Mark Gonzales: Skateboarding and Cars

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mark gonzales art

Skateboarding and petrol head-ism are two cultural spheres that seldom cross over (apart perhaps from when prepubescent playstation skaters crash into that incredible Pontiac Firebird that macks it down mainstreet in Skate).

Interesting then, to see that legendary US skateborder Mark Gonzales is about to exhibit a collection of his sought after art that includes interesting representation of the other four wheel steed with which he is, apparently, obsessed.

The Gonz, now in his forties, is one of the original heroes of the skater creed, known for his incredibly smooth style and the creative lines he drew, re-imagining the architecture of the every day as places for which to play.

When we came across this recently, it reminded us, of the time we saw Gonz skate when on tour with one sponsor or another back in the eighties. What stuck in our minds, as well as the audacious radicalness of his riding, was the jacked up sixty-something Ford Consul in yellow, with a red flame job and chrome slots, that he was picked up in after the skate demo. It couldn’t get any cooler.

Sometimes memories blur and the associations between time and place come back together. The web is good for this. Four wheel serendipity.

mark gonzales picture

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