The Origin of the Strange, by Welder Wings ...
I didn't take choosing the first-ever graphic for The Nine Muses lightly. When you can do ANYTHING, it's difficult to know where to begin.
I conceptualized the brand in April 2023 and began chipping away at getting it moving with some yet-to-be-released ideas that you'll see soon.
But while road tripping/following Tool across the country on their '23-'24 tour, I marveled at the art/artists that Tool guitarist Adam chose for the band's limited edition posters—different for every venue. As I was introduced to these "new" artists each night and explored their work, I thought about how skateboarding introduced me to vast amounts of art, music, film and ideology when I was younger and how valuable that was.
So why not bring that idea to a skate brand, while also showcasing fine art when skate graphics are generally logo, pop art, graphic design and sort of animation-based? No shade there.
This idea also supports the artists while introducing them to our world as skateboarders.
The Welder Wings posters were by far my favorites of the tours. And They seemed to be resonating the most with fans too. The art aligns with Tool and the history of their visual work really well. So I dove deeper and discovered this piece and thankfully Welder Wings was down to collaborate.
- The stigmata/Jesus foot: I attended Catholic school for 9 years and although no longer religious, I'm fascinated by the power religious imagery has over me and it's ability to cause a public stir. My favorite skate graphic ever is the Gabriel Rodriguez 101 Jesus by Marc Mckee.
- The snail and butterfly: Huge fan of wildlife, especially in surrealism. I started college as an environmental science major but failed miserably. I gravitate towards anything that incorporates nature in a dark, mystical way.
- The skull: This is skateboarding right? Gotta have skulls. But is there another image more representative of the macabre than a skull?
- The hand and eye: Shoutout to anyone who noticed my tribute to one of the most iconic skateboard images of all time, The Screaming Hand by Jim Phillips / Santa Cruz skateboards.
- There is a laser etch on the top (The Nine Muses in Greek) and I incorporated some raised and iridescent inks to elevate the graphic's appearance on the deck and chose a dark brown stain to create the feeling that the piece itself is hanging on a wall, which looks cool when the board is mounted on a wall ... personally really love how the frame came out too!
All decks come with a wall mount and are available here or at Faces Skateshop (AZ), Stardust Skateshop (NC), Skatepark of Tampa, Amateur Athlete (PA), Switch and Signal Skatepark (PA), Subsect (Iowa), Programme (CA) and more to come!