Skater Creator

All the heavy hitters are beginning to show off their 2011 product lines, and what overwhelmed us here at The House is the level of art and creativity that gets put into everything these days. Every detail of every product is so carefully crafted that we began to wonder…if these guys start making everything too nice, are we even going to want to skate it? Being that skateboarding is an inherently destructive sport? Doubtful, it just means that you lucky consumers get to destroy pieces of art, a luxury that used to be reserved for guitar-smashing rock stars. Since the biz has got us feeling all artsy over here we’ve decided to share three skate-related web sites devoted to the fine arts.

Elephont is the web site of Don Pendleton. Now if you’ve ever had an Element, Alien Workshop or Habitat deck that was more than just a logo, there’s a good chance that you were skating a DP design. He’s the guy in charge of the trippy characters that pop up everywhere from shoes to books. The sites in downtime right now, but it’s definitely one to keep an eye on because Don puts new artwork up for sale here, along with news about upcoming projects and appearances.

FUN is the Friends United Network, a loose web of artists and friends who occasionally sell some t-shirts to the world’s trendiest hipsters, and also have a sporadic collection of art for sale. Right now there are pieces from Ian Mailhot and and Ken Garduno. As far as art is concerned, this stuff is top-notch work at bargain prices so get started on that art collection already, your parents and girlfriends will be so impressed.

Do you know who Pierre Andre Senizergues is? I think you probably ought to. Is ought still a word? Can a word go extinct? Pierre is the founder of Etnies, and he’s the kind of genuis that won’t ever go extinct. He’s got this Skate Study House going on and it’s ultra-modern furniture made out of recycled skateboard decks. They’re a slight step up from the two deck you stapled together as a kid to make a “bench.”