photo: mike blabac
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art, skateboarding & life is an action packed story that is related in a series of awesome visuals. in his first monograph andy howell’s work on the deck and as an artist is presented within the context of an expansive network of artists, skaters and agitators, all bent on having an impact. it is an intense mixture of interviews, narrative text and non-stop visuals that follow howell’s journey through pro skateboarding, the action sports industry, and allied segments of the diy movements within art, music and design.
with the release of disposable: a history of skateboard art in 2004, author sean cliver made a brilliant attempt at artfully cataloging every important skateboard deck ever released. in the process, he created a classic, but was left feeling less than satisfied. ever the completist, the gaping omissions in the first book gnawed at him and drove him to envision compiling the ultimate encyclopedia of skateboard decks.
electrifying full-page color photos of skateboarders in action will attract readers to this history of the sport. davis traces skateboarding back to its origins in surfing and the homemade toys of the 1950s to the huge industry it is today, covering developments in equipment, shoes and safety gear as well as stars like tony hawk, mark gonzales, waves of devotion and eric koston. chapter two looks at skateboarding around the world, from the us and canada to south america. australia, japan, europe, and more. davis then goes on to discuss skate culture: skateboarding music, fashion, art, contests, the nomadic way of life, and authority and rebellion. the last chapter examines skateboarding media, such as magazines, videos, and the movies, and describes some skateboarding tricks and techniques. skateboard fans will love this, and the photos are quite amazing.
cliché: résumé spotlights the largest, best known european skateboard brand from its humble beginnings during the days of vhs and polaroids to the present. classic skate photography takes center stage with crucial work from some of the industries' most renowned lens-men such as mike o'meally, olivier chassignole, oliver barton, alexis zavialoff, benjamindeberdt, fred mortagne and more.
since the first time a graphic was hand-drawn onto a board, there has been a deep-rooted connection between skateboarding and art. the culture of skating is a very creative and visual one, with by-products such as board graphics, videos, stickers, magazines and clothing. as more skater-artists emerge, skateboard magazines feature more artwork in their pages, and there are an increasing number of exhibitions focusing on skater art. bringing together the finest artwork produced by skateboarders around the world, this second volume of skater-art follows on the successful first book, concrete to canvas. each artist's work is highly individual and distinctive, and there is a huge variety in genre, style, method, medium, subject matter, inspiration and influence. the work featured includes digital art, street art, fine art, paintings, drawings, doodles, illustration and installation.
blabac photo: the art of skateboarding photography is a stunning chronicle of a youth movement as seen through the lens of mike blabac, a man who is as dedicated to his craft as he is to the skateboarding lifestyle that inspired it. for millions of people around the world, skateboarding is more than a mere hobby or a sport—it's a way of life that has shaped everything from fashion and music, to video games and art. blabac photo proves that point with 300 awe-inspiring images that communicate the stories and exploits of some of the most creative athletes to ever step on a skateboard including eric koston, stevie williams, colin mckay, rob dyrdek, and danny way. as skateboarding evolved over time, from a hobby for kids on the venice boardwalk into a global culture, skate legends were born, records were broken, titans of industry materialized—and mike blabac was there to document the history of the movement as it developed before his eyes.
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