What's going on here?

I got sick of doing redesigns with just me and my clever ideas. These 'blog'sites are all pretty similar, so why not spice things up a bit.

Since I was about 14 years old I've been a fan of Mark Gonzales. As a skateboarder he, along with Tommy Guerrero and a few others, invented street skating. Not just content on reinventing a sport, Gonz would continue to throw out the rule book on a regular basis and invent new tricks on a constant basis. Ever see a kid slide his board-skate down a handrail? Gonz did it first. It wasn't just firsts that made him great, it was his style. If you ever get a chance, view a little video called Blind Video Days (which was also Spike Jonz's first film). Even a non-skater can see the smooth fluid style and amazing grace Gonz brought to skateboarding.

So what's up with the drawings then?

The drawings were created by Mark Gonzales. Not just satisfied with being a skater, Gonz began to paint and draw on the top of his board. This work flowed into his board graphics and then onto canvas. Mark is now a respected artist...as well as sculptor, skater, poet and comedian.

He influenced me to mix my love of skateboarding and skate culture with art...and I never see his work online.

There are 20 images. Reload to view them or click here to view them all on one page.

Where are the drawings from?

I was lucky enough to get a copy of a limited run book of Mark's work put out by his shoe sponsor ADIDAS. The images are from that book.

Does Gonz know you're doing this?

Nope. He does wander into the THREAT office now and again, and I hope to show him my small tribute. I'm giving credit to ADDIDAS for the images, and nothing has been changed outside the 'voice bubble' frame I created from various 'bubbles' he did.

Can I get some links?

Yup. Try these for more Gonz stuff.

See Gonz rock a frontside rail! - Crailtap

ADIDAS - check the shoe
DELUXE - check the boards
The Priest - a page on a rare Gonz art piece
A nice overview/interview
Gonz Museum - a HUGE collection of boards, etc.
Buy a Book - Broken Poems

Thanks.
Bryce, Ryan @ADIDAS, Tony, Gabe, and The Gonz.