Crandall art show in Richmond

My buddy Steve Crandall has an opening in Richmond , VA. tomorrow night (Friday). If you're in the area go check the doodles in "Ride the Wild". Werd.

Pista Fix Gear painting

Painted this on Friday night at my friend Adam's new Fix Gear Boutique he just opened in Newport Beach.

Weekend Pacifists

Here's the flyer/Juxtapoz ad for "Weekend Pacifists" at Subliminal Projects, Shepards gallery in Los Angeles. A show with a few cool people, lots of new works from Andy Jenkins, Michael Sieben, Chris Pastras, Mike Myers and myself. Should be a good one, please come check it out if you can.

Radical Art Show in Portland

Art show in PDX with Jo Jackson, Chris Johanson, Andy Jenkins,Tobin Yelland, Jason Lee, Roger Seliner and Chris Pastras. Thanks Art, should be a good one. North County Invitaional, Seek Shelter at the Small Room.

FBM hand painted "Sword"

Hey, here are a few quick snapshots of one of the hand painted "Swords" I did for FBM. Check more at www.fbmfixed.com. I did a fork to go with each as well. Those bikes are pretty, they make nice stuff.

Upcoming shows

The rest of the year is really filling up. I have some stuff in a group show at the gallery in The Department of Skateboarding in Portland in May. A great show planned at Shepard's gallery Subliminal in L.A. in August with Andy Jenkins, Michael Sieben, Chris Pastras and Mike Myers. A show with Time Kerr at Needles and Pens in S.F. in October that I'm excited about. Somewhere in between all of this I'm going to fit a 3 man show in Alabama with Chad Foreman and Ben Horton. Whew.

Marginal Way, Seattle.

Skated Marginal Way in Seattle with a few friends the other day. Thanks for taking us there Clayton. Super fun, cool art on the pillars too....

"Sword" from dudes at FBM

Got this bike ("The Sword") from the dudes at FBM. Thanks guys. Rides great, check their new fork, it's super good too. I gave it a special "Crandleabrah" paint job for Crandall. Thanks JP, hey look for a couple more of these suckers with custom paint jobs that I'm doing and will be available soon. You'll be able to get seafoam/mint green hubsets from Profile with my art on them as well to go with. Word.

Crappy ping pong paddles

Here are 5 ping pong paddles I painted for this thing on Saturday night. Billy Deans from Skateboarder sent them to me.

Autumn NYC

I just got back from New York. I skated the Autumn bowl, thanks to Dave and Grandpa, for being so cool. Good times, one of the most fun bowls I've ever skated. Different everywhere, super good lines to be had, all pool coping. Radical.

Interesting review by OC Weekly

THE SKATE-PUNK SENSIBILITY OF 'SPARE CHANGE' AT THE HIBBLETON OFFERS SOME REAL POLITICAL CAPITAL
BY DAVE BARTON
Published on March 11, 2009 at 11:04am
‘Change’ We Can Believe In
The skate-punk sensibility of ‘Spare Change’ at the Hibbleton offers some real political capital for these uncertain times

What a disappointment punk was. While there were thoughtful, even intellectual aspects of the movement, the reflexively anti-authoritarian parts always seemed to win out. The music—and most conversations—were invariably Two Minutes Hate, the brainwashing technique featured in George Orwell’s 1984: You’d get a rush of guitars, a chorus of anger and a litany of political monsters with the simplest of simple-minded political slogans.

Considering the tremendous influence of punk on skater culture, honest personal and political reflection would be the last thing I’d expect at Hibbleton Gallery’s “Spare Change,” curator Jesse La Tour’s new exhibition featuring five artists directly connected with skateboarding. But it turns out that some of this work has some real creative and political heft.

Russ Pope’s titular painting leads off: a giant chessboard, pennies and dimes floating amid grimacing faces filled with distress, adrift in the game of life, broke and broken, barely cognizant of the red splatters at the bottom right of the picture. That dim anxiousness over impending violence is the overriding theme flowing through much of Pope’s displayed work: Man In the Hat is another head separated from its body, this time facing a wash of Army-fatigue-green nothingness. Blue paint—or is it blue blood?—runs in a torrent from his neck to the bottom of the painting. Orange Crush is six cartoony, orange faces in front of an angry, red background, throwing worried, sidelong glances at a glowering face in the middle, a simmering bomb waiting to explode. Life in Orange County, perhaps? Safe Camp is divided into four sections: Big Brother eyes staring out from a swatch of scarlet in the upper left, barbed wire to the right, bottom left a circle being penetrated by an arrow aimed at the surrendering Mr. Peanut figure in the bottom right. The bowling-pin-shaped people of Pins are all thick black lines, immobile, panicky looks aimed at one another as they await the rolling ball knocking them into the gutter.

The rest of the review as well as photographs can be seen at www.ocweekly.com.

A few more opening photos and painting shots

Thanks to Jesse and the crew at Hibbleton. Thanks Mike, Andy, Yormick, and Chris too. The show will be up for the month, drop by and check it out if you missed opening night.

Photos from set up and opening night for "Spare Change"

A peek at pieces from "Spare Change" tonight

"Spare Change" at Hibbleton Gallery in Fullerton

Hey, come and see this show in Fullerton. It's all new works from myself as well as Chris Pastras, Andy Jenkins, Mike Myers, and Chris Yormick. It's a great little spot, there will be some music, drinks, and some sort of after party at the bar/lounge next door.

The Panelists

Hey if you're in Pheonix come check this show out. Heck, wherever you are, make the trek. Should be cool.

interview up on skateboardermag.com

Hey, go have a look at www.skateboardermag.com, there's a contest to win some Hoven sunglasses with my art on them. Also there's a new interview and a couple images of some of my art as well.

RIP the Ripper show in San Diego

If you're in the vicinity, come and have a look.

Work day in studio

Here are a couple of quick snapshots from the studio today. Painting for "The Panelists" in Phoenix and "Spare Change" in Fullerton. Nice way to spend spend a Sunday.

American Studies

Hey, go check Blue Press Books out. Michael Price and Kevin Opstedal have assembled a collection of their poetry and I illustrated a cover to wrap them up in. Buy something from these dudes, they are a cool and a totally independent small publishing deal out of Santa Cruz. Go Derby Park, and R.I.P. Buena Vista pool. Click the "American Studies" title over post to be taken to Blue Press.