Mark Kushimi at Human Imagination Feb. 3, 2012

Mark Kushimi has an opening at the Human Imagination in Honolulu, Hawaii featuring photographs of Jef Hartsel (that's Hartsel riding his EZ Ryder Koa complete below) amongst other notables.  Mark was part of our, "A Product Of Design" show in Culver City last September.  If you're in Hawaii, please check out his opening and say, "Hello" to Mark for us in person! You can also see what Mark does on his day-to-day as the Editor-in-Chief over at Contrast Magazine. 

Steve MacDonald, the Ramblin' Worker

Steve MacDonald sent this care-package below, days after my head-snapping concussion.  Steve was the only guy present when it happened and had front-row seats since he was on the top-deck.  Damn pool coping... love it but unforgiving, as it should be!  Thanks to Steve for the ABC ramp print, the all-over quarter-pipe shirt and the sticker/button pack.  I'm almost back, Steve... we'll sesh again soon. Mahalo!

Anthony Masters came by the SA office yesterday with a Steve MacDonald designed tattoo adorned on his forearm.  I saw it before when he first got it but only made the connection when I saw Steve's setup below. I took the photo of Steve's board the day of the smack-down.  Thanks to both guys for allowing me to connect the dots, again... 

Shakas and Alohas

Rod in Hawaii handscreened his own Shakas x Alohas tees and sent one my way.  Very thankful and I'll be wearing this at the next BBQ for sure. Mahalo! 

Geoff McFetridge at Cal Poly

Mark Oblow for Gravis in Hidden Magazine Issue 23

Our Japanese Distributor sent me a copy of Hidden Magazine Issue 23 and within it, a nice article on the Gravis art and photo show called, "Creative Departures" that took place in Japan last Fall.  Mark Oblow photo below with a Ryan Allan video in accompaniment. 

Cathy Liu's new website!

My friend, Cathy Liu has a new site up that you have to check-out. She's a rad artist!  

Cathy Liu lives in San Francisco and on the Big Island of Hawaii where she’s constantly inspired by the fragility and force of life. She grew up in an area of San Jose where the cherry orchards were replaced by Eichler homes. She left suburbia for Florence, Italy where she graduated with a B.A. in Italian and met her husband, Architect Craig Steely. She worked for muckraking Mother Jones Magazine, but after five years she found painting amoebic shapes preferable to raking muck.

Sean Cliver for Juice Design

Thanks to Matt Irving for the Sean Cliver x Juice Design, holiday card!  Nice shape and 8.625" wide. 

Allister Lee x ATLAS

I'm really stoked on the Allister Lee x ATLAS decks.  Each of the two decks in this artist series is signed and numbered in an edition of 50 and comes with an original piece of art, shrink-wrapped with each deck.  Get them at Atlas Skateboarding in San Mateo and check-out the fine installation that Allister and the Atlas crew setup in their shop. Up until March 12, 2012.  Mahalo to Allister and to Ryen, Mike and Nick at ATLAS! 

ATLAS SKATEBOARDING
209 2nd Ave.
San Mateo, CA 94401
Tel: 650.401.7110

Decks are also available at Equal Dist., where you'll find Allister Lee's infamous 500 Marker Poster as well as original artwork inspired by his love and expertise in the dark-arts.

Talk about a well-curated skateboard shop...!  Allister Lee also designed the ATLAS shop-decks shown below. 

Ryan Kapp Print / J. Grant Brittain Print

Coincidences are rad and this one is pretty damn close to perfection. Ryan Kapp sent me his latest print and on the exact same day, I received the J. Grant Brittain photo print of Tod Swank (June 1987). Different directions but it's all skateboarding and the essence of the push...  Mahalo!  

Roger Spence at Patagonia!

Roger Spence has been truly giving and supportive and with his latest package, he sent the most thoughtful gift this winter season. A Patagonia beanie and gloves, all in their recycled bag, for our little girl!  Mahalo Roger, she loves it both outdoors and wears it all over the house! 

San Nin Fai Lok!

Happy New Year... Year of the Dragon!  Thanks to my good friend, Jon Adriatico for sending this shot from Chinatown Hawaii today.  

A bright New Year means a new Facebook page for the Solitary Arts! I'll need help to get used to this since I've been socializing the old fashioned way... Thanks to Jef Hartsel and Lisa Romera for finally convincing me. They are some of the best communicators that I know and this way, I can try to stay abreast of happenings outside of the Solitary Arts office, every once in a while.  I'm still very analog though... playing 7" vinyl records often and pushing my skateboard around.  

Nights of the Black Eggs

Mahalo to Shawn Connolly, Bob Schmelzer (Circle A) and everyone else involved in making, "Nights Of The Black Eggs" video! 

BLACK EGGS!

Shawn is co-founder of SF Skate Club.  I've seen a lot of kids that have gone through his program and over the years, develop as some of the best kids, not only on their boards, but with their confidence and decorum.  Plus, they're always having a good time! He is truly helping to shape kids into better people.  Find out more by clicking on the image below. 

Work Boots with Bob Lake

Bob made it out on his motorcycle for an afternoon session at Portrero but forgot his skate shoes... EZ Ryder shirt in full effect.  

[o] Tom Hunt

SLIDER Magazine Issue 09

Thanks to both Nato and Makoto at Maxwell Distribution for their shared support and for putting this into action!

Ken Goto came through and snapped photos of both Geoff McFetridge (in LA) and myself for the Solitary Arts for issue 09 of SLIDER Magazine out of Japan. 

The cover for this issue of SLIDER is the classic J. Grant Brittain photo-cover from Transworld (June 1987) of Tod Swank.  Issue 09 features 6 luminaries in skateboarding photography and a photo retrospective of their works, along with a 20 page article on Tommy Guerrero, Ray Barbee, Matt Rodriguez, and Chuck Treece's (BLKTOP Project) most recent tour of Japan, all shot by Goto.  You can order it through their site as it's well worth it. Comes with a nice calendar too!  

Click below on the image to head over to SLIDER Magazine's site. They've got a web banner that includes both Geoff McFetridge and Yong-Ki Chang, shot by Andrew Paynter. Thanks Andrew!

Porous Walker... TWIXT SC. 83 Friday, 01/13/12

My good friend, Porous Walker (Jimmy DiMarcellis) is 1/3 of the art department for Francis Ford Coppola's latest film, TWIXT.  

For TWIXT sc. 83, members of Twixt’s tiny tiny Art Dept, (Jimmy DiMarcellis, David Hopp, and John Paul Goorjian) will be rebuilding the set of the film’s dramatic climax sequence, scene 83. The center of the gallery will feature a remake and stand-alone installation of the film’s clock tower, shown in the film as an impromptu 3D experience.  Also on display from Twixt, will be bat and birdhouses from Nice, California artist John Hathaway, whose front yard/gallery/shop “The Woodpecker”, was a key set in the film. TWIXT sc. 83 will also feature a series of other pieces from the film’s set department that were found around different locations in Northern California and in the Coppola archives, as well as behind the scenes and set photography by the film’s executive producer, Anahid Nazarian and Set Photographer, Kalman Mueller. The gallery will run trailers of the film, along with other enhancements to bring Twixt’s horror scenes to life. 

Geoff McFetridge at Cal Poly

January 13 - February 18, 2012. 

For more info, click here or the image below.  

Bob Lake... Board on Back

A few shots from Bob Lake that Davoud took recently from a session in a newly skated pool... 

Bob got so stoked on the art we ran in Contrast Magazine 07 (below), that he made a few shirts himself by using a photo that Hartsel sent via email to us before I received hardcopies! Iron-on DIY in full-effect! Thanks, Bob!  

Contrast Magazine 07

Mark Kushimi sent a stack of the latest Contrast Magazine, issue 07 and within its pages, a full-page Solitary Arts ad, along with a double spread of Jef Hartsel (holding his EZ-Ryder Koa Complete) and an editorial-photo of Connor McGivern, who's rocking the SA Moon sticker on his top-deck. Mahalo to Kushimi!

Bobby Asato... Bland Brand/freeyermind

Thanks to Bobby Asato for the t-shirt, print and "freeyermind" photo-book.  Bobby's been instrumental with graphical assistance and helped with the Kenny Brimer x Bad Brains awareness-raiser shirt as well as other shirts I've worked on with Tommy Guerrero in the past. Check-out Bobby's site Bland Brand as well as his myamericana photo page for some goodness from Hawaii. 

Evan Hecox Studio Visit & Interview

An interview and an insiders tour of one of my all-time favorite artists, Evan Hecox is out and our good friend, Andrew Paynter shot the whole thing.  The full article is up on FFDC so head over there and enjoy the read.  

woodshed