From the “whatever are they up to now” files comes this story of former pro skateboarder, artist, New Deal co-founder Andy Howell, his return to the Outer Banks in 2021, and the startup of his skateboarding x fishing brand Ghost Ship, from the pages of The Outer Banks Voice.
“Point blank, my best childhood memories are from here,” Howell told the Voice. “My dad taught me to fish the surf here, and I caught my first fish off the beach in Kitty Hawk. First time I ever stood up on a surfboard was in Kitty Hawk. My first surfboard was a Lightning Bolt from Secret Spot. The first skate park I ever skated as a kid in the late 70’s was Barney’s Concrete Curl. Those moments are so core to who I am.”
Ghost Ship is a “lifestyle brand specializing in skateboards, surfboards, fishing rods, apparel, and accessories that represent Outer Banks history and culture.” Click the link for all the details.
Skateboarder and artist Ed Templeton has a new career encompassing show (and book) featured in the Bonnefanten Museum in the Netherlands this summer. Fans of his work will not want to miss it.
Skateboarding, as seen through Ed Templeton’s photographs, has a life beyond the ramps. Yes, his high-impact images convey the spirit and kineticism of the sport, but so too has the photographer trained his lens on skateboarders behind the scenes and during their off-hours to preserve often raw and intimate moments. . . . “It’s essentially a lifetime of work,” he added of Wires Crossed. “I’ve done a lot of other books before this one with my photography, but this is what started it all for me—what made me want to get into photography in the first place.”
The Wires Crossed show runs in the Bonnefanten Museum, Avenue Ceramique 250, Maastricht, Netherlands, through September 17, 2023. Probably worth a trip just to see it.
The US Postal Service is dropping in on Cowtown’s 21st Annual Phoenix Am Contest on Friday, March 24, 2023 to kick off the launch of their new Art of The Skateboard stamp series.
Fiercely independent and often rebellious, the skateboarding subculture crackles with raw creative energy. The bold artwork emblazoned on a skateboard deck is often as eye-catching and individualistic as a skater’s most breathtaking moves.
The stamps feature art by Crystal Worl, William James Taylor Jr, Federico “MasPaz” Frum, and Di’Orr Greenwood. For all the details (including special info for all you philatelists), please follow the jump.
Snowboarder Nic Sauve and his ER doc wife, Geneviève Gaumond, have built a stylish little mountain get away in the hills on Mont Tourbillon near Lac-Beauport, Quebec, according to a story in Maclean’s.
Inspired by their mutual love of Québécois architect Pierre Thibault, Sauve and Gaumond envisioned a tiny two-floor retreat that used only three materials—bleached wood, grey aluminum and white tile—to minimize visual noise. The build cost roughly $400,000. “We wanted the design, textures and colours of the chalet to be linear, sober and clean, so the house kind of fades away and lets you connect with the surrounding nature,” says Sauve.
The cabin is currently being rented out on AirBnB so if you’re in the area maybe you can stay there. . . or in one of the Sauve’s two other modern masterpieces. All the info is right here: chaletsmicroelement.com.
On November 9, 2022 legendary surf photographer Art Brewer died surrounded by family and close friends at UCLA Hospital after a battle with liver disease, according to his obituary in the New York Times. He was 71.
Mr. Brewer published his first photograph in Surfer magazine in the late 1960s and quickly became the surfing world’s dominant photographer for the next few years. For the next half-century, from a small boat or while treading water, wearing fins and dealing with rip currents, he showed a deft eye for lighting and framing in capturing the thrilling sights of great surfers.
Through Mr. Brewer’s lens, Bruce Irons surfed into what looked like the eye of a hurricane in Indonesia; Barry Kanaiaupuni darted through Honolulu Bay like a speedboat, leaving a wake behind him; Shane Dorian, also in Indonesia, appeared to split the ocean; and Strider Wasilewskiseemingly rode his board underwater off Oahu.
Art’s family and friends have planned a “Celebration of Art” event at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, CA on Sunday, January 22, 2023 from 10:30am- 2:00PM. It’s a gathering to share stories and photos and have a “board meeting” out in the water. Boards and wetsuits are encouraged. For more information and to RSVP, please click here.
Master lensperson Atiba Jefferson has agreed to host a free online Canon photo event live from the Primitive Skatepark in Los Angeles October 21, 2022 from 3 – 5 PM PST.
Watch live as photographer and Canon Explorer of Light Atiba Jefferson captures incredible skateboarding images, discusses the cameras in his gear bag, and gives tips for getting the look you want. . . .As part of the Canon Creator Lab program, this FREE event will provide you with a unique experience wherever you’re at with your content creation.
Some event visitors may win a chance to hang with Atiba live on October 22, 2022. If that’s something you’d like to do make sure you select that option when you sign up right here.
It’s newsies time. Obviously, this list is overloaded with Olympic content since that’s what snowboarding is up to right now. And Shaun White is the biggest news from Chinaland. Shaun, and the terrible judging. But, oddly, few outlets wrote about that. Censorship? Probably not, but you know the journalists who are visiting China and hope to stay and/or return to the country don’t want to upset the PRC media watchers. Click the link for the list. And get going. This is enough to make it look like you’re working for the rest of the afternoon!
Fast-food joint El Polo Loco (a chain in which we’ve never dined) just announced a new capsule with some LA artists and makers. Some of them are skateboarders and surfers and maybe you’re a fan.
Loco Gifts & Gear . . . is a tangible celebration of what we like to call L.A. Mex culture – that one-of-a-kind intersection of time-honored Latino traditions and SoCal sensibility that makes L.A. such a vibrant, artistic, and special place.. . Each one a master of their craft and a unique contributor to the fabric of L.A. culture.
Check it out while we cruise over to Lola’s for lunch.
There’s a question we asked ourselves, while watching The Ultimate Surfer — Is this the pinnacle of surf entertainment? Was merging a group of washed and ok surfers with Survivor the best idea ever conceived by a man formerly employed by Oprah? Then we asked a followup: if we can seriously consider the first question, then what business do we have choosing stories for a long list of important action sporting news? The answer to the second question was is easy. We have no business. None whatsoever. Enjoy!
David Carson is a design genius. From creating the iconic TransWorld Skateboarding logo, to work with Ray Gun, Beach Culture, and Surfermagazines Carson has done more to rearrange the visual language of action sports than anyone else. What he does looks easy. How hard is it to cut stuff up, rearrange it, then slap it back down? But, as anyone who has tried knows, getting something that looks good (and communicates on a deeper level) is difficult. Now, thanks to MasterClass we all can learn the basics from the man himself. Click the link for all the details. Or click here to buy his most recent book.
