Taliah Lempert needs to have her subject—the bicycle—with her while she paints. Working from mere photos does not inspire her. Kodachrome can not capture the individuality of each bicycle she commits to canvas.

Lempert not only gets around on a bicycle but is moved by bicycles as well. The New York artist creates custom paintings and portraits of peoples bikes. Having paid her dues as a painter of the human figure, she moved on to bicycles because she finds their "amazing lines and beautiful curves inspiring". Taliah explains, "the beauty comes from the shape of the frame, and the way the individual parts make up the lines in the bike." Her biggest challenge with bicycle portraits is to make the paintings work individually, and use her oils to bring out the personality of each bike she paints.

Her subject matter comes from friends, clients and a local bike/ coffee/skate shop, The Hub Station, which loans her beautiful and unusual bikes to paint, and also displays her art work. Lempert reports that it is hard for people to loan her their bike for a portrait, but seeing the personality of a beloved bike immortalized on canvas is worth the week of walking.

Lempert has her own fleet of bikes. Her newest is a fixed-gear she rides daily through the city. She also owns a Heavyweight Schwinn Cruiser and a 1961 Spaceliner.

A graduate of the Boston Museum School, Lempert earned her Masters at the New York Academy. She is inspired by her neighborhood community, where she says almost everybody uses their bikes for transportation. Her work can be viewed at The Hub Station, 81 East 3rd Street, New York.