradbury Design
It helps, Peck added, that Collins had so many different designs to choose from. “You can pretty much do anything you want in the classic American traditional style and still give it a Sailor Jerry touch while also adding in unique elements of your own.”
For Massacre, the winners stood out because they were able to flawlessly combine the classic Sailor Jerry elements with their own subject matter.
“With the particular artists in the contest, my favorite artwork I saw was very traditional style sailor Jerry artwork with their own original subject matter, or using the original Sailor Jerry ideas in a different style of artwork that pertains more to the individual artist,” Massacre said.
The winning bikes will be on tour all summer, should you want to get an eyeful of the glory.
“We want these bikes in front of as many eyes as possible so we can tell the story of Norman Collins and have a great time while doing it! Before joining the Navy, Norman Collins traveled the country on train cars perfecting his craft and meeting people. We plan on doing the same thing,” Marsh said of the tour.
“The six designs are a testament to the inspirational and interpretative nature of the Harley-Davidson brand,” Scott Beck, Harley-Davidson director of marketing, said in a statement. “More than a canvas, the bikes are iconographic, and the winners’ designs, using the amazing work of Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins, breathe life into the Street Bob in a new and exciting way.”
After Labor Day, each motorcycle will be given away to lucky winners of the My Work Speaks for Itself Sweepstakes. You can find more information about the contest at the Sailor Jerry website. To see all the winning designs, visit @SailorJerry on Instagram.
