This is part of weekly series from the Ride Channel on how to develop your skills as a »]]>

This is part of weekly series from the Ride Channel on how to develop your skills as a photographer. Renowned skate photographer Oliver Barton talks about shutter-speed and sharpness whilst on the job with Boo Johnson and one super-tasty looking handrail.

Photographer and skateboarder Brian Kelley talks about the spots and places he shot for the Zoo York Pro »]]>

Photographer and skateboarder Brian Kelley talks about the spots and places he shot for the Zoo York Pro Series, The Streets of New York. Really Rad.

John Second is a freelance photographer based in Cape Town and he’s just launched his new website. Check »]]>

John Second is a freelance photographer based in Cape Town and he’s just launched his new website. Check it out here.

You can also check out John’s flickr here and his blog here.

Cape Town based photographer and film maker Nico Krijno will be launching his self-published book, On How To »]]>

Cape Town based photographer and film maker Nico Krijno will be launching his self-published book, On How To Fill Those Gaps, tonight at the Museum gallery in Woodstock.

“Tightroping between the magical and the banal; the contemporary and the timeless, he creates a language of images that organise themselves according to an enigmatic rhythm unifying landscape, still life, and portraiture.”

It is looking to be a great exhibition, with over 40 framed and unframed photographs on show and we can’t wait to check it out. RSVP to the event here.

How and when did you start making art? Although I never did art at school etc, I always knew »]]>

How and when did you start making art?
Although I never did art at school etc, I always knew that I was creative and always had flip files filled with words cut out of magazines and my schoolbooks bore the brunt of my compulsive doodling. However, when my folks gave me a digital camera for my 18th, I really was able to experiment and create images from nothing and this opened a door into the creative realm. I then studied and have been creating artworks pretty much since then.

How would you describe your work to someone without them having seen it?
My work is playful, colourful and energetic. Generally character based. (but all with some level of the abstract). To the theorist, I suppose my work work could be described as an exploration of the surreal through a modern day execution and a futuristic outlook.

Who or what influences your work?
I think most of my influence comes from observing the Natural world. I remain fascinated by the multitudes of shapes plants and weird animals, I am also fascinated with the every day interactions with people. I live and work in Woodstock, Cape Town, which is an area undergoing a large amount of urban renewal and as a result, the interaction between the new and old creates a veritable treasure trove for the artist’s imagination.

How do you deal with stress?
I love the outdoors, so regularly go hiking etc, but I recently took up boxing, which seems a great stress reliever as by the end of a training session i am too tired to even think of stress.

Are there any central themes or messages that run through your work?
It’s quite difficult, as there are different themes for different paintings and designs, but in general I try to leave the viewer with a feeling of awe, as if they have been privy to gaze into private and complex universe, hence I suppose that the central theme to my work would be hope and boldness (in the context of a bustling multicultural society).
My works aim inspire joy and perhaps awaken the better side of peoples artistic appreciation, which in itself seems a challenging angle to approach in the art-world today. With much contemporary art focussing on death, money, sex, illness and the general sorrows of our world, my work aims to touch upon the lighter side of life, but one that is no less deep in essence. In light of this, arguably, my approach to the creative could well be more poignant and necessary for our souls than ever.

You majored in photography. What made you decide to do illustration and design instead?
I studied graphic design and photography ( B.A. applied design), and although I ended up majoring in photography, part of my course included illustration. Although I really enjoyed photography and ended up doing really well in my final year, the medium became quite static for me and i enjoyed the tactility inherent in illustration much more. I found it much easier to explore and experiment with the actual mediums that I chose, and hence the change. In essence the attraction to photography was merely the beauty of creating and i simply found another way to create images

Wanna be a part of Revolution?

We’re calling for submissions from all writers, photographers and videographers. So we’re talking »]]>

Wanna be a part of Revolution?

We’re calling for submissions from all writers, photographers and videographers. So we’re talking everything from interviews, reviews, articles, skate photos, video edits… Basically anything you can think of that is skate, music or art related.

Send through all submissions to info[at]revolution.co.za.

Dorks Destroy Zine #2 – Skate Art Photo Issue Call for Submissions!

Obscure, vile, funny, sad, horrific, awesome… any »]]>

Dorks Destroy Zine #2 – Skate Art Photo Issue Call for Submissions!

Obscure, vile, funny, sad, horrific, awesome… any skateboarding-related photo with a different/artistic perspective or one that embodies that great skateboarding spirit!

Send black and white, A5, high resolution photos to melissa@blackbirdworks.com by Monday 13 June, 2011.

Send in your photos representing the Volcom lifestyle to Volcom and stand the chance to win a cash »]]>

Send in your photos representing the Volcom lifestyle to Volcom and stand the chance to win a cash prize, Volcom hamper AND have your photo printed on a Volcom Featured Art Line tshirt. The top 10 entries will also be exhibted at Spiga d’ Oro, on Florida Road in Durban. The winner will be announced on WENESDAY 30th JUNE @ Spiga d’ Oro at around 7:30pm at an evening with drinks and snacks hosted by Volcom. Email your photos to mark.campbell@volcom.co.za.

Check out a Transworld interview with Spitfire’s Alex Olson about his photography and check out his work HERE.