Everything artist Steve MacDonald touches turns to gold. Also known as Ramblin Worker, he uses golden canvas to embroider scenes of imposing skyscrapers, crimson mountain ranges, and wild animals from tigers to track bike riders. Also embroidering cuckoo clocks, skateboards, messenger bags and sound bombing tanks, Steve MacDonald is proving that unlike King Midas, his touch on his vintage Singer sewing machine is anything but a curse.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m an artist and I live and work in San Francisco.

What got you started on the sewing machine?

Sewing was the only thing I didn’t try in art school. But, I discovered it one day at my friend’s house. His name is Tim Clinton, and he gave me my first sewing machine and from that point on, I kept experimenting with it. I used it make little things and also to draw with, which I kept pushing and pushing. Drawing with a sewing machine is a lot like drawing on an Etch-a-Sketch. One of my Etch-a-Sketch drawings.

How did you work up to embroidering entire paintings?

I started by drawing simple lines, like box kites, horizons, power lines and basic landscapes using white canvas and black thread. My first drawings remind me of simple pencil sketches. Then it evolved into red thread on gold canvas and embroidering large scale mountains by tracing every contour. I embroider buildings in the same fashion. And now I am experimenting with multiple color threads to test out different effects.

What’s the process from start to finish on one of your paintings?

It starts with gessoing the canvas and then painting it gold. Then I have to cut the canvas up into different shapes and compositions. The last step is to sew it all together. Sometimes I have to cut it up again and repeat the process of sewing it altogether. One of my embroidered paintings can take from 4 to 6 weeks.

What’s the story behind the embroidered skateboards and the tank at the Deitch Projects Art Parade in 2006?

The skateboards are something I always thought about doing because I grew up skateboarding and I always have liked skateboard graphics. It would be cool to make some functional skateboards that look like they were sewn, maybe someday I’ll make graphics for a skateboard company.

The Deitch Parade story is a long one. Basically, I saw photos of the previous year’s parade and thought it would be fun. My friend Tim Clinton had a cart with 2 bike wheels that he would drag around for anti-war protests…so we decided to build a chariot tank out of wood, using the cart as a base. We then built a wood armature over the cart and covered it with gold embroidered canvas. I sewed every single line from every piece of tank tread to my own patchwork gold camoflauge and created a crest with the tiger and deer motif. For extra ‘Bling,’ Tim got really into creating major bass….two 15 inch wooofers generated by car batteries with a bass converter that he bought from Miami Bass and Sound. The bass would hit so hard that all the tread would shake. We had more bass than Fischerspooner .

Tell us about your Tokyo trip last fall for the Bicycle Film Festival.

I’ve been in few BFF art shows and they’ve always been lots of fun. So when Brendt Barbur, the Founder, invited me to the Tokyo BFF show called Joyride, I gladly accepted. It was crazy because walls were built for the show, art was shipped from the US, and we stayed up all night setting up only to find out that we had to take it down the very next day. I’ve never been in a show that was that involved and that lasted only one night. The film festival in Tokyo was all about MASH SF this year. There were lots of flashing cameras and press…even MTV Japan was there. The whole trip was a big adventure, I rode bike around on a different side of the street that I’m used to. Tokyo is not a grid, it’s more like one big round-a-bout with no signs, so it’s easy to get lost. I met some really cool people too, like RK who owns the messenger company, Courier in Tokyo. All in all it was a great time.

Steve MacDonald’s artist bag for Timbuk2 and bike bag speakers

You’re also sewing some beautiful messenger bags, pockets and frame pads. Is creating functional products a different experience for you?

No, it’s all the same. I mostly make the messenger bags, pockets and frame pads for friends. Since they are all hand-made it’s hard to make them at a super high volume.

Are you selling your work anywhere and do you take custom orders?

Pretty soon, my stuff will be available for purchase on my website, I hope to have Pal Pay set up by April 2007. I will only do custom orders for people I can meet in person.

What else are you working on now?

I recently collaborated with Matthew Davis on a design for the new Modest Mouse tour shirt. Matthew and I are currently working together on our own line of T-shirts which will be coming out soon, so check back on my website.

What are you riding these days?

I’m riding a silver Samson track bike with Philwood hubs, Deep V’s and riser bars. It’s fast, it’s light, it’s a nice ride.

And finally, when can we next see your work in New York City?

The opening of the 3rd Annual Swipple Art Show will be on Wednesday, May 3rd at Max Fish, NYC. Swipple is an on-line art collective that features an eclectic mix of some really great, up and coming artists. I will also be a part of the next Bicycle Film Festival art show in NYC from May 16-20.

Check out more of Steve’s work on his website, www.ramblinworker.com and Flickr.