A Harley-Davidson Legend Passes Away
Mathew Hintz, the Official Artist of Daytona Bike Week passed away unexpectedly at the age of 41 on December 24, 2017, leaving a wife and four children ages 6 – 13. His 2018 Daytona Bike Week painting was the last piece of artwork he completed before his death.
Hintz pursued his love for Harley-Davidson soon after graduating from The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) and became its sub-contractor, providing design, graphics, artwork and digital retouching services. He also co-founded Studios 304 inn 1998 and later on, started Hintz Studios in 2014.
His first solid work was the design of the Softail Deluxe’s tank medallion before going on to styling and marketing additional medallions and graphics for HD.
Hintz’s distinctive technique of portraying a sculpture-like essence to his paintings drew an even larger crowd to his already established work. As a result, many people who attended Daytona Bike Week has worn his designs on their shirts from 2015 to present.
A man full of passions, Hintz has always been interested in helping children in need. Hence, his artwork was auctioned to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) through Harley-Davidson, the MakeA-Wish Foundation and Curing Kids Cancer through Mecum Auctions Company.
Friends of his family are asking the motorcycle community to share messages of hope and consider donating to a fund that will help with child care, meals and future college expenses via his Go Fund Me page.
Enthusiasts can also visit his website to purchase prints and exclusive paintings, such as Willie’s 36 Knuckle, American Muscle, Rushmore and Daytona Blue.