Mountainman, Mike Lamborne, has been drawing and painting most of his life. He grew up on a small farm in Maryland, where he worked at a Blacksmith shop and studied Agriculture at Maryland University, thinking there was no future in art. Later he married Shirley and moved to West Virginia where they farmed, ran a parts store and welded in coal mines. After years of struggling they moved to Northern Virginia and started a trucking business. That's where they were introduced to motorcycle rallies. They moved back to the mountains of West Virginia and with his old CB handle of "Mountainman" they now travel nine months out of the year working the motorcycle circuit.
Hundreds of show winning motorcycles all over this country and other countries as well have been painted by the Mountainman. One motorcycle, airbrushed with flags and eagles, won first place in best use of color in the DuPont Paint Top Gun Contest, a world wide event with hundreds of entries. Some of his motorcycles have been featured in magazines, newspapers and on TV. One of his pinstriped and muraled panels hangs in the MAC Brush Pinstripers Hall of Fame.
Mountainman uses a hand painted technique with airbrushed highlights for his murals at the rallies. He is well known for his detailed work. His fine line pinstriping and graphics are hand painted. He does full airbrushed, clear coated murals on motorcycles, trucks, motorhomes, buses trailers, etc. by appointment only at his shop.
Mountainman also does large wall murals in homes, churches, and business locations. He did a 40' mural of the life of Jesus for a local church. His largest mural to date is two 6' by 60' long paintings on masonite board for an annual church passion play.
Canvas art has been a long time favorite of the Mountainman. His favorite subjects are wildlife and Christian themes. He has a painting of a white Arabian stallion hanging in the palace in Nicaragua. During the "Desert Storm War" he did an ink drawing to benefit the USO. Prints went to former President Bush, Secretary of State Richard Cheney, General Norman Swartzcoft, Oliver North, Senator John Warner, General and Military personal the world over. The POW's and wounded of Desert Storm were presented one of the prints at a special dinner in Pentagon City, near Washington, DC.
Mountainman has also teamed up with internationally known gospel soloist, Cindy Sites, doing church services, they call, "Singin'; Paintin': & Preachin'," where Cindy sings as Mountainman airbrushes murals of Calvary etc.
