Reagan Imhoff and local artist co-create Harley painting

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Reagan Imhoff dreams of a career in art. Her parent’s New Berlin, Wis., home is plastered with hundreds of drawings, and a painting of hers sold for $5000 at the MDA Black-N-Blue Ball in May. The determined 8-year-old and MDA Ambassador won’t let her painful neuromuscular disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type II, get in the way of those dreams.

Local artist and Harley-Davidson designer Mathew Hintz is encouraging her passion.

The two have co-created an original piece of art featuring the 2013 Harley-Davidson Softail Breakout, highlighted with purple hues—Reagan’s favorite color. The pair will reveal the painting and talk about its inspiration on Aug. 14 from 4 to 6 p.m., during the opening day for his show “Heavy Duty,” which runs Aug. 14 to Sept. 18 at the Katie Gingrass Studios in the Marshall Building at 207 E Buffalo St., Milwaukee. More details at www.hintzstudios.com.

The co-created painting will be on display at the Katie Gingrass Studios in the Marshall Building on E. Buffalo Street. One hundred signed prints will be available for $150 each. The original painting will be auctioned off the week of Harley-Davidson’s 110th Anniversary Celebration at the MDA One Night Stand Art Auction from 7 to 10 p.m. on Aug. 28 at Turner Hall, 1034 N 4th St., Milwaukee.

"Art makes me feel good about myself, and it's how I can share my talents and tell any story I want... it's something I do all by myself," said Reagan. "I really liked working with Matt because he is a super awesome artist. I hope this painting can raise a lot of money for MDA so we can have more scientists to make medicines for treatments and cures of all kinds of muscle diseases. I love Harley because they help MDA. My favorite is going on Harley rides at camp because I get to go really fast and do tricks!”

Hintz, a father of four young children, has partnered with MDA since 1999 to create logos for events and the annual MDA Harley-Davidson pin. Hintz’s oil and acrylic paintings elicit a passionate response from art and motorcycle enthusiasts as he sculpts the canvas with layers of paint, creating a three-dimensional fine art piece that is coated with a high-gloss finish.

“The opportunity to share my passion for art and Harley-Davidson with a budding artist gives me great pleasure,” said Hintz, who has worked closely with Styling department at Harley-Davidson Motor Company for 17 years. “Reagan has real potential and a desire to creatively express her feelings on canvas—the makings of a true artist.”

Mathew Hintz of Hintz Studios (www.hintzstudios.com) creates personalized motorcycle oil paintings inspired by his 17 years working closely with Willie G. Davidson and the Styling department at Harley-Davidson Motor Company. He’s worked on hundreds of art production pieces, from helmets to tank medallions to full paint schemes for motorcycles. Harley-Davidson is in his DNA. Hintz graduated from Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1998.