sculpt or die - john cardiel!

click on the image above to enlarge.

photo: ehren bienert

"i did this sculpt to honour one of skateboarding's most incredible individuals. it wasn't a commission or anything. i really did it for myself. but as i came close to finishing the sculpt, i thought ‘why not send it to john?' i'm really glad i did. it's the least i could do for a guy who gave so much inspiration to the skateboarding community. when he recieved the sculpture via the guys at dlx, he called me to thank me for it. when i realized who i was on the phone with i couldn't breathe. lol! i was so hyped! thanks, john!

i want to thank the guys out at dlx for helping me finish the sculpture. jim thiebaud and damon thorny, both sent me photos that helped me out tremendously. when the sculpt was finished, i sent it to dlx and they made sure john recieved it.

i love mark gonzales, so i'm gonna quote him again here speaking about cards in the transworld "sight unseen" film. “he's an original ripper; he's an original coors." i'd say that about sums it up. there are few people who epitomize the spirit of skateboarding like john cardiel. if you don't know that, then you need to go watch his videos. enough said!"

- ehren bienert.

check out more of john cardiel's doing a back smith digital sculpture, here!

check out sculpt or die.

peace.

sculpt or die!

check out this amazing life like sculpture of steve caballero done by ehren bienert. fuckin' jaw droppin' siq! speechless... much respect!

the sculpture.

the image used.

steve caballero.

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circa 1994... i was standing outside my jr high school waiting for my mom to pick me up. i watched in fascination as two fellow 9th graders rolled by on their skateboards. mike manidis looked up at me after attempting some sort of flip trick and said, "i know there is a skater in you." (mike is currently directing the element skate camp, and i think that makes perfect sense.)

he was right, and the following year i began skateboarding. 15 years later, i still ride. a lot happened in the interim of course. i (barely) graduated high school, went to art school in philadelphia, started sculpting professionally, got married, bought a house etc etc. through all the ups and downs, i had two constants. my art and skateboarding.

during the 7 years i spent sculpting for mcfarlane toys, i had a lot of time to reflect on my interests. at some point in 2007, it dawned on me that i could combine the two great passions of my life in to one pursuit. i could sculpt skateboarders. few things in my life have seemed more obvious. i could combine my years of experience in professional sculpting with my years of experience as a skateboarder. i immediately felt as though i had found my 'niche'. and so with no real goal in mind other than enjoying myself, i went home that night and started sculpting a skateboarder at my kitchen table in our tiny studio apartment.

- ehren bienert.

check out more of ehren bienert's amazing works, here.

peace.