Local Art Walk

Larry Balma

Tracker Trucks is a local company in Oceanside and the book TRACKER – Forty Years of Skateboard History tells its story as well as a the rich history of skateboarding.

Back in 1975, the Tracker Fultrack was the first truck in history made specifically for skateboarding by skateboarders to incorporate high quality, performance and strength. Trackers truly were (and still are) the Trucks You Can Trust. On Tracker’s 40th anniversary, those four words continue to be the driving force of the brand. TRACKER - Forty Years of Skateboard History is a hefty 388-page hardcover book full of photos and stories about Tracker and its rich history straight from the people who worked there, as well as the professional riders and photographers who made Tracker a major icon in the skateboard world.

The origin of Tracker Trucks dates back to 1974, when Tracker founders Larry Balma, Dave Dominy and Gary Dodds made the first prototypes. As Larry tells the story of Tracker’s formation at San Diego spots like La Costa, the Escondido Reservoir and the Kona Bowl, and about how the brand’s many innovative trucks and related products came to be, forty-four of Tracker’s top riders chime in with colorful recollections and revealing, behind-the-scenes insights. Rounding out this massive book are plenty of unpublished photos; a detailed skateboard history timeline; chapters on the Dogtown influence, Rockit Skateboards and Tracker’s other decks; a big scrapbook containing photos and quotes from the Tracker team; and way more.

“The Tracker book is so important because future generations will be able to learn about skateboarding history—who was involved with it, and how it all happened. It will blow their minds.”—Christian Hosoi

Tracker was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in May 2015. The first skateboard collected by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History has a Powell Peralta deck equipped with Tracker Sixtrack trucks donated by Tracker Co-Founder Larry Balma in 1987. This skateboard is still on display today in the museum lobby. Our first production Tracker Fultrack truck along with our Tracker book was accepted into the Smithsonian in September 2015. 

Check out more on the website trackerhistory.com.

Jeanne Bellezzo

From the synopsis of my new book, Rantings of a Bitter Childless Woman:

Kids sucking on restaurant salt shakers—and parents nonchalantly putting them back on the table. Pregnant women driving alone in the carpool lane. Overtly sexy Halloween costumes for third-graders. Random strangers making unsolicited judgements about her reproductive status. These are just a handful of the situations Chicago native Jeanne Bellezzo comically explores in Rantings of a Bitter Childless Woman. Written from the witty, unapologetic perspective of a childless (and far from bitter) woman in a fiercely child-centric society, this collection of entertaining essays will have readers with and without children laughing, nodding, cringing — or throwing a tantrum.

Jeanne Bellezzo began writing Rantings of a Bitter Childless Woman as a blog and was surprised to find many like-minded fans across the country, including numerous parents. A Chicago native who relocated to Southern California because she was cold, Jeanne is a successful writer and editor who has co-authored several non-fiction books. She lives in northern San Diego County . When she is not writing, Jeanne can be found in or near the ocean with friends (and sometimes even with their children).

And please keep your kids off her lawn.

Check out more on her website rantingsofabitterchildlesswoman.com,  Facebook,  and Goodreads.

Trina Louise Barnes

I am an inspirational Photographer and shoot anything and everything that inspires me. I sell my canvases, metal, Photo Gifts etc. My goal as a photographer is to inspire each and every person I come in contact with through my lens. I am a mother of four beautiful children and absolutely love what I do.

Check out more at the artist website and Facebook An-Inspirational-Touch-Photography

Neil Brooks

My Art : Drawn on site with color studies to guide me in the studio garage where I then “arrange” my paintings thru trial and error relying on intuitive studies rather than photographs.

Work tends to be large - even when I start small tend to take work off stretcher bars and start to do collage. So my process kind of goes in and out of trying to stay in a frame and finding a way out of the frame to get away from a "traditional" motif.

Check out more on the artist website.

Robert Berry

Rob Berry was born at Tripler Air Force Hospital on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. His father- ret. Commander Roy Berry (USN) retired when Rob was aged 2, and moved the family to San Diego. As a military officer, Robs father did not support his creative endeavors and actually sent Rob to a psychologist to have him "cured". Rob, however, persevered and has a degree in Environmental Design with a minor in English. Rob usually pays the bills by working for all types of engineers, architects and has even worked in the aerospace industry. Rob is currently 45, separated and living his dream. He currently resides in North County with his 2 children.

Creating fantastic works of art for my clients since 1970.

Check out more on the artist website, Facebook Ultra.pure.art and Instagram Ultrapureart

Bob Boon

My name is Bob Boon. I have loved photography for the last forty years of my life. I am a rock n roll photographer by trade and hobby but am inspired by everything that surrounds me. When I recently went to France I was inspired by Monet's gardens at Giverny which then led me to imagine Monet walking around all of Paris, which led to this show. My greatest support comes from my lovely wife Kim and my amazing children who have stood still for my photographs for years and years and will continue to do so. Enjoy your walk with Monet.

Gabriele Bitter

Gabriele has exhibited her work in southern California as well as in Germany and just recently showed her work at the Angel Orensanz Foundation in Long Island, NY, as well as the Mkrtchyan Gallery in Glendale, Sulkin/Secant Gallery at Bergamont Station in Santa Monica, Art 4 All People Gallery in Malibu and at the Orange County Center of Contemporary Art in Santa Ana. Her art work was part of the “Project 36” with Theatre Arts West as well as the Playwrights and Artists Series II.

Gabriele’s work has an identifiable look with its strong colors and textures. Many of her compositions are anchored with geometric shapes and lines which can create both balance and tension. She often incorporates charcoal or chalk as drawing elements. Texture is a very important element in her work.

Recently she started to incorporate new and old printmaking techniques which she enjoys tremendously. Mono-prints, intaglio and linocut have become an intricate part of her work.

Raised in Europe, Gabriele was influenced by many different painting styles. When she moved to the Unites States she enrolled in many art classes and attended a private art school in Irvine. She has continued taking classes and workshops whenever she can find the time.

She is represented by the Copperwood Gallery in Orange and the Lark Gallery in Los Angeles.

Check out more on the artist website gabrielebitter.com.

Wade Brown

Wade Brown is a well rounded artist that can create a variation of different art pieces. He currently specializes in creating hand sculpted concrete skull planters.

Koi fish and skulls being his main style, you will find them on acrylic paintings, wood carvings and water color paintings.

Check out more on Facebook DarkIdentityArt

Nat Bright with Mario P

We are a collaborative musical group who loves to make music and entertain everyone around us. Our musical duo at the moment consists of the multi-talented and well known vocalist, model, actress, and artist Natalie Bright. She has been gracing Southern California with her beautiful voice and talent since 2013, and continues to create music as well as play shows throughout the local music scene. On acoustic guitar is Mario Panousos, who has been playing, recording, entertaining, and loving music since as long as he can remember, while traveling from the east coast to the west. He settled in California in 2013, and has continuously collaborated with amazing artists all over, enjoying every musical moment life has to offer. Together, we are spreading the love of music and good vibes everywhere we can, which we believe, is exactly what our world needs today.

Check out more on Facebook: featuredtalentNatalieBright, AMomentBehind; and YouTube: Sunday Morning cover, Too Close cover

Patrick Brown

Patrick Brown is a trained artist living in Southern California. His new work is large format abstractions, heavy with textures and multiple layers of oil in the style of abstract expressionists reminiscent of Mark Rothko, Willem De Kooning and Adolph Gottlieb. Brown’s work is purely abstract but imbued with a deeply felt humanism--a sense of the sublime--derived from his own struggles living with HIV/AIDS. While Brown’s work does not directly address the AIDS crisis or his own health, the subtext is always present. His work is similar in aim to the work of Ross Bleckner, whose dark paintings with floating images evoke memory or loss, functioning as memento mori to those lost in the AIDS epidemic. Like Bleckner, Brown creates paintings that invite contemplation rather than confrontation--a kind of visual slow release, drawing the viewer close and revealing their formal complexity over time.

Check out more on VisualAIDS.org

Abigail Borders

Abigail is fluent in three languages, grew up in Asia, studied History in the UK, and now calls sunny Southern California her home. When not working with flowers (and daydreaming about what a ranunculusflower fairy looks like) she sings about Winnie the Pooh while baking treats like pineapple tarts and sand dollar cookies for her son, El Kiddo.

She has an on-going love/hate relationship with all things chocolate, although coffee will always remain her first love. She also holds graduate degrees in International Management and Special Education.

In December, Abigail presented her new book: The Burned Bridges Protocol published by Giant Squid Books.

Seven hundred years ago, disaster forced humanity to abandon Earth. Life on the colony ship New Edinburgh is all sixteen-year-old Lilliane, the best programmer in her year at the Institute, has ever known.

A week ago, Lilliane woke up in a life-pod. Its destination? Earth itself. Because it’s time to rebuild. It’s up to Lilliane and the four other survivors of the New Edinburgh to reclaim humanity’s ancestral home.

Today, the life pod arrived at Lady Diana–the lunar holding station that was once the luxury holiday destination for Earth’s super-rich. It’s supposed to be a good place. A safe place.Not anymore.

Today, Lady Di is a battlefield. Because while Lilliane and her friends thought they they were the only humans left, somebody else got to Lady Di first.

And he will stop at nothing to keep Lilliane from ever getting to Earth.

Corene Bussey

I’m here creating art that transforms me every single day, in every single way. I blend abstract and expressionism to create visual works that transform my spiritual journey and audible art into its visual forms. I’m eagerly anticipating every chance to share that…

Enjoy!