Lowbrow surf art’s Big Kahuna these days is Steven Lombardi, a San Clemente-based artist and designer who creates colorful, funny and kickass designs of Big Daddy Roth-inspired beach and skate bums adorning everything from shirts to skate decks to tattoos. But besides hustling his art under the name Gritty Arts, his latest collaboration with local sock company Stance will benefit youth in south Orange County.
The San Clemente Skatepark Coalition (SCSC) wants to build and extend existing skate parks so local kids can safely skate in a public space. Last year, SCSC reached out to Lombardi and Stance with the idea for Lombardi to design a pair of socks, with proceeds from the sales helping to fund a new skate park. It’s a project that wasn’t all that new for the Rhode Island-born artist. “I’ve had the opportunity of designing a sock [before], but nothing to this extent where it would be a full illustration,” Lombardi says, explaining he’s designed logos for multiple skate companies. “I pretty much dissected a sock, took the measurements and just started working on designs.”
The new Gritty Arts graphic features a variation of a green-skinned skate monster Lombardi originally created for the coalition’s “Build It SC” mascot. With its wide eyes aflame and hammer in hand, the visual was meant to be both memorable and prominent. “I had this idea of really going bold and really getting in your face, [while] it would look well from a distance,” Lombardi says.
If you want to nab a pair, the official release will be Feb. 4 at the Gritty Arts Shindig at Hobie Surf Shop in San Clemente; the event will feature bands, an art show, a giveaway and more. (Or you can seek them out from the coalition, which can be reached via Facebook.) Wrap your kickflippin’ feet in some lowbrow art!
Aimee Murillo is calendar editor and frequently covers film and previously contributed to the OCW’s long-running fashion column, Trendzilla. Don’t ask her what her favorite movie is unless you want to hear her lengthy defense of Showgirls.