An old Indian motorcycle gas tank had been sitting on Russ Marr’s shelf when he thought of turning it into “Indian Larry Bird.” In an email interview, the sculptor described why the tank’s worn finish mattered: “I wanted it to show its age.”
“The tank had plenty of patina but appeared to have original paint and graphics,” Marr wrote. He described the bird as an homage to the motorcycle builder known as Indian Larry.
“I also like to use the original filler neck and gas cap so it is obvious that it is an old motorcycle tank,” he wrote.
Marr connected the shape of a Victory motorcycle tank to “Vivacious Victorya,” which he described as a pole-dancing swan. “The flowing, swooping lines of the tank have a very sexy, sensual, avian appearance,” he wrote.
Keeping a tank recognizable leaves room for additions. “I don't do much altering on the tank itself but I add to it and it becomes a new creature,” Marr wrote.
For “Vlad the Impaler,” Marr used a tank from a 1977 Harley Superglide he said he had bought new. “It was pretty scraped up so I repainted the entire tank,” he wrote.
As he worked, he kept adding features to an aggressive goose design. “The end result is a Vampire/Goose/Rattlesnake hybrid,” Marr wrote.
“I still have a couple of features to add so sometimes even when it seems to be done, new ideas pop up that can be added later,” he wrote.
Russ Marr’s “Indian Larry Bird,” made with an Indian motorcycle gas tank. Photo by Bradley Jensen Photography.
