News Feature

The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself.

A quartet of seasonal motorcyclist celebrations; a huge, almost life-size motorcycle mandala canvas; a foray into mixed media featuring a flock of 3D balloons … and a reflective rendering of a very personal healing journey following 9-11 … Just a few of the more than a dozen new works by artist and therapist Douglas Thompson (aka @tempusdeficit) that will be unveiled at Gotham Depot Moto in Greenpoint this coming November.

The culmination of more than two years’ work, Thompson’s 15 new pieces explore the correlation between motorcycling and therapy with weightless symbols of balloons and kites conveying a sense of floating. Hence the show’s title: Suspension Upgrade.

Suspension Upgrade (18"x31", Acrylic, ink, spray paint, styrofoam, epoxy resin, modeling paste, and wire on board) in the works — Douglas Thompson, ©2025

Four wheels move the body; two wheels move the soul.

ART AS THERAPY

Riding and painting represent a release for Thompson who, as a therapist day to day, helps people come to terms with their life issues, and the strife and division in the world right now.

“When I’m riding, like when I’m painting, I’m in a mental space where all my focus is on that moment,” Thompson says. “It’s meditative. The weight of all that (stress) gets suspended for a little while.”

Thompson continues: “The balloons and kites have always represented the joy I feel when I’m riding. That’s always been the underlying message of my work – that this thing we’re doing is fun. Motorcycles are powerful countercultural symbols, a shorthand for danger, but when I put on my helmet and gear to go for a ride, though, I can hardly contain myself. It just makes me happy, in a simple and childlike way. Since I was a little kid, I wanted to ride. I got my first bike in my 20s, and more than two decades later I still can’t believe I’m allowed to do this. I get that ‘no way!’ feeling every time.”

The Suspension Upgrade moniker also lends its name to a specific work, for the show, a large piece which takes Thompson’s traditional balloon motif and adds another dimension, literally.

“I wanted to push the boundaries of what a painting could be,” he says. “I liked the idea of my balloon rider breaking out of the frame and floating away into real space.”

The execution of this pop-up piece presented some interesting challenges though.

“As I developed the concept, I considered various possible ways of achieving the effect, none of which involved materials I had any experience with. I finally settled on sculpturing the form with Styrofoam and pouring epoxy resin over it for a more durable, paintable surface. (But) The results weren’t the effect I was looking for (and) in the end I used modeling paste to get the consistency and surface texture I needed. Right now, I’m still painting and assembling this piece, and I’m very excited to show it.”

Ironically, Thompson is looking to add a ‘suspension upgrade’ to his classic Triumph Thruxton 900 … a set of Nitron shocks, which hopefully will be funded from art sales at the showing … life imitating art. Sponsorships, anyone?

The 9-11 piece, Kite (12"x12", Acrylic, ink, and paper on board) — Douglas Thompson, ©2025

Art is a wound turned into light.

MOVING FORWARD FROM 9-11

One of Thompson’s more personal and hopeful pieces, simply titled Kite, harkens back to that fateful day in NYC history, Sept. 11, 2001.

“I was working my first job out of college, answering phones at the old Channel 13 building on 34th, when the Towers fell. I woke up to the sharp realization the following morning — my 22nd birthday — that none of us knows how long we have. I resolved to stop waiting on something that had always been important to me, and to start riding as soon as I could. I think a lot of us share the feeling that riding is an affirmation of life being lived.”

It's the small details in the piece that stand out. Thompson used maps and text cut out of a travel guidebook from the late ‘90s to create a collage.

“In the upper lefthand corner of the road, you can see the text ‘World Trade Center’. The figure in that piece is riding away,” he says. “On the opposite side of that piece, there’s text that says, ‘United States’ and ‘New York City.’ That’s what he’s riding towards … It’s a very hopeful piece.”

Other sections of the text, and the maps in the clouds, feature California and Canada.

“That’s a wave at some good friends.”

Watercolors (left to right, clockwise): Destination, Hold Fast and GO (12"x16", Acrylic, acrylic ink and watercolor on paper) — Douglas Thompson, ©2025

Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.

THE GDM CONNECTION

Friendships and local moto community ties were in fact key to the location for the showing, with Gotham Depot Moto co-owner and curator Stefon Davis continuing the garage’s trend of supporting local talent.

“The way an artist is selected and promoted at Gotham Depot Moto is, in many ways, organic,” Davis says. “Of course, it helps to live in a community that is the birthplace — the mecca — of art, music, food, and fashion. From the very beginning, showcasing art/artists has been part of our blueprint and has helped shape the Gotham Depot Moto narrative within the community.”

GDM’s very first exhibition featured sculptor Alex Cole, whose pieces were displayed on loan.

“Her work brought conversation and energy into the garage — not just among members but with the public at large,” Davis says. “When the time came to return her pieces, we were surprised by how emotionally connected we had become. That’s the power of art: it forges an emotional connection. That moment helped us realize we had both the platform and the space to support artists of all kinds — to give them visibility, validation, and celebration.”

Now in its fifth year, the garage will be showcasing Thompson’s work.

“Beyond being an immensely talented artist, Douglas is also a deeply good human. His work carries a message about mental health that resonates strongly with our community —and really, who doesn’t love a red balloon?”

Wave No. 1 and Wave No. 2 (15"x30", Acrylic on canvas) — Douglas Thompson, ©2025

Some of the best friendships are made on two wheels.

THE MOTO COMMUNITY

For Thompson, being able to share his work within the NYC moto collective is its own reward, one that has inspired a new series dubbed Wave, featuring an almost Mickey Mouse-like, gloved hand throwing out one of those common acknowledgements between riders while out on the road.

“I wave to everybody; that connection with other riders is so important to me,” Thompson says. “Motorcycles overlap with so much of the Venn diagram of my life at this point … I can’t possibly overstate how important this community has been in my life. Bikes have brought me an incredible amount of joy and a wealth of friendships, and it’s the reason I’m so enthusiastic about the community.”

Change of Seasons series: Spring (daisies), Summer (sunflowers), Autumn (leaves) and Winter (snowflakes) ... (18"x24", Acrylic on board) — Douglas Thompson, ©2025

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

EXHIBITING THE SEASONS

The hub of Thompson’s work on display is a quartet of pieces, an ode to the changing of the seasons featuring the same bike and rider.

“The first painting in that series, Autumn, was really just an experiment that went well; I took leaves from my yard and used them as stamps, making organic impressions with paint around the image of a Ducati GT1000 Sport Classic,” he says.

After displaying Autumn at the MOTOvated Collective’s show at Gotham in the Fall of 2023, Thompson was feeling reflective about winter coming on and wanted to channel those feelings about the changing seasons into a series based on that first painting.

“Each piece revolves around a similar Ducati image, but the backgrounds are meant to evoke the feeling of riding through each season, and the way everything feels more expansive and intense on a bike. The sunflowers in Summer are definitely not to scale, but neither is the smell of flowers when you’re riding!”

Spring features a daisy motif, Winter … snowflakes.

“I worked on these slowly from 2023 to 2024 and really enjoyed the experience of developing a theme across multiple works,” Thompson says, adding he will be revisiting this approach in the future.

To date the Connecticut-based artist has 13 pieces ready for showing, all of which will be available for purchase during the month-long exhibition: watercolors, acrylics and multimedia pieces.

The show opening, Nov. 8 — during Men's Health Awareness Month — will be a gathering of the moto artist set, details to be confirmed.

THE DETAILS

SUSPENSION UPGRADE
featuring the works of Douglas Thompson
Opening Party: Nov. 8, 2025 | 7 - 10 PM
Gallery: Nov. 8 – Dec. 8, 2025

GOTHAM DEPOT MOTO
51 Box St, Brooklyn, NY 11222
Phone: (646) 284-0446
Website: gothamdepotmoto.com
Instagram: @gothamdepotmoto

For more information on Douglas Thompson, visit his Etsy website – etsy.com/shop/tempusdeficit – and follow him on Instagram @tempusdeficit.

If you have a local, moto-related feature story you'd like to see on NYC Motorcyclist, drop us a note at rahoul@nycmotorcyclist.com, or an IM on Instagram @nyc_motorcyclist. We are always looking for new ideas and contributions from the community (stories, photos, films).