On the second Sunday of June, I noticed an announcement in a local entertainment weekly: An exhibit of hand-painted skateboard decks was under way in a neighboring city. The exhibit had opened on Friday and would end on Sunday at 4 p.m. It was noon, and I had no transportation.
An exhibit of hand-painted windsport boards would have been vastly more interesting; but as there was no such exhibit, I decided that I absolutely had to see those skateboards.
After begging rides from friends, relatives, employees of an art gallery and skateboard shop, proved ineffectual, I pulled out my wallet and got to the exhibit via a combination of train and taxi.
(Had I simply phoned ahead to the gallery, I would have been informed that the show would not actually come down at 4 p.m., and an appointment would have been arranged at a more convenient time.)
The exhibit, "Make Art or Die" at A Bitchin' Space Gallery in Sacramento, consisted of about forty decks hand-painted by invited artists -- none of whom had previous experience with this format -- plus a sculpture, an installation, three decks from one of the sponsors, Legend Skateboards, and about forty vintage decks, most from the collection of John Soldano of the Toyroom gallery.
Among hand-painted decks, one of the more interesting approaches was that of artist Gail Hart, who cut up, painted, and reassembled several decks. The most memorable reassemblage featured a cartoon rodent bracketted between scuff marks.
More than a contributor, Gail was the mastermind of the exhibit, A Bitchin' Space Gallery merely being the name that Gail attaches to her studio when she chooses to exhibit art rather than create it.
Primordially striking was Jeff Christenesen's "Firebelly", a half-human infant bellowing a fireball from the interior of a volcano.
Paleontologically striking was Elliott Rogers' untitled deck, decorated a relief of an archaeopteryx-like fossil.
Thoroughly striking was Sandra Cappelletti's deck, displayed together with a portfolio of her drawings.
Ghoolishly striking was Linda S. Fitz Gibbon's ceramic construction of a skeletonized skateboard tagging a rock.
Stiking in a difficult to describe way was Kim Scott's "Fresh", a raw slab of eyeball-equipped steak bathed in condensed water dropplets and lounging on a blue rectangle. I will venture neither an aesthetic nor a psychoanalytic interpretation.
Among the collection of vintage commercial boards were graphics by artists Dalek (Space Monkey), Skinner Davis (Blood Wizard), Shepard Fairey (OBEY), Vernon Courtlandt Johnson (Rip the Ripper).
Well, I could go on, but I suppose that going on would only underline the point that this was an exhibit of skateboard art, not windsport art. It didn't seem to me that these images whould have much appeal to windsport athletes, and they provoked me into wondering all the more what comparable windsport images might look like.
The following Tuesday, I was seated in a cafe when just such an image strolled past my table, an image of a fish that seemed to be a part of the board it decorated. The board, of course, was not a windsport board but a longboard, a kind of oversize skateboard for cruising downhill. To view the board, click here.
The manufacturer was Arbor, the overall pattern was Arbor's tree logo, the wood was Hawaiian koa, and the fish itself was koi. The board's owner explained that koi are a symbol of faithfulness because they mate for life and die if they lose their mate.
According to legend, koi swim upstream to surmount rapids and transform into dragons. Thus, koi also symbolize triumph over adversity. Consequently, koi would be an appropriate image for a windsport board, because to mount an exhibit of windsport art one would have to swim against the current and overcome obstacles, but if one succeeded, the resulting art — compared to skateboard art — might be an aesthetic dragon.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The Wave
One often encounters waves in windsport images — in most photographs of course — but some of the oddest waves that one encounters are returned in Google Image searches as mere graphic fragments, such as "overlap-wave-right.gif". This particular GIF being an abstract gray swish that appears as a decorative element in the upper right border of the RipNSix water sport apparel company website. The GIF's mate, another wave-like form, one that suggests a pair of dolphins performing flips, appears in the left column.
In watersport art generally, waves are a recurring theme, and the quintessential wave is the okinami that dwarfs Mt. Fuji and threatens to swamp small boats in its thrall, depicted by Hokusai in his 1831 print, "The Great Wave off Kanagawa". This dramatic composition is a far cry from "overlap-wave-right.gif". Incidentally, the Hokusai print reproduced here, in Off Board Transitions, is public domain clip art, courtesy of WP Clipart.
It takes time to develop such an image. Critics trace Hokusai's wave back to an earlier print of cargo boats struggling against the shoulders of a mammoth rise of sea water. One can only imagine that Hokusai's wave might have begun as a monochrome fragment like "overlap-wave-right.gif".
Today, some such as Global Ocean Surf Links, are content to quote Hokusai. Others paraphrase, as did Alan Green when he simplified Hokusai's print to a red crest overtopping a red triangle and made this the logo of his company, the board-sport apparel and equipment manufacturer, Quicksilver. An even more abbreviated wave brands Liquid Force kites and boards.
Envisioning a fantastic tubular wave, Japan-based artist Zichi developed the theme in a novel way. The image unfortunately is no longer accessible through Zichi's blog. To view a thumbnail, and this is well worth the effort, try the Google Image Search: "Zichi Hokusai surf". You should get this link.
Still others not only re-visualize but encourage others to venture beyond the breakers. Such is eHow, which presents an arresting image of marine motion, together with a tutorial on how to create one's own vision of surge.
A sensitive designer need not employ literal depiction, but can evoke a subject through suggestive finesse. And this is what one designer at Honolua managed by distilling the presence of ocean from a mere photograph of coiled wood shavings on blue board.
By now it may be obvious that this blog post has strayed from windsport art. Maybe because the individual wave itself is more germane to surfing than to windsports, or maybe because surfing has been around longer and has therefore had more time to evolve its art, the image of the wave seems better developed in surfing art than in windsport art. At any rate, I have not yet found anything in windsport art that flaunts absurd elan in the manner of the pair of surfing cartoons found on Sipsearch and Red Bubble. In both, a surfer rides atop a reincarnation of Hokusai's wave: in the first as an Edo period figure in kimono, in the second as a manga style infant in diaper.
It seems that even those with terrestrial pursuits pay homage to the wave. Cory Oberndorfer, known for roller skating art, realized Hokusai's wave as a pink mural for blogger HooGrrl.
And artist Cheryl Daniels created a pulsating blue tidal wave design for the skateboard, that denizen of concrete, typically emblazoned with skulls and graffiti. Daniels' digital design, viewable at Zazzle will reward the visit.
And what will be the future of wave imaging? Perhaps false-color maps of meteorological computations like the map of swells on the Surfline Forecast page.
For windsport art, maybe the reason that the wave is not more pervasive is that the focus of windsports is not the wave elusive but the wind invisible.
In watersport art generally, waves are a recurring theme, and the quintessential wave is the okinami that dwarfs Mt. Fuji and threatens to swamp small boats in its thrall, depicted by Hokusai in his 1831 print, "The Great Wave off Kanagawa". This dramatic composition is a far cry from "overlap-wave-right.gif". Incidentally, the Hokusai print reproduced here, in Off Board Transitions, is public domain clip art, courtesy of WP Clipart.
It takes time to develop such an image. Critics trace Hokusai's wave back to an earlier print of cargo boats struggling against the shoulders of a mammoth rise of sea water. One can only imagine that Hokusai's wave might have begun as a monochrome fragment like "overlap-wave-right.gif".
Today, some such as Global Ocean Surf Links, are content to quote Hokusai. Others paraphrase, as did Alan Green when he simplified Hokusai's print to a red crest overtopping a red triangle and made this the logo of his company, the board-sport apparel and equipment manufacturer, Quicksilver. An even more abbreviated wave brands Liquid Force kites and boards.
Envisioning a fantastic tubular wave, Japan-based artist Zichi developed the theme in a novel way. The image unfortunately is no longer accessible through Zichi's blog. To view a thumbnail, and this is well worth the effort, try the Google Image Search: "Zichi Hokusai surf". You should get this link.
Still others not only re-visualize but encourage others to venture beyond the breakers. Such is eHow, which presents an arresting image of marine motion, together with a tutorial on how to create one's own vision of surge.
A sensitive designer need not employ literal depiction, but can evoke a subject through suggestive finesse. And this is what one designer at Honolua managed by distilling the presence of ocean from a mere photograph of coiled wood shavings on blue board.
By now it may be obvious that this blog post has strayed from windsport art. Maybe because the individual wave itself is more germane to surfing than to windsports, or maybe because surfing has been around longer and has therefore had more time to evolve its art, the image of the wave seems better developed in surfing art than in windsport art. At any rate, I have not yet found anything in windsport art that flaunts absurd elan in the manner of the pair of surfing cartoons found on Sipsearch and Red Bubble. In both, a surfer rides atop a reincarnation of Hokusai's wave: in the first as an Edo period figure in kimono, in the second as a manga style infant in diaper.
It seems that even those with terrestrial pursuits pay homage to the wave. Cory Oberndorfer, known for roller skating art, realized Hokusai's wave as a pink mural for blogger HooGrrl.
And artist Cheryl Daniels created a pulsating blue tidal wave design for the skateboard, that denizen of concrete, typically emblazoned with skulls and graffiti. Daniels' digital design, viewable at Zazzle will reward the visit.
And what will be the future of wave imaging? Perhaps false-color maps of meteorological computations like the map of swells on the Surfline Forecast page.
For windsport art, maybe the reason that the wave is not more pervasive is that the focus of windsports is not the wave elusive but the wind invisible.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Hibiscus Supplemental
The range of the hibiscus in windsport art extends further than previously thought. On the opposite side of the Atlantic from Germany's Flowsports lies Canada. On page 92 of the February 2009 issue of Canadian windsurfing magazine Windsport, the hibiscus teams up with palm trees, and grimacing tiki god to promote Easy Rider sporting goods of Edmonton, Alberta. With an average February temperature somewhere around 15 degrees Fahrenheit, Edmonton is not Polynesia!
Included here for reference is a typical hibiscus graphic, courtesy of WP Clipart.
Included here for reference is a typical hibiscus graphic, courtesy of WP Clipart.
Monday, May 18, 2009
The Hibiscus in Windsport Art
Thanks to its status as the state flower of Hawaii, the hibiscus is one of the most popular motifs in windsport art, and widely found in website logos, icons, border designs, and banners.
A striking example is the hibiscus that punctuates the small banner ads in the left column of the Wahine Surfing website. Infused with intense blue and magenta chromas, the flower has been stylized to the point that its petals resemble kites, and it's central shaft, a board crowned with stars. For all its apparent virility, this central shaft is, in botany, the flower's female organ, the pistil.
A modest black and white line drawing of a hibiscus stands duty on the Wahine logo. It seems to me that if Wahine wanted black and white for its logo, it might at least have dared something like the ink pad style that appears on Hawaiian Watersports .Com. Oh well, ink pads aren't that daring anyway, to tell the truth.
Though associated with Hawaii, the hibiscus is thought to have originated near the Indian Ocean. Thus Pro Surf Extreme Kenya may fairly stencil the hibiscus across the top and bottom of its webpage plus employ it as online booking and newsletter icons. My, that little flower does a megapixel of work!
Today the hibiscus, nearly as widespread as windsports, even decorates the banners of German websites such as Flowsports and Silke Gorldt Stiftung, where it receives a tasteful, if numbingly repetitive treatment. You may recall that Germany borders the North and Baltic seas, not the Indian Ocean.
In addition to websites, the hibiscus appears on boards. One board, from custom designer 6Boards, combines a hibiscus with a motto ribbon, a Victorian filigree, red stars, and a black sunburst. Although it does not star in this ensemble, after countless hours backstage, the hibiscus must enjoy getting out there to have a little fun.
The questions remain, "Has the hibiscus spread into snowkiting country?" and "If so, what role does it play there?" Well, "no" and "possibly none". I did discover a snowboard with a flower motif, however the flower was definitely not a hibiscus. But that will be the subject of a future post.
By the way, the hibiscus is related to cocoa and hence to my nom de plume for this blog, tocoa.
A striking example is the hibiscus that punctuates the small banner ads in the left column of the Wahine Surfing website. Infused with intense blue and magenta chromas, the flower has been stylized to the point that its petals resemble kites, and it's central shaft, a board crowned with stars. For all its apparent virility, this central shaft is, in botany, the flower's female organ, the pistil.
A modest black and white line drawing of a hibiscus stands duty on the Wahine logo. It seems to me that if Wahine wanted black and white for its logo, it might at least have dared something like the ink pad style that appears on Hawaiian Watersports .Com. Oh well, ink pads aren't that daring anyway, to tell the truth.
Though associated with Hawaii, the hibiscus is thought to have originated near the Indian Ocean. Thus Pro Surf Extreme Kenya may fairly stencil the hibiscus across the top and bottom of its webpage plus employ it as online booking and newsletter icons. My, that little flower does a megapixel of work!
Today the hibiscus, nearly as widespread as windsports, even decorates the banners of German websites such as Flowsports and Silke Gorldt Stiftung, where it receives a tasteful, if numbingly repetitive treatment. You may recall that Germany borders the North and Baltic seas, not the Indian Ocean.
In addition to websites, the hibiscus appears on boards. One board, from custom designer 6Boards, combines a hibiscus with a motto ribbon, a Victorian filigree, red stars, and a black sunburst. Although it does not star in this ensemble, after countless hours backstage, the hibiscus must enjoy getting out there to have a little fun.
The questions remain, "Has the hibiscus spread into snowkiting country?" and "If so, what role does it play there?" Well, "no" and "possibly none". I did discover a snowboard with a flower motif, however the flower was definitely not a hibiscus. But that will be the subject of a future post.
By the way, the hibiscus is related to cocoa and hence to my nom de plume for this blog, tocoa.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Welcome to Off Board Transitions
Off Board Transitions is dedicated to windsport art and graphics including paintings, drawings, sketches, cartoons, cover art, designs, decals, banners, and logos. By the way, the cartoon of the kiteboarder, snowboarder, and windsurfer (posted May 5) represents my own effort. My name is tocoa. I am assisted by decodeideas.
Let's begin with a logo displayed by Fun Sporting Action Sports Magazine at the bottom of their community page.
The logo appears in connection with Flowsports and the Silke Gorldt KidsCamp. This simple blue & orange on white graphic imaginatively fuses the ideas of medieval armor and a madcap race to the beach.
My guess would be that this logo is intended to communicate the importance of safety at this particular kids windsport camp. Silke Gorldt, as you may know, lost her life competing at Zingst in 2002. It was her death that catalyzed the development of modern windsport safety technology.
I'll see if I can find out more about this logo and get it posted to our blog. Thank you for reading Off Board Transitions!
Let's begin with a logo displayed by Fun Sporting Action Sports Magazine at the bottom of their community page.
The logo appears in connection with Flowsports and the Silke Gorldt KidsCamp. This simple blue & orange on white graphic imaginatively fuses the ideas of medieval armor and a madcap race to the beach.
My guess would be that this logo is intended to communicate the importance of safety at this particular kids windsport camp. Silke Gorldt, as you may know, lost her life competing at Zingst in 2002. It was her death that catalyzed the development of modern windsport safety technology.
I'll see if I can find out more about this logo and get it posted to our blog. Thank you for reading Off Board Transitions!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Multiple authors
This is a blog with multiple authors. One of us is providing the art, the other one is providing assistance.
Here is an art picture to get the discussion started.
Here is an art picture to get the discussion started.
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