MAKE ART YOUR MEDITATION – SYNAPTIC STIMULI

all healing must be self-initiated

my desire is too speak less. yet to communicate more

in a world of strings we are designers of expressions

head over to synaptic stimuli to see more of michael chichi's curation of hi-fidelity aesthetic stimulation which may affect and expand one’s consciousness, stir up latent cosmic origins, trigger cellular intelligence, tickle the neurons & warm one’s heart. to inspire and turn you on to your own evolutionary destiny. 

I must admit that I just copied and pasted this text. because it's perfect.

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DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK

whenever facing a tough situation changing perspective might work wonders.

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GOLDEN RIDE – NEW ISSUE, NEW LOOK

what a nice hanging out. just me, my hammock and the magazine that I just crowned to be the most beautiful and adventurous all girls boardsports magazine I know. golden ride got a relaunch and it suits it so well! past whales wearing hats, indie bikini brands, intense playground workouts and an awareness-raising story about our consumer behaviour this issue takes us straight to the ocean. with its step off the beaten track the magazine has grown and gained depth and I am super happy to be a part of it with my contribution about the "art of attention".

here's a little preview of the world of packed backpacks, cut-off shorts and fully scrawled over travel diaries.

Anita Fuchs, Nathalie Gandrille and Kristian Kimmel, this whohooo is for you: whohooo!

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CONNY MARSHAUS AND HER FISH FAMILY

photographer and outdoor enthusiast Conny Marshaus and her drop dead gorgeous fish family striked out to the surf & skate festival in munich earlier this year. get to know how Conny put her photographs on her favourite material wood and which surface is her favourite to move along.

how's your summer so far? 

pretty awesome! at the moment I am in Thuringia in a small village called Löbi, where my family lives. so far it’s been a pretty exciting year for me with lots of traveling and work.

please tell us about your exhibition at the surf & skate festival. 

Flo, one of the founders of the surf & skate festival came across my lifestyle photos featuring some surf shots on my website and asked if I want to show my photos at the skate & surf art exhibition this year. I didn’t hesitate a second and said "yeah, for sure".

a couple of months prior the exhibition I already had the idea to print some of my favourite photos on skateboard decks. unfortunately it just stayed a rough concept without excecution because I was too busy with work.
I finally got to realize my idea at the surf & skate art exhibition, but instead of skateboard decks, I envisioned fish-like shapes, cut out of wood, that would serve as canvas for selected photos of mine. my brainchild "the fishfamily" for the exhibition was born.
every member of my fishfamily is one of a kind. each has a unique layout of photos, shapes and graphics printed on its surface. after I hung all ten members on the wall with ropes at the exhibition I noticed they look like fish cought in a fishing net.

how did you produce the fish boards? 

I found a company that was able to print photos on wood by using a printing method called UV direct printing. UV printers cure the ink with a series of ultraviolet lamps, causing the ink on the wooden surface to be dry almost immediately after the print head has passed.
they printed my layouts on a large piece of spruce wood. with the help of my amazing carpenter boyfriend Andreas Reiber I cut the printed board into ten fish-shapes.

it's not the first time that you've worked with uncommon substrates for your photography. please tell us more about your affection for putting your images on different materials.
I love it how different materials come together and how they merge. first I started with polaroid-transfers with my 320 landcamera. normally you do the transfer onto watercolor paper but it worked fairly good on forex plates as well as wooden boards. it was important for me that you can still see the wooden structure through the pictures.
at the moment I still like to work with wood, because there are so many different kinds of wood with various patterns, structure and color, that gives each photo a uniqe background.

w – wild
o – original
o - object
d – drop-dead gorgeous

on which surfaces do you personally prefer to move along?
in the summertime I love to be on a horse and in wintertime definitely in the mountains, just being around with my friends in the snow. these are my favourite moments. 

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CALL FOR ENTRIES

girl scouts, photographers, designers, musicians, poets and rangers,
we want your bears, your shacks, your mushrooms or whatever comes to your
mind when you think about the great outdoors. send your submissions to
smileatyoursister@gmail.com and be part of a survival kit inspired project that
will celebrate its release with an art show somewhere deep in the austrian woods.

never stop wondering.
never stop wandering.

entry deadline may 31th.
for more information please send an email to smileatyoursister@gmail.com

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ABOUT A GIRL – FRAU ISA

it was end of last year when I've been to an art show at the adhoc pad that was run by wald und schwert, a project by frau isa and her fiancé oliver toman. since then I catch a whispering of the woods in form of one of frau isa's fairy paintings that carries her nostalgic characters and love of adventure in my place. read on and get to know more about the recurring themes of her light-hearted work.

 
fairy-tale

when it comes to describing my work I often use the word "fairy-tale". it is the best way to describe my idea of using dark content in my paintings to let them live. I try to get the mood of fairy-tales into my work but not the story itself.

vienna
Vienna is the place to be for me. I love the air of the city, it is very inspiring. I'm living here since 2005 and it turned out to be the center of my life pretty fast. I love traveling but I'm always glad to be home again.

the woods

one thing I miss in Vienna is the possibility to run into the woods spontaneously and being outside without getting in the car or on the train first. I grew up literally in the woods, my parents bought a house next to a forest when I was born. as a kid it was simply amazing to be outside and play till the sun goes down. now me and my fiancé are trying to be in natural surroundings as often as we can. this helps to push the energy-level up up up.

nostalgia
since I was a kid I always wanted to live in another era, nearly in every age, but not in this very time. nowadays all is so fast and nothing is special anymore. but I guess past times are not that romantic as they seem. maybe that's the reason why I collect things from the past, be it clothes, teacups, jewelry or furniture. I built my own era including internet and iPhones and stuff.

character 

my work is all about characters. I just can't imagine a world without mine. I invented them when I started doing graffiti as a teenager and since then they grew up with me. they became more detailed, cause I learned how to paint better, they were getting more serious, cause I got older and not that childish anymore (at least not all the time) and so they are evolving with me. and my idea of painting, it changes all the time, but slowly and smooth.

frau isa is a vienna based artist and illustrator who makes amongst many other things the most beautiful wedding cards.

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ABOUT A GIRL – MARGAUX ARRAMON-TUCOO

Margaux Arramon-Tucoo draws her fine lines in the water just as skilful as on paper. the curly headed french surfer and artist leaves her traces in many different parts of the world where she uses to call more than just one place home. her love of nature and her creative upbringing make her a fleet-footed  and grand girl that strikes with grace and endowment.

where are you and what are you up to these days?

at the moment I am in France with my family. in a few days I am gonna fly to Morocco to surf and to visit my second home. I'm pretty busy traveling this year, it is exciting.

your heart beats for surfing as well as for art. what is it that you got into both equally?

they balance my mind. they keep me happy and busy and they both go hand in hand so well.

your drawings feel very pure and direct with their subtle geometrical forms. would you say that you are reflecting this attributes as well?

I probably draw what I feel just at that moment or sometimes my drawings reflect something that I've felt in the past. either way they are definitely direct lines from my mind.

I've discovered a beautiful zine you've contributed to that was created by Lauren Hill and Dave Rastovich. would you like to tell us more about it?

I was staying with Lauren and David while I was in Australia two years ago. I did some art on the rocks at their farm over there. Lauren asked me if I would like to be part of their zine and of course I said yes. they are so pure and have a lot of good projects.

when you are surfing it seems that you are cherishing every little wave with your toes on the nose. do you always prefer longboards to shortboards?

I started with longboarding because I've always enjoyed smaller waves. last year I got into riding mid length and shorter boards that my shapers made for me. they have a pretty classic surf shape and I have a lot of fun with them.

do you remember the first time when you got a wave?

yes! it was down my house with my dad. I remember standing up on the first one and since then I wanted more and more for sure!

Margaux Arramon-Tucoo | RVCA from RVCA on Vimeo.


do you have any rituals before going to water?

I usually put on my wetsuit at home, I listen to some music and I stretch a little. I have to carry my board from the garden all the way through my house which is a little sketchy. and then I run down the hundred stairs of my home spot before I get into the water.

many people and brands collaborate with you. how do you feel about this attention and support?

I feel so grateful for what people have done for me and at the same time I am a little anxious sometimes about what's next. everything is always so quick. like when I get to know that I'm gonna go far away for a month two weeks before and that I have to produce art for this. you learn how to adapt yourself to a lot of different situations. and I think that's how I learn to collaborate with different people.

you spend a lot of time in california. what's the best thing that you take with you from being there?

my friends and my life that I have there and the waves that I get everytime!

which surfers and artists have influenced you the most?

Kassia Meador has influenced my surfing and took me under her wings very early. I got to do and to see a lot of things because of her.

and all the artist I've met until now and the ones I'll meet in the future. everyone who is happy and positive because he does what he loves and shares this with other people.

please finish following sentences
when I am surfing... I get in another world
when I am drawing... I love the solitary I find
when I am traveling... I meet incredible minds

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BURNLAB OPENING WITH A YO KAMMZAI

a yo kammzai, we're taking our hats off. the opening was a super nice one.

roman rauch pimping my cruiser.

some serious ayo support by nomadee and the boys.

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NIKY ROEHREKE – HANDS CANNOT LIE

one morning I have found this postcard on my desk. it came its long way from new york and brightened up my oh so weary day. niky roehreke is a japanese / german mixed media illustrator who loves hands. and quite rightly many people love what her hands create. her bold and colourful illustrations can be found in many different magazines and most recently for the third season on selected items of insight's garage art collection.

whose hand would you like to shake one day? 

as many people as possible and if there is a nice gallery owner and Patti Smith amongst them I'd be very happy.

what would you say is typical german and what's typical japanese about you? 

I think japanese about me is that I'm am a workaholic, that I love and care about eating good food and that I sometimes worry too much about other people's opinion. german about me is that I'm a perfectionist, I am stubborn and don't care about other people's opinion and if I want to I have the ability to endlessly complain about something. so I am basically a workaholic perfectionist who cares but not cares about what other people think and endlessly complains while eating great japanese food. I sound like a horrible mix.

what's your favourite gallery in ny at the moment? 

I've just been to Moma's exhibition 'century of the child: growing by design, 1900-2000' and I loved it. It was so great to see the designs and the historical background of the toys and board games I used to love playing with and I realized that the idea behind a lot of these toys were quite simple.
on the way back home it made me sad when I saw all these children on the train playing with iphones and ipads... entertainment for people in general has become so much more complicated.

do you have a favourite quote? 

'the more you know who you are, and what you want, 

the less you let things upset you'

(Bob Harris / lost in translation)

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I WISH YOU WERE HERE PROJECT

marianne has always been a woman who loved to travel around the world. three years ago she was diagnosed with cancer. her daughter tanya started a wonderful project called i wish you were here. it gives her mother the chance to see and learn about the people and places that she did not get a chance to see and will not get a chance to meet.

it's so simple. send a postcard to marianne from whereever you are. suddenly marianne starts to travel around the world again.

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FELICITY PALMATEER. THE WATER DRAWER.

you might remember lovely pro surfer felicity palmateer from back in the days when we just started smile at your sister. she is still surfing and shining. but in the last three years she was not just drawing lines on waves.

hej felicity, you've been one of the first girls we portrayed. what happened since then?

since then I have been traveling around the world competing full time on the ASP women’s star series trying to qualify for the women’s world tour. I have finished one spot shy of qualification for the last two years and as a result I got to compete at the back end of the women’s world tour in 2011. right now I’m in Europe, road tripping with friends through France, Spain and Portugal competing in the last star events of the year.  it’s been really exciting to experience new cultures and trying to infuse that influence into my art. I’ve been exploring a few different techniques along the way as well to try and broaden my art.

that sounds great. we found this beautiful paintings that you've made. please tell us more about your whales and turtles.

I mostly paint in inks and watercolours and I draw a lot of my inspiration from the ocean. whales are my favorite things to paint. they are so beautiful and graceful the way they glide through the sea. I love the fluidity in their movement through the water and I think that transcends into the way I use my inks and watercolours.

what are your favourite materials to use? 
my favourite mediums to use are definitely inks and watercolours because I feel most comfortable using them. my dad is really skilled in pottery and lately I’ve been experimenting with clay and finding ways to bring my ocean influences to ceramic pieces.

a few years ago I made about six plaster casts of the patterns in the sand at a local beach just down the road from my house.  I mixed the plaster at the beach using sea water and then gently poured it over the sand in such a way that it would create a montage of individual moulds. the plaster set really quickly and in no time I had six nice little moulds of beach sand.

so four years on I used these moulds as inspiration and texture on the mugs I made.

is there a strong connection between your surfing and your art? 
surfing and art go hand in hand. when you think about it surfers are constantly drawing different lines on a wave. the wave is like the canvas and you are the painter free to do what ever you like.  noone can tell you what to do and in that moment that wave is your piece of art. it’s very creative and really interesting to watch other people draw different lines to the ones you would have drawn on a wave.

most of my inspiration comes from the ocean and I use watercolours and inks because I think they best translate the fluidity of the ocean onto the paper. After a bit of practice I now like to use ceramics. I found working with clay incredibly hard at the start but once I got the hang of it I enjoyed making the mugs. the effect of the sand and the ocean turned out really well. 

have you ever thought about making an exhibition?

I have always wanted to have an exhibition. maybe one day when I’m home and have a big enough body of work with both inks and ceramic pieces I will have an exhibition. 

if some of you girls would love to have one of felicty's whales hanging in your rooms just take a look through her mugs and paintings on facebook and tumblr. she is able to customise orders too and she would be very flattered if you'll contact her via email. 


portrait photo megan villa
surf shot morgan maassen

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LASERKATZ – DIE KATZ IM WALD

meooow ... and welcome to the deep woods of tyrol! this is where laserkatz, the visual travelling circus from innsbruck, stopped over to showcase works of Ephemer, Emanuel Jesse, Simon Prades and Paul Riedmüller.

along the lines of the journey is its own reward the rambling men passed by four stops where they got to know more about each and every artist. but just the ones with endurance and taut calves enjoyed the full exhibition at ar(t)zler alm. besides tenderly presented artworks bbq and schnaps were waiting for the brave ones.

thanks to viktoria wegscheider, artist and member of laserkatz, i heard about this grrrreat project for the first time.  i love the idea of blending art and nature.

photos by Florian Trattner, Emanuel Jesse und Laserkatz

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TOM VEIGA FOR BILLABONG

amidst the roxy pro circus we visited the billabong instore event showing tom veiga's artworks.  he is famous for his wave series which can be found on bikinis, hoodies, tees and accessories now. we enjoyed having some drinks and to test ride some sector 9 beauties.

but the most pleasant incident was to meet daniella ciano by chance – the bikini designer based in sydney – we interviewed more than a year ago in australia. it's a small world.

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