Nike’s Sylvester

In case you didn’t know, high flying pro NIKE BMX biker, Nigel Sylvester hooked up with Nike 6.0 to create his first sneaker in October of 2009 and you can only imagine what someone who spends their career wearing sneakers would come up with: heat.

Leather, ostrich and croc all sharing space on one multi colored shoe made the collaboration almost impossible for sneaker lovers and BMX fans to get their hands on but those that did were instantly moved to the head of their classes.

I’ve decided to put you in the know about what you might have missed while waiting for the next pair to drop because I’m sure this is only the beginning for Nigel who continues to excel in and out of the BMX world.

If you still want to try and get your hands on a pair, try visiting Nigel’s store, “FORMAT,” located in queens and try your luck.

http://www.formatny.com/blog/

Tell him INK sent you 

GoldSpun: Moving At GODSPEED

Just when you thought the boys at GOLDSPUN had done it all, they’ve taken yet another lane in the fashion highway: footwear.

Introducing the “GODSPEED,” a shoe that aims to compell and inspire rather than compete in an industry that seems to thrive on the latter of the two concepts.

And their on to something – again. You can tell by the shoe’s sleek and futuristic design that the GoldSpun crew has taken notice of what else was going on in the world of footwear and added their signiture flare to it with the same mastery they bring to their apparel.

Regardless if team GoldSpun intends to compete or not – their high top, wide and elongated tongues, straps and armor-inspired colors will ensure victory for their customers this season and well into the future.

The GodSpeed is set to hit stores immideately and I’m sure they’ll be a hit. To track down the GoldSpun crew and keep up with what’s new visit http://www.goldspun07.com

Looking Back: Elizabeth McWilliams Hernandez

In order to understand an artists progression, it’s important to take a look at their previous work. Since I’ve already shown her latest creations on the blog, I decided to take a peek at some old work by Elizabeth McWilliams Hernandez.

She allowed me access to an art book she had from back in her teenage years and having known her since we were teens, it was a pleasant journey back into our own beginnings.

But enough talking about the experience, let’s have a look 

Campbell’s Soup: An American Classic

It’s extremely cold out. Faced with weather conditions like these, there’s always one thing that comes to mind: hot soup. And when I think of soup, I think of Campbell’s – the American classic.

After taking a trip to the store I spent a little time on the web looking up old Campbell’s ads. Here are a few that I found to be particularly interesting.

Enjoy.

Art-Station(ed)

There’s something uniquely inspirational about watching a work of art come to life – especially in the subway.

I spotted this artist while waiting for the L train at Union Square to take my friend (also my muse) and I over to sixth avenue. The two of us had been watching him sketch away with what seemed to be a marker on a subway map for about five minutes before he asked us to keep an eye on his stuff while he ran upstairs. Of course we obliged. A few minutes later he returned with something from Whole Foods and continued drawing. And we went about our evening as the train pulled into the station: inspired.

Now you can enjoy.

Off Broadway

One leaves the car and another walks in and bursts into song. This is the way of the underground world in New York City where the subways are filled with panhandlers of all ages and skills sets. Not a day goes by below the concrete jungle without some sort of entertainment designed to attract compensation for a short performance.

The first panhandler was an older gentleman with a huge keyboard. He apologised for interrupting and then began his routine of prerecorded melodies accompanied by a song about being unemployed and in desperate need of help. The second guy was much younger, early twenties, and walked into the subway car singing “Stand By Me.” He paused for a moment and went into a schpeel most of the younger panhandlers these days all seem to recite about trying to stay out of trouble and put a little change in their pockets. He was a terrible singer, voice cracking with just about every note he uttered so it wasn’t a surprise that he didn’t make any money in this partiular car.

It all kind of makes you wonder, with the singers and musicians and candy selling basketball players and break dancers, if there’s one entity behind them all writing speeches and choreographing dance routines while collecting a percentage of a days profits from the many subway acts. It also kinds of makes you question which acts genuinely need financial help and which ones are in it solely for financial gain.

I guess in the end, especially in regards to the ones who actually put on a show, it’s all entertainment. So I guess if you enjoy, “applaud and employ.”

Right?

The Quiet Of A Mind Slipping Away

he grabs all the memories he can in both hands and races out the door, up the staircase of his imagination and onto the roof. afraid they’re vastly approaching, he hurries to the ledge and starts throwing them off. One by one they go over, speeding toward the concrete below, then finally, they touch and explode.

in a panic, he drops a few, keeps tossing the others toward a ficticious freedom then bends down to collect his breath, picking up the rest.

his first sunset. the sound of his mother’s voice. the heartbeat of his last lover. change falling and spinning round and round on table tops. cars racing by on rainy days and splashing through puddles. crickets. children at play. and silence. he remembers how beautiful nothing can sound, how it slips silently into the ear, and slides down into the stomach and makes itself comfortable and warm.

and suddenly he realizes that no one’s racing up the steps behind him. that being alone can be as beautiful as the silence if you sit still long enough to enjoy it. that the only nightmares are the one’s you let scare you into believing there’s no such thing as dreams. that every dark night must succumb to the rising of the sun. and he collects the rest of his memories and places them on his tongue —

and then he jumps

silently.

6/27/2009 1:45AM.

When The Devil Comes A Knockin’

There’s something unnerving about the number six hundred and sixty six – especially when you find those numbers in close proximity of a Church. But there’s nothing surprising about finding the two a few feet from one another in New York City and especially when the numbers are a few doors down from the city’s most infamous Church of all: The LimeLight.

i’ve been familiar with the area since the early nineties when I was a freshman at Xavier High School and not once had I made the connection but today after seeing the Tim Burton exhibit at the MoMA and then running into one of my friends I graduted with back in 1997 a few blocks from our school, I noticed an apartment building numbered “666.”

The thoughts that ran through my head were rapid, especially as I stopped to take photos. Was the battle between good and evil taking place right on 6th avenue? Were the tenants of this apartment old patrons of the hedonistic nightclub that used to be a Church? Was this where the Devil lived? Did he rent or did he own? Was this intended to be a joke? A mockery?

I didn’t have time to ponder further so I took my photos and my friend and I continued on our journey. Being the comedian he is, he said it would have been funny if the two of us stood in front of the door and acted as if we were in a trance until a crowd formed around us.

Truth is, the only time I want to see three six’s is if I’m playing C-LO amd we didn’t have any dice so – maybe next time. Maybe next time.

CODE RED: Jayson Atienza

Jayson Atienza is going places and in the process painting everything that gets in his way. He’s painted sneakers and sandals, canvas surfaces and just about anything else he can take a brush to.

This year Jayson has gone to another level and carried his skill as an artist with him. He’s taken a trip down charity lane in conjunction with Gap (PRODUCT) Red which, for the past four years, has made tremendous strides in the fight against AIDS in Africa.

For Spring 2010, Gap launched limited edition tee shirt collaborations with some of the top artists in the game – including Atienza, who continues to perfect his craft with each new piece. I’m excited to see just how far his work takes him in the years to come.

To see more of his work visit
http://www.jaysonatienza.com

Colorizing California

Leticia Maldonado is an a friend of mine out in LA. She is undeniably one of the mist talented artists I have had the fortune of meeting.

Simply put: her work speaks volumes. I once saw her begin an illustration that was a gift for a fear year old during my visit to the West Coast that was of epic proportion. By the time she completed it, it was a thoughtful masterpiece of color and imagination.

A few minutes ago she emailed me two of her newest works. I’m still in awe. The inspiration behind them was far too deep to get into but she did reveal that “its about a change in energy for one character…an ‘emotional life’ and ‘emotional death’ thing.”

Tiza, your one hell of an artist. I’m honored to share your work with my audience.

Enjoy folks.

To see more of Tiza’s work visit