First Impressions of Gent - Part 2

Started working on the big heads yesterday...
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The icy cold air was cutting to the bone.
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Another shop window...
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Closer, and a different angle of Gent's city center from across a river/canal of whose name I do not yet know.
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Yeah, there's a castle too. The sun was setting on the fortress that was built to protect the ruler from the population.
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I'll just use my eye for this instead of some other orifice.
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Posted March 8th, 2010
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Gent, Belgium - first impressions

This place is very cool, so much vegan food!
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The train to Gent from Brussels, the first class car (thats how we roll) was epic.
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Some sweet artwork on the orange walls. Jet-lag already affecting us.
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Our first day and we already came across a flea-market...
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Popeye the sailor man. Strong to the finich 'cos e eats is spinach.
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Nazi medals and pins. Some guy yelled "Espinoage!" at me for shooting this, I shook my head and walked away.
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I totally want a saber toothed tiger (aka smilodon) helmet.
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Upcoming shows list with your truly...
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That is a grown man suckling the rotund teat, not a baby jesus or even a baby.
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So cold that this pigeon just froze to death. It snowed today.
Deanna's Blog  <-----------FINALLY UPDATED-!!!!!!!!
Dennis's Blog
Tiny Vices Portfolio
Posted March 8th, 2010 by colder than a witch's tit here
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Biennial of Photography in Liege

Some photos from the installation...
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This had to be hung by someone else, because it opened the same night as my show in LA. It has a different shape and feel than what I would have done, but that is OK with me.
Posted March 6th, 2010 by some random in Belgium
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The Eagle has Landed...

London, dreary London...
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Some stuff of mine that is hanging in the Armory Art Fair in NYC right now.
Posted March 5th, 2010
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Random Proof Sheet Sample

Again, I choose a random folder and take some yet to be filed images...
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From Köln, Deutschland, we spell it: Cologne, Germany, 2003
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"If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed." –Albert Einstein
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Canada vs USA Olympic men's Hockey
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I lurk in Cologne too.
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"In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of." –Confucius
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Never Trink the stuff.
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If you ever get a chance to see the catherdral in Koln, you will be amazed.
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Sorry lady, I think you're hot.
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I can't even work a broom with that lady around me.
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Whoops, I snuck in some crowd shots from my show in Friday. It's open all the time for a month, go see it.

I'm gonna be leaving to Belgium in a couple days and may have a spotty month and half of blogging. But I'm sure I will get some in!
Posted March 2nd, 2010 by A little bit of sass
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THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To all the people who came to the opening, I appreciate it very much.

I'm sorry I was barely able to talk to anyone...
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I didn't get too many photos. I was too busy talking to people and freinds and bestowing signatures on my skateboard minions, aka Loyal Pawns of the bloodsucking company. So I will wait for other people to blog it up, and will try to link them here. It's early, but this guy already posted some photos.

And Timothy at Emerica blogged it up with great photos <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

And TWS came and got an interview before the opening <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

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I went minimal for this show, a departure from my usual chaotic display. But there was a theme and concept for this show that I stuck to. All photos were shot from a moving car, and all hung in a straght line.
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So here are some shots from Thursday after we hung the show...
An article from an LA paper.
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These photos come from 15 years of shooting from the car as a passenger and a driver. In fact this is only half of the stuff I made, the other half is going to Belgium. There will be a book of this work too, coming in April from Seems Books. And this other book too, Drinking the Kool-Aid. (Which will also be an exhibition in London.)
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Transistor Sect showed up...
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...With a posse of homies, all of them regualrs to the Toy Machine website. (Minus JGonz, who decided not to drive down from Nor-Cal)
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The Loyal Pawns came out in force!
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DevinBriggs.com and his longtime girlfreind came, HB shirt repping. As you can see, Deanna bought me a tie, and I wore one for the first time ever last night.
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This kid drove all the way from Arizona just to see the show! With his whole family! I met his mom, a very nice woman, who brought the kids out to LA to make a weekend trip based around my show. What an awesome mom! Consider yourself lucky young man!
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Loyal website Pawn ANTHONY!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Ori and Dave.  ----  Neil Patrick Harris was there too, but my Loyal Pawns kept me too busy to have a good talk with him.
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Ashley B, (the lovely GF of Grant Hatfeild, who printed a lot of these photos in the show for me!) who came in a wheelchair! Her first outing after being smashed by a car while crossing the street in LA a few weeks ago. Serious Lawsuit.
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Grant sent me his pictures from last night, so I am mixing them into this post too! This is me with Ashley B.
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Grant's title: Art Mosh-Pit
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Signing the tote-bag...
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A close look at the FREE tote bags that Emerica made possible.
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Grant documented some guy documenting me having a chat with The Cobrasnake.
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Grants title: Art Poach. That's Yoshi.
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This guy was amped that all the prints were printed by hand on fiber-based paper. Kicking it old school.
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The kid in the Sect Suit, Israel... This guy ruled.
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Yes my own creation, I will sign your postcard.
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The kid above brought me a gift that he made in the car on the drive up from San Diego.
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This young man made my night. He brought me a shirt with a touching portrait of me on it! Whoa! Taking it to the next level. Thank you so much. Everyone was so amped on the shirt. Oh yeah, and this kid and his friend were both born on my exact birthday! July 28th. That is pretty much kick-ass.
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Here is a detail of his amazing work.
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Speaking of gifts, Jared Hager's girlfreind Loren Steilen, made me handmade kale chips! Amazing! Thank you so much! I already chomped them all.
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While we are talking about gifts, Jesse from Primal Strips sent a case of them to hand out at the opening. I hope everyone enjoyed them!
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Jacob of comment section fame.
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Deanna wheeled Ashley B out once the show was coming to a close.
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Austin and Lana, came, and Matt B, and J-Lay came too. Thanks for the support homies!
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Kevin and Tree, as the night wore on and we discussed Rule #1: Always go Buck.

I wish I had got some crowd shots when it reached it's peak, but I failed in the 'documenting through photos' part of my job last night.
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Grants title: Exhausted Artist. Yes, but not exhausted enough.

Some new links: SK8Face

And some insights from Marsea at New Image...

Answering Questions Part 3 is up...

Seth Green rocks a Templeton RVCA shirt...

And Dennis McGrath, who printed many of these photos in the show at my home darkroom, has an epic blog from his days as a globetrotting skate photog... Great stuff. There is an interview with Dennis on this website too.

Posted February 27th, 2010
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Toy Machine Sock Team

The continuing saga of my feet and the socks that cover them.
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"Always give a word or sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, or even a stranger, if in a lonely place." –Tecumseh
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"There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded." –Mark Twain
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"Never confuse movement with action." –Ernest Hemingway
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"A masterpiece... may be unwelcome but it is never dull." –Gertrude Stein
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"Trash has given us an appetite for art." –Pauline Kael
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"You can't find any true closeness in Hollywood, because everybody does the fake closeness so well." –Carrie Fisher
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I successfully set up The Seconds Pass show today, and Friday night I will endure the anxiety of everyone looking at it while I am there.
"A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety." –Aesop
Deanna can agree.
More Questions Answered, this time on video, part 2.

A Seconds Pass book? Yes.

Posted February 26th, 2010 by welcome to my world young men
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Again: More Questions Answered

And ongoing series of answers for those burning life questions:



vladimir hernandez says:

February 3, 2010 at 7:41 pm

Q: When you met the Gonz for the first time, did the thoughts that you had about him match with reality?



A: The Gonz or JGonz?  JK.  The first time I ever saw the Gonz I was too clueless about skating to know it was him or even who he was. He lived in my hometown of Huntington Beach, CA in 1985, 86 when I started skating. My friend knew who he was and pointed him out to me. At that point I was just learning to ollie. Then over the next few years I became much better at skating and  started skating with Jason Lee. We finally started skating with Mark Gonzales here and there and I can testify that he is MUCH better to watch live than on video. He actually never even had a video part that really showed or reflected what he means to skateboarding. So sad really that the best street skater of all time was never properly documented. So yes, he matched my imagination and then some.



Bob says:

February 3, 2010 at 8:39 pm

Q: Why are you so creepy man!



A: I guess I was born like this. Maybe since my first sexual encounter was with a MUCH older woman, I have been tweaked.



August says:

February 3, 2010 at 8:40 pm

Q: At the round’n’round art show, what was your favorite arts Mr. Gonz put on papers?



A: That show in New York? I had my eye on this one sharpie marker drawing on paper, but it's too hard to describe here. I wanted to buy it, but I thought it was a bit too high for me. That show ruled because it was a bunch of stuff from all different times.



eggy says:

February 3, 2010 at 9:13 pm

Q: Dear Ed, why is Deanna so awesome, and how can I meet a girl as awesome as her?



A: Luck. One idea is that we met really young and stayed together. So we grew together as humans. You have to put in hard work for a relationship to last, many people give up when things get tough. She is awesome because she has always let me skate and do what I need to do. She always supported me and me her. To meet someone like this you have to look for the quirks, and be ready to jump at those quirks. Deanna was not some sort of "Perfect no-brainer" when I met her, her legs were hairier than mine, and her pits too, and she wore some pretty crazy clothes. But I could tell instantly that her strangeness was authentic, and jumped at the chance to be with such a lady. It paid off.



anthony says:

February 3, 2010 at 9:35 pm

Q: What are your thoughts about Austin Stephens as a skateboarder and person?



A: Austin is an awesome person. You don't meet many people smart enough to change their whole belief system on their own through self learning. He has been on the team longer than anyone besides me at this point too. He even lived with me for a year. He has the smoothest style on a board, is fun to be around, and is down for a good debate.



JAWSH says:

February 3, 2010 at 10:10 pm

Q: If you were a geometric shape, what would you like to be?



A: An equilateral polygon.



 johno says:

February 3, 2010 at 10:30 pm

Q: When is the next toy machine video? You should release the templeton 1 shoe again those shoes are the best



A: This summer we hope to put out a PROMO video called Brainwash. and it will DOMINATE YOUR LIFE. Yes, I like that shoe too, but it does not fit into today's styles.



Elias says:

February 3, 2010 at 11:51 pm

Q: When will the next Toy Machine video be released and are you wearing any underwear at this particular moment



A: See above. Yes.



Silly says:

February 3, 2010 at 11:54 pm

Q: Is it really going to be that hard to pick your favorite question?



A: No, I'll just answer them all. Anything for my minions.



Spopovitch says:

February 4, 2010 at 2:56 am

Q: Do you like ranch or bbq chips, or would you prefer an apple instead?



A: I don't eat "Ranch" flavored foodstuffs. I'll chomp a BBQ chip once in a while, as long as they are from the health store and don't have any dodgy ingredients tucked in there. You have to read the labels, there is sugar in literally everything! An apple would be much better for you, but I usually prefer chips!



So today I set up the art show, I hope to see many Loyal Pawns there!
Posted February 24th, 2010 by some random dude
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Three photos from Laguna Beach

My most recent photos...
Posted February 24th, 2010 by come to the show - come to the show -come to the show
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