snowflakes and cupcakes

more beautiful zoo york boards

More lovely, lovely, lovely Zoo York boards designed by one of my faves, Damien Correll and his buddy Mike Perry. Now go outside and skate on em, or hang em on your wall... like me.

On Deck Skate Art

On Deck is an art auction created in 2005 by the Missoula Skatepark Association as a way to raise money for the construction and on-going maintenance of Missoula's MOBASH skatepark.

Every year, the MSA receives donations of blank skateboards that the distributor cannot sell due to imperfections. The MSA sends those boards out to artists around the country. Each artist customizes the blank deck using whatever medium they choose, and then sends it back to the MSA by a given deadline. Once photos are taken of the completed decks, they are uploaded to the MSA's Web site and the online segment of the auction begins. After being online for a certain length of time, usually around two weeks, online bidding is turned off. At that point, all of the bids are transferred to a live art show / auction held at a gallery in Missoula, Montana where bidding continues until a specified time.

There are some very awesome decks in this auction with amazingly unique visual treatments! Be sure to check out the auction and bid on some beautiful art for a great cause. This one happens to be my mom's favorite. (wink).

X Games 13

XGames 13 starts today! Check out the tv schedule here. On their site they also have a very in depth article about the lovely skateboarding mamma Jen O'Brien.

Also on the website you can check out awesome skate decks that you can bid on. Money raised will benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research. Boards are designed by artists, celebrities, and athletes from David Swift, Creative Director of 20th Century Fox to Lotus O'Brien, daughter of Jen O'Brien and Bob Burnquist. The boards are beautiful and so is the cause, so as you're checking out the riders thrashin' it up on the xgames, throw some of your moola at these amazing works of art!

etnies girl vs. aaron kraten

As part of their 'Starving Artist' line Etnies girl and Aaron Kraten have united and made a collection that expresses a shared passion for art and skateboarding culture. Inspired by the individuality of girls who skateboard in an urban environment, Kraten’s artistic interpretation is reflected through this creative collaboration. Kraten is the first artist in the etnies Girl Starving Artist Collection.

Aaron Kraten has always had a passion for art. From a young age, he carried around small sketchbooks so he could draw whenever and wherever inspiration hit. In 1999, he found an audience for his artwork when he started working at a thrift store in Costa Mesa, Calif., where he began displaying his fingerpainted work, which utilized abandoned mixed media materials and store paint. He soon began submitting his work to local galleries and museums, and currently shows about four times a year. “I can truly say these are the best days of my life,” says Kraten, whose exposure to the action sports industry and lifestyle has led him to work with a wide range of companies for special collaborations and products.

Check out Aaron's work on Etnies Fakie, Fleece, and Tote.

And while we're talking 'bout etnies, be sure to check out their adorable girlie slip ons. This summer I've become pretty obsessed with the more dainty styled shoes rather than just the plain old sneakers; and etnies has an awesome collection. My favorite is The Ace in camo. I love the color palette and the simply illustrated leaves.

zoo york artist series

The Zoo York Institute has released a new series of collaboration artist decks. Zoo York's Artist Series III features custom graphics from nine of today's "top creative masterminds" including Damien Correll (shown above). The decks should now be available at your local skate shop.

Obviously Damien's board graphic is my favorite. I love the way he uses such a surreal and abstract view of a city along with visual textures and bitmap patterns. It may take you a second or two to realize that he has 'zoo york' written out in the piles of randomness. Such lovely subtlety. I also love the skateboarding hand, it's just plain adorable. (sorry I couldn't think of a cooler word).

Damien is a 25 year old designer living in Brooklyn. His work has been featured in a bunch of magazines, including Complex and Swindle. He is currently employed at Zoo York as a graphic designer, but has also worked with Urban Outfitters, Nike, Rome SDS, and K2. Damien's work is a collage of hand made type, hand drawn illustrations, and unique patterns. I love the way that each little part of his designs interact with other little parts. Everything just flows together so smoothly. His choice of color... magnifique!! Overall, I guess you could say he's one rad boy!

I ♥ leanne!

Without even knowing I've been a fan of Miss Leanne Biank for years! First when she was profiled in SGmag (r.i.p) back in February 2005 and then again when her beautiful handpainted snowboards were passed around the art department at Mervin. It wasn't until a couple months ago that I realized that this amazing & talented lady, with a passion for snowboarding and skateboarding, was living and working in lovely Philadelphia. With so many people who love painting and designing snowboards living out west, I was more than excited to see that this girlie was east coast all the way.

Leanne's paintings have a wonderful mix of humor and beauty. Every character she paints, from little snow loving birdies to golden toothed bearded sea captains, is full of personality and heart. You can't help but love them! The scenes she depicts in her paintings are like magical secret worlds that you would only find when you close your eyes. She weaves intricate patterns and textures into her landscapes which adds a unique style I have never seen anywhere else. Leanne's imagination and creativity is endless and I'm so excited to see what the future holds for her.

If you're up in San Fran during the end of June be sure to check out "Back for Seconds" a group show at Gallery 1988 SF that Leanne will have a few pieces in. And if you're lucky enough to be in the Philly area, you can stop by Liberty Boards at 30 S 7th St. and pick one or two of her 'Like No Other' skateboards. Proceeds from the sale of these skate decks will be donated to the Franklin's Paine Skatepark Fund to benefit the new Philly Skatepark.

On that note, I'm going to the beach for the weekend. See you guys on Monday! xoxo

Go skateboarding day

Today is Go Skateboarding Day. So take off work, blow off your chores, cancel all your obligations and go skateboarding! There are events planned around the entire world so there is definitely something for everyone to do. To find out what is going on near your hometown, check this out.

Founded by the International Association of Skateboard Companies, Go Skateboarding Day gives passionate skateboarders who embody skateboarding, as well as those who are simply inspired by skateboarding, the opportunity to drop everything and go skateboarding.

Now get off the computer and go shred some sidewalk!