4.23pm on June 5th. 7 stones is reading 7ft at 10secs with light offshores and the live feed from a local beach confirms the data…
…and i’ve still got 3 hours board steaming until i can escape!
Penny Skateboards, now there’s a thing.
Candy in a Jar. Looks sweet, rolls a treat!
The kids love them, those like me, who’s skating began mid 70s tend to see them in the same light as the starter board polypros we could’nt wait to get shot of for an Alva loaded up with tracker fulls and lime green kryptonics… but lets cut to the chase, I’m a convert!
daBOY ‘Chops’ wanted one, so for his birthday we headed over to the dedicated Penny Bar at Watershed Shop in Newquay and let me tell you as soon as you walk in you are blown away. Wall to wall pschedelic rainbow coloured candy skateboard parts, true mix and match heaven. No surpise that Watershed are the largest Penny retailor in the UK.
Thing is though, as Chops ran wild accross the entire colour spectrum of a full custom Penny build up I looked and began to get the Penny thing.
Pick your POP...
Detailed to perfection.
Far from just plastic, someone has taken a long while to really look at these boards and make them good, really good, the touches of design, a little logo here, some texture detail there, are lovely. And the packaging, divine and so clever. For instance Chops went with an orange marble deck, the deck came with a branded net bag of marbles. brilliant!
...and sweeten it further with plump juicy fruit!!!
So a few days later I’m grabbing a quick evening swim in the harbour and Chops is rolling around an empty carpark. I had my cruiser in the van, its a skaterbuilt timewarp 36 with bennetts and tunnel rocks spinning on bones swiss – not a bad board. Chops grabs it, skates a few meters, and come back complaining it does’nt go as well as his Penny. Heck, what does a 10 year old know!
Reluctantly he gives me his Penny, and you know, he was right, that little board did roll better, a lot better, really nice wheels, great feeling trucks and the deck is super solid with just enough give. I ended up having a ball pumping slalom style round the flat carpark…. til’ I was forced to give it back that is. So do your kids a favour, if they want to
James. the main man at Watershed for making your techno-color Penny dreams come true.
skate whip em’ down to Watershed and let them go crazy choosing a Penny.
And me, hmmmm, that Hosoi edition Penny Nickle looks nice!!!
If you are down this way Watershed can be found on Bank Street just before you hit the Fore Street end of town. Guard your credit card though, they also have a great and tempting very well priced selection of used surfboards too.
Bit of brightness forecast for the weekend, but still a tad chilly in the breeze.
Perfect excuse then to grab your Beach Kettle get in the lee of something, brew a cuppa, and enjoy the view and savour some sheltered sunny warmth I say…
The jumping off point, pool one side, freedom the other, make your own choice.
Only my second swim in to this open water swim thing, quick 20mins, trying to get acclimatised to the cold. Total immersion, way colder than surfing.
Learning to swim, not again, in a new way. Learning to adjust my technique, learning to sight, elements; wind, wave, current, refraction, weed, even sea monsters big & small, all entering the equation.
Still in a surf suit, body position is odd and fighting the lack of suit flex in my stroke. Compared to what I’m told a swimsuit does, that promised joy yet to come, my allegedly top of the range Rip Curl is the aquatic equivalent of wearing a cape made from woolly mammoth fur. Probably as much drag too!
But all aside I really can see the appeal of open water swimming. After the routine of drive to the leisure centre, struggle to park, pay a small fortune, micro cubicle changing, lockers, the sad glow of artificial light and the stench of chlorine on my skin as I dry post swim… this is so free.
More screened art for the spotters…
Original Dogtown & the Z Boys poster on heavy card, one of a small handfull made up for the films premier at the 2001 Sundance Festival. Stunning piece of halftone printing from a single screen over a tri colour wipe.
Always thought it was a shame that the cinema release version dropped the ‘A FILM ABOUT THE BIRTH OF THE NOW’ line. Such a strong piece of copy.
Infact, this is a better poster full stop.
Sweet little junk shop find in penzance this morning, silk B.D.V cigarette card from, I believe, the early 1900s.
The beauty for me, patina of frayed edges and creases asides, is that its screened. You can see the tiny little mis-registration, bit under, bit over, and best of all a micro thin over screened line to give the pole an illusion of roundness.
Screenprinting is such an art, digital printing is just so easy and precise, but sometimes its just great to be a luddite!
St Ives special edition Classic Surfer, exclusive to Keebunga in St.Ives in stock now.
You’ll find Keebunga down on the wharf, harbour end of town, can’t miss em’ and with a fine selection of retro skate and other cool stuff well worth checking out…. in fact St Ives Bakery, the best pasty in St Ives, is just a few shops away, heck what more of an excuse do you need to head over…
Something special, lovely and local, for the weekly Sennen Farmers & Craft Market. Every Tuesday morning 9 – 12.Bags, Mugs and Long sleeve Ts with this design also available (soon).
Come find us and say hello.
Playing with the screenprinting kit, may lead to new things, initial test print for hand printed fabrics, this one the delux edition with hand tinted ‘light wash’ blossom detail too.
Later on we printed up a full width piece, about 4 meters long, destined to re-upholster an antique chair, interesting experiment for sure.
Out shooting a few quick Beach Kettle pics earlier for a magazine, I really don’t think the local studio’s backdrop and lighting can be faulted.
No filter required!
