The concept and design behind this year's event jersey
We are very fortunate that Susan Summit Cyr, the artist for the 2019 jersey, has returned to paint a new piece of art for our 2020 jersey. Not only did Susan complete the 2019 jersey, she completed her first RAMROD in 2019! Susan shares the inspiration behind her artwork for this year...
Being in Mount Rainier National Park, or any patch of nature, offers us the chance to slow down, look around, listen and feel. When we take the time to do that, our senses sharpen and we detect layers of details initially ignored: the melodic notes of a waterfall splashing on rocks, the way the alpenglow illuminates a distant glacier, the heady scent of a field of broadleaf lupine in full bloom, the chatter of a passing kingfisher.
We are so fortunate to have preserved wild places in Washington where we can relax, reflect and recharge.
For this year’s RAMROD design, I wanted to portray the serenity of the mountain in a spare, monochromatic painting. The style emulates the ancient tradition of Asian ink painting in which pictorial elements are pared down to their essence and rendered in a simple and elegant way. I attempted to capture the feeling of the forest landscape while adding determined RAMROD riders as they strain up one of many inclines on the route.
I painted with a traditional bamboo handled brush with Sumi-E ink on rice paper. When I teach ink painting, I ask my students to practice simple strokes until they become comfortable and can put them together to create recognizable imagery. Since I had not painted in this style in a long time, I was amused to find myself filling sheet after sheet of trial images before committing to a final painting. I hope you enjoy the result.
- Susan Summit Cyr
The 2020 RAMROD Jersey
This year's colorway is grey, white and a strong red accent color.
The 2020 RAMROD Jersey