Cover and pages from A History of Land Transportation by Maurice Fabre, designed by Erik Nitsche, 1963.
Advertisement for the book Dynamic America, A History of General Dynamics, 1961.
I’m sad that an extensive archive of Erik Nitsche’s work has been removed from flickr due to unauthorized reproductions. One bad apple has ruined it for the rest of us. So here’s a few unauthorized scans from my personal collection. Yes, two wrongs do make a right.
I really enjoyed my recent trip to SF. Only five hours from LA, it’s easy to forget how much this town has to offer.
After checking out Jeff Canham’s Woodshop studio, I headed over to General Store, where I found this terrarium designed by Katie Goldman Macdonald, who was recently featured in a popular New York Times article.
General Store is is the home base for artist Serena Mitnik-Miller. You may recognize Serena’s name from her recent collaboration with Arkitip.
The store features objects made by an incredible group of artists including these skateboards by Two Birds Fly.
Out back there’s a teaming garden with this greenhouse built by Jesse Schlesinger out of recycled window panes. I want to say thanks to Serena for giving me a tour and letting me take a few photos.
After General Store it was on to Blue Bottle Coffee, one of the original laboratory-style coffee shops. If you are a fan of places like Intelligentsia or LAMILL, it all started here.
Blue Bottle is also using the scientific method to make poached eggs. I’ve been drooling over this photo every morning since returning to LA.
Last stop, Adobe Books Backroom Gallery, where I attended the opening of Lending Library, a group show curated by Dena Beard. Adobe Books was a mainstay of the mission-school artists. Chris Johanson, Margaret Kilgallen, Barry McGee and others have had shows here.
Having got around town pretty well, I hopped on a street car back to LA. See you soon SF!
I’ve got a few skateboarding-inspired projects kicking around the studio.
When I was younger, Thrasher magazine was a mainstay in my life.
A few years ago I bought a pile of Thrashers from ‘85-’87 on eBay.
The magazine was not just about skateboarding, but the culture that surrounded it.
People like Mark Gonzales, Craig Stecyk, Natas Kaupas, Jim Phillips, Glenn Danzig, Tommy Guerrero, Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva, Greg Ginn, Neil Blender and others graced these pages long before they would become icons in their own right.
The diverse graphic offerings were punk and edgy, but also super colorful and drenched in California sunshine.
The design of the magazine was not groundbreaking but certain moments feel more appropriate and energetic than David Carson’s designs for Transworld Skateboarding would ever be.
The ads were always my favorite part. The art direction on this Speed Wheels ad is impeccable, despite it’s obvious intention of grossing you out. Real maggots!
Looking at these magazines today, I can easily trace how they influenced my life and career. I’m color-obsessed, never met an annoying racket I didn’t like, ditched the east for Califonia long ago and I’m still trying to scrape out a living based on “doodling.” Thanks Thrasher!
We’ve got some big plans this weekend to build a garden box for growing vegetables.
The images you are seeing are from a remote location in Alaska where Dick Proenneke made an amazing film called Alone In The Wilderness.
Many people talk about about going off the grid, but Proenneke actually did it. He came here with only what he could carry and made a life for himself, living off the land for over 30 years.
In the film we get to see a cabin being built with only hand tools.
Proenneke made the handles for his tools when he got there to save space in his pack.
The Twin Lakes are accessable only by float plane, and in winter the temperatures reach -50°F.
I think by Monday our life will look just like this. We may even film a sequel, which will most likely be called Hungry in Los Angeles.
There are a few clips of the film on the internet like the one you see above, but I recommend watching the whole thing if you can. It isn’t available on iTunes or Netflix, but you can buy a DVD here. If you don’t want another drink coaster in your life, there is a full version on the Japanese YouTube (Part 1, Part 2).
It’s time to dedicate a post to an inspirational film about a day in the life of a Los Angeles car wash.
Despite walk on roles by Richard Prior and George Carlin, Car Wash was a box office flop.
The soundtrack quite possibly saved the film with three Billboard top ten hits.
I may be biased but I think the movie is an interesting experiment that shows one full day without imposing too much dramatic narrative. The result is a string of hilarious moments that have a good momentum and really give you a glimpse of what life might be like in Los Angeles in the 1970’s.
If you haven’t seen it, add it to the instant que or rent the VHS… Thanks to Jonathan and Casey for crate digging a copy of the Car Wash soundtrack for me.
Things have been very busy.
We decided to force an escape from the current pressures and obligations to explore our immediate surroundings.
Coco’s Variety is a small bikeshop/convienence store/neighborhood emporium in Silverlake.
The store serves a variety of needs to a local clientele that would have to travel further away to find the same items.
From their site: “Coco’s Variety sells flyswatters, glass 5 gallon water bottles, headache remedies, oil cloth by the yard, used bicycles, California souvenir tablecloths, Kit-Cat Klocks, gumballs, Mexican Cokes in glass bottles, squirt guns, tote bags adorned with hula girls, Lodge cast iron frying pans, old American-made tools, baskets for your bicycle, wood matches, reverse osmosis purified drinking water by the gallon and fancy Jadeite cake plates for fancy cakes on fancy occasions.”
It’s a great place to find a used bike or get your ride fixed up.
Once you get all squared away, you can hop onto the L.A. River bike path which is very close by.
A mix of urban and natural phenomenon keeps the ride interesting.
Clear your head and do a few throw ups.
This section of the river, known as the Glendale Narrows, is the only part that is not completely lined with concrete.
The southern part of the path is undergoing a slow renovation and is a bit hard to navigate, but that’s where you’ll find some of the best views
This is home to many bird species, including Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, American Coot, Black-necked Stilt and Muscovy Duck. It is also surrounded by a chain link fence.
From there we took a ride through Frogtown, a neighborhood that was isolated from the larger community when the 5 freeway was built.
It’s a quiet place where many artists have taken root.
I even spotted Shepard Fairey’s car parked on the street.
If you can do it, get away from the computer, the TV, the treadmill, the Apple tablet, the Multiplex, the Kindle, the 3D, the satellite navigation system, the Facebook, the Twitter, the Nintendo Wii, the Playstation 3, the Pinkberry or the Blackberry and try instead to get some true variety in your day.
If you happen to see a powerful beacon, consider taking a detour.
The goal of this operation is to transport you, temporarily, to another place.
In order to reach this mythical land, you must first travel through the vortex.
There are many distracting messages but luckily the path is clearly marked.
When you are on the threshold you may begin to question whether or not you have actually arrived.
When you do cross into the promised land, all anxieties about your journey will dissipate, and be replaced by wonder.
We are now in Portugal.
Color should not be taken for granted.
Inexpensive useless guidebooks are all of a sudden relevant.
A complete mobile meal, or a coveted object?
A reminder of the difficult path we’ve traveled to achieve our goals.
Before you leave, take a souvenier to share with your friends at home.
I would like to say thanks to the shopkeepers at KIOSK who gave me permission to to take pictures in their incredible store.
Not part of the deal but valuable advice nonetheless.
When I was a teenager, instead of playing sports or studying or getting wasted after school, I got on a train, or into a friend’s car and came here.
My mom had no idea I was spending all my time at the Brooklyn Banks, a famous skateboard spot and cultural landmark in lower Manhattan.
The space is a park, of sorts, that lies in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge. A depressing folly of city planning that was occupied only by the homeless until skateboarders made the discovery in the 1980’s. It quickly became a meeting spot for skaters, graffiti artists, photographers, filmmakers, musicians and whoever else happened to know about it.
On a good day at the banks you might see Larry Clark casting his film Kids, Ari Marcopolis shooting photos with a Polaroid Land camera, or Lady Miss Kier from Deee-Lite walking her poodle.
Pro skaters from all over the world came here to skate. Here’s a photo of Lance Mountain doing a road sign-to-boneless in 1985, when Stacy Peralta brought the Bones Brigade here to film the New York segment for the Future Primitive video. Photo by C.R. Stecyk
The wall, which is now unskatable, was a dangerous set-up where if you made the trick, you then had to worry about being hit by taxi cabs flying down the BQE offramp.
That didn’t stop anyone. Here’s Jeff Pang going over the wall on the cover of Thrasher from 1993.
The banks are set to close until 2014 for painting of the bridge and renovation of the park, so I went down to pay my respects.
Although local skaters have been fighting to make sure skateboarding has a place in the new park, many are doubtful.
One thing I know is that this place, that to a large degree made me, and more than a few times broke me, will never be the same. Always remember the banks!
Metroplitan Ad shot by Ari Marcopolis. Scans swiped from the Chrome Ball Incident and my personal stash.
On my first full day in NYC this past week, I woke up at 6:30am and boarded a train for Philladelphia. Yes, the City of Brotherly Love.
It was an overcast and slightly cold day but I felt welcome here nevertheless.
West Philly is not the nicest neighborhood but if you know where to look you can find love between the buildings.
You’ll find it in abundance if you head to Market Street, where an elevated SEPTA train runs above for about 30 blocks.
This past summer and into the fall Stephen Powers, also known as ESPO painted murals along the whole stretch.
In the film Beautiful Losers Steve can be quoted as saying “Anything you spend 16 hours a day doing is bound to lead you somewhere.”
The murals, when taken together, are a love story that you can watch play out from the windows of the train. The project is called A Love Letter For You.
It’s a point of pride in the neighborhood and new construction seems to be cropping up all over the place.
More than one person approached me on the street. When I told them what I was doing I literally got high fives.
This project achieves a number of things. It inspires the people of Philadelphia in a way that is personal to them, it improves the neighborhood’s visual landscape and it encourages the use of public transportation. Also, most importantly, it puts West Philly on the global cultural map.
As I was leaving on the train, I spotted the man himself, in plaid, working on another mural. I waved a lot and kinda yelled “Steve!” but ultimately I decided to leave him to his work.
Visit A Love Letter For You to learn more.
Check out the rest of the photos from my day on Market St. here.
Beautiful Losers comes out on DVD today! Go pick up a copy for more Steve-wisdom.
I’ve been adding posts to this blog for a few weeks now, but today is the official launch of the Carwash blog.
I have decided to give away 100 dollars to commemorate the grand opening. The bills are each printed with a special message and hand numbered.
Carwash is a nickname I picked up in second grade and also, being a multiple-car owner, a place I visit frequently.
Generally when I arrive at a Carwash I feel a little messy, disorganized and annoyed that I will have to sit for a half hour or so and wait for my car to be cleaned.
But while I’m sitting there quietly watching the cars go in and out, great ideas seem to pop into my head.
Before I know it my car rolls out looking brand new.
So as a reward for coming to my blog I’ve decided to give everyone a tip.
Send an email to keith@scharwath.com with a current mailing address and I’ll send you a buck! While supplies last.
Update: All my money is gone.
