I have always loved playing in the outdoors in virtually every way possible. From skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing, surfing, canoeing, mountain biking, climbing and mountaineering. Being connected with nature in a fun a healthy way has led me to a very happy and balanced lifestyle that has profoundly influenced my art. When I create a piece of art I try to connect the viewer with an experience in nature that they may never get to experience themselves. I believe that we are insanely disconnected from nature as a whole these days and every effort must be made to help people reconnect to the thing that matters most... the planet!
Over the past decade I have been fortunate enough to work with a variety of great companies and had my art on a tonne of skiis, snowboards and skateboards. It is a very satisfying experience to connect with nature through sport and art in an amazing feedback loop of experience. One of my favourite days was standing in the Crystal chair line up on Blackcomb and seeing 11 pairs of skiis and boards with my graphics on them just from where I was standing in line!
I'm excited to have a new Longboard graphic out for Landyachtz skateboards this year. The piece I did for their Bamboo Totem deck was a fusion of my experience up in Haida Gwaii combined with my appreciation for the Great Art Noveau painter Alphonse Mucha. This project finally helped me figure out how I am able to paint the old weathered totem poles from one of the oldest indigenous cultures in North America. I look forward to doing a new painting series this summer based on my experiences up there and kick started by a skateboard graphic... I just love how inspiration and experience keep feeding each other in the continuum.
I hope that you manage to find a passion and a past time that fullfils you like art and nature does for me! I would suggest just stepping off the pavement, turning off your cellphone and getting back in touch with where we all came from :)