Loreak Mendian

French artist Jean Dubuffet coined the term Art Brut in order to describe those artworks created outside the boundaries of social culture.
Therefore, the Brut artist develops his creative task while having no contact whatsoever with the art establishment, motivated by a strong inner urge and frequently making use of unprecedented materials and techniques.
In the last few years, a huge amount of painters has emerged from the surfer community. This movement was birthed in the South Coast of California, but it is quickly gaining adepts in such places as Australia, Japan or Europe.

This phenomenon somehow resembles what happened in the skateboard scene in the late 80s/early 90s. Skaters like Mark Gonzales, Ed Templeton or Neil Blender find an equivalent these days in figures like Dane Reynolds, Alex Knost, Chris del Moro or Tyler Warren.

Personally I think it’s too soon to evaluate the art of this generation – only time can give us enough perspective to decide whether this movement is just a hype or whether all these riders are really saying something.
In any case, it’s always positive to see all these surfers (and the thousands who imitate them all over the world) pick up a pencil, a brush or a camera. In the end it’s all about means of expression, which is always a good thing.

Just the other day I dropped by Peta’s place. Peta is a local shaper and a great surfer on all kinds of waves and boards. After having a good talk I started to notice the drawings that covered the walls. Their author was El Pintas (another Bidasoa legend) but it became apparent to me that many of those drawings included elements form surf culture: girls, spliff, waves… And yet, those drawings and sculptures had nothing to do with traditional Surf Art aesthetics. They fitted right into the concept of Surf Art Brut, as the main purpose behind this was just to have a laugh and obviously there wasn’t any kind of ‘artistic’ purpose behind.

Whatever – check out El Pintas’ Surf Art Brut world and his oeuvre:

Surf’s up!

Brigitte Bardot has always been one of our top icons (in many senses). This is something we share with our friend the Countess of Dymo. Therefore, when she showed us this nice picture of BB riding her bike, we got the picture right away: a triangle formed by the three most important things in Brigitte’s life, each of them with equal importance. Those things are, of course, animals, men and love. The T-shirt is available both for boys and girls in two colours – white and mint.

We also wanted to pay tribute to our beloved cousins – that non-profit collective called Materia Prima. Unable to find any pictures of them in the Web or in books, we just pictured them like this:

And finally, one of our greatest inspirations: the sea. A nod to a great seaman who takes us back to those blue summers of our childhood: Chanquete. Ideal for when you’re feeling in a marine mood, or when you are sailing away with your yacht… and remember those two basics: a stripe and an anchor!

On a day like today in 1863, painter Joaquín Sorolla was born in Valencia. He captured light and water reflections like nobody else – it may even be that he’s mostly remembered for these two feats. But we cannot forget that he also travelled across the Iberian Peninsula collecting all kinds of traditions and customs from countless villages.

Guitar Players, Valencia 1889

The Tuna Catch, Ayamonte, 1919

In our case, we mostly associate Sorolla with his visions of the Basque French Coast, the time he spent in Donostia, his holidays-in-the-sun in Zarauz and Biarritz, his walks on San Juan…

Landscape in San Sebastián, Donostia 1911

The Breakwater, Donostia 1918

Apparently the reason why he spent time among us was his friendship with Dr. Juan Madinaveitia, ‘Madina’, who treated one of his daughters when she was stricken with tuberculosis. This would prompt Sorolla to visit very often the Madinaveitia house, from which Mount Igeldo and the Port of Donostia can be seen perfectly. He also visited the beaches in Biarritz, but apparently he felt more at ease painting on the beach in Zarauz.

Under The Awning, Zarauz 1910

In The Rowing Boat, Zarauz 1910

Street of Pasajes, Pasajes San Juan 1904

Snapshot at Biarritz 1906

‘I could not paint at all if I had to paint slowly’, he claimed. ‘Every effect is so transient it must be painted rapidly.’
Watch closely: the sea that curls up at every moment, the cloud that changes its shape when displaced, the rope that hangs from a boat and gently swings; the boy who jumps in order to avoid the waves, the small trees that bend their branches before standing up again…
But even if all these things stood petrified and still, it would be enough to have the Sun moving (as it does all the time) to provide every object with that ever-changing character. Those faraway mountains are not the same as they were a moment ago. One must paint quickly.
The amount of transient things that, once lost, will never return!’

A true artist.

A new era is dawning: the era of warm weather – in other words, spring and summer. And as it happens every season, there are new graphic elements to be developed. This time we were asked to redesign our traditional belt packaging, making it more affordable (and more sustainable, if possible) in the process.

As you know, we’ve always been into classic Andalusian hydraulic tiles – we posted about them and referenced their style in a logo. But this was the chance to create a hydraulic tile unit and play around with it, so… here it is!

We designed a unit that allows you to create endless, hugely diverse patterns, and we managed to make it on our corporate Kraft cardboard, which is cheaper and sustainable. Here are some of the geometrical compositions that can be created with just one box. You better pay attention – apparently there’s a contest coming soon…

Let’s celebrate the dawning of this new era with music:

Have a nice weekend!

Today we want to post about London-born photographer Adrian Tyler. Adrian is currently working on his Headphones Portraits, whose main goals he kindly explains to us:

The project is not about looking for models to pose, it’s about alienation of young people in a full-on consumerist society.
In the city we are unattached to nature and the natural rhythms of life and although the internet and new media sell themselves as bringing us together, they actually make us more alone. So music is a space that we often use to “escape” the noise around us, and the pictures are about that space rather than the sitter him/herself.

Adrian would like to expand this project to get people listening to music in social environments to ‘reinforce the idea of this feeling of detachment, say in the metro, or the supermarket or in the busy street’.

Those of you who want to take part in this project and be portrayed may contact Adrian via email.

This is also a good chance to mention that from the 3rd of April on, his work Externalities, about landscape and political and corporate power, will be part of the Festival XIX Argazkien Bilera 2012 (Jornadas Fotográficas) organised by the Photomuseum Zarautz (Torre Luzea, Calle Mayor). If you’re in the area, we encourage you to drop by and take part in his project.

Hurry!