Book de Tour

"Book de Tour" is a collection of my small watercolor and ink paintings from the 2014 Tour de France completed as the race unfolded on my television screen, showing what I believe to be the key moments of each stage.  You'll understand my reasoning as each picture is annotated with my interpretation of what's happening and its importance in this high moving game of chess on wheels. I love to work this way because, as I paint, the story’s conclusion is unknown and, the significance of what I record, unclear until the winner triumphantly crosses the finish line. Cycling’s an unpredictable sport and I love to capture and convey its intensity.

Each of the Tour's 21 stages and the first ever Women's Professional race on the streets of Paris will form a separate chapter in the book and tell the story of this year's race with bold strokes and washes of color as I capture the key moves, lung-searing attacks and counter-attacks, adrenaline-rushing descents, heart-breaking crashes, set amid the glorious landscapes of England, Belgium, Spain and France. It's truly a tale worth telling visually.

The book is a soft cover 240 page collection adapted from many of the blog post that appeared here during the course of the race.  It includes many other additional paintings, a complete list of all of the teams and their riders who rolled out from Harewood House, and a glossary of terms.  This is a story of the Tour that will delight fans of cycling, officiandos and novices alike, but will be just as captivating for lovers of art and watercolors.  You need not love cycling and the Tour de France to savor this book, but it would hurt.

To pre-order you copy for $29.95 USD just follow the direct link at the end of this post.  International shipping is available.  The book is in final stages of the pre-press process and will be ready to ship on or about November 1, 2014.

http://www.greigleach.com/large-view/Book%20de%20Tour/2426272-1-0-201710/Book%20Arts.html#.U_6NUs_D_IU