Monthly Archives: October 2012

A new season begins

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It’s been snowing here in Jackson for a few days now and I thought I’d go out for a tour on the pass to check out and see how things were stacking up. I had low expectations and didn’t really have a plan on where I’d go, I just needed to get out and have a look. I took out my Mountain Approach skis today, I’ve been testing them in hopes of accessing more backcountry shredding riding my regular board binding interface as well as my “no-board”. Once on the trail I was happy to see far more snow than I expected and my hopes of some pow slashes seemed certain as I climbed and views of the surrounding peaks looked promising. I could see a few dicey tracks up high as the light popped through the clouds, a lot of people had gotten out and skied over the past couple days. I ventured off the well beaten ridge trail to a untouched west-facing bowl and began to assess the snow. It seemed like decent coverage but it was super light density… not a good sign for safe shredding. I dropped in cautiously and my board sank deep into the fresh snow. As I picked up speed I made my first few pow turns of the season and it felt great to be floating through the mountains again. I made it to the bottom of the run without hitting anything but decided to call it a day. With no base the snow was just too light and I didn’t want to push it… I don’t enjoy riding while holding my breath worried about rocks & sticks lurking below. I skinned back up to the ridge and headed home. The forecast is looking good for more snow… I’m sure it will turn on soon.

My ski boarding set up

Mike Parillo / Reckless Optimism

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MIKE PARILLO | RECKLESS OPTIMISM

Mike Parillo, a respected commercial artist for the snowboard industry for the past two decades, has spent the last ten years crafting a new language. This language is composed from a style that refines his signature vocabulary of symbols, colors and concepts into a more definite narrative. In November, he steps into the contemporary art world with both feet as he presents his first full body of work. Reckless Optimism, composed of sixteen new works created in 2012, is a shimmering collection of the aesthetic that he has compounded into a mine of carefully compounded hues, shapes, and imagery. This show represents Parillo’s most complete and largest undertaking as an artist. This exhibition cannot be missed. Reckless Optimism is the first solo exhibition at the newly opened CES Contemporary gallery in Laguna Beach, California.

The narrative of the world perceived by the senses that Parillo paints is more than the archetypal tale of success and pitfalls. Referencing a color key that he created exclusively for the series, each burst of color denotes a particular emotion experienced as one grasps or strays from the trajectory that he or she has set for the self to follow. Bright, inviting cloud-like forms obscure the view from the bottom, and slick, shiny forms distort the top, creating a path for the invisible viewer which is hardly navigated but rather is tripped through blindly, tempted by beauty, promises, and an illusory – if not deceitful freedom. Along the way one is guided by equally lurid symbols of wisdom – best seen from midway through a sharp fall off the top of the proverbial mountain.

Parillo’s imagery is best characterized as concentrated mini-modules. Images and compositions are manipulated using his preferred palette of Day-Glo and metallic oil and/or acrylic paints in a whirlwind of small, frenetic brush strokes. Abstractions erupt from various locations in the cluster of each work, occasionally yielding to an appendage of representation and symbolism regarding hope and failure, such as a ladder or a rope. These clusters form surrealistic maps through which visions from the id, the ego and the super-ego are all realized. In a departure from pop surrealism’s effort to make ironic the presence of the unconscious into the conscious, Parillo treats the unconscious and conscious as equals, owning the narrative through a perfect composite of truths.

 

ABOUT MIKE PARILLO

 

b. 1972, Los Angeles, CA

Lives and works in Jackson, WY

 

Mike Parillo grew up in Los Angeles and spent his teen years shredding the local Big Bear Mountains. After a series of successes in the sport that would soon become one the most popular wintertime activities in the world, he became involved in visual art. He has moved frequently in the past two decades between Los Angeles, California, Prague, Czech Republic and Jackson, Wyoming. Parillo’s oil and acrylic paintings evolved to reflect the lifestyle that he has always thrived on – dynamic, full of movement, and bursting with observations about fantasy and reality.

 

An icon in the snowboard industry, Mike Parillo is respected as one of the leading artistic visionaries of the action sports industry. Mike has contributed substantial inspiration and essential work to major companies like Volcom, Lib Technologies, DC, Contour and the TTR organization. He also currently works with the top athletes in the sport on custom commission based work.

 

ABOUT CES CONTEMPORARY

 

CES Contemporary is a new fine art gallery and artists’ organization that specializes in exhibiting local and international emerging contemporary art. The majority of artists exhibited is emerging in their careers and are between the ages of 18 and 45. The gallery’s aesthetic is shaped by the creative output of ambitious young talent, as it becomes a part of the overall international contemporary art scene.

 

ASYMBOL Gallery

 

An extremely limited edition of prints from this exhibition will be produced by ASYMBOL Gallery beginning November 10th. Please visit: asymbolgallery.com for more information, purchase options and availability.

 

Our Special thanks to Bluebird MALBEC for the Vino :)

 

Press contact: 

Amy Spain | Gallery Manager / Public Relations

Gallery: + 1 949 547 1716

Email: amy@cescontemporary.com

 

For more information on CES Contemporary: 

Carl E. Smith | Owner / Director

Mobile: + 1 949 370 0554

Gallery: + 1 949 547 1716

Email: ces@cescontemporary.com

Skype: carlesmithart

 

CES Contemporary

480 Ocean Avenue / A

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

www.cescontemporary.com

Futher in Jackson

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It’s dumping snow outside right now as I sit down to write this…. Huge fat flakes are falling and it’s starting to stick. I’m really getting stoked to ride, it might not be long. Over the weekend I had the chance to check out Jeremy Jones’s new movie “Further”. It was a refreshing look at snowboarding. A project based on Jeremy’s love for the pure pursuit of climbing and riding mountains. The movie did a good job at documenting the trials and tribulation of big mountain riding. It takes a lot of confidence and determination to ride just one of those lines and putting together a movie about it is no easy effort. It was awesome to witness the stoke of some of my long time riding friends as they topped out, and dropped into beautiful peaks in remote locations. They showed Japan like you’ve never seen it as well as amazing spots in Austria, Norway and the big mountains of Alaska.

A must have for my snowboarding video collection.

Stoked to see Haakon killing it

Grassroots Powdersurfing

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It’s raining hard outside right now and the anticipation for winter is high. A couple new boards showed up today and I can’t wait to ride them. These boards are hand made in Utah by Jeremy Jensen and ride like skateboards  in deep snow. It feels really good to be able to ride a board without bindings in the mountains. Having the ability to shuffle your feet and adjust your stance feels amazing as well as trying kickflips and shove it’s. It’s a new obsession for me and I’ll be posting some pow surf action in the months to come.

check them out at: http://powsurf.com/Home.html 

 

Bruce Lee Quote

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I posted a photo of my son Mylo doing his version of a flying kick on our trampoline last week and some friends referenced my first pro model graphic. It made me think about what inspired the artwork. I remember reading this quote from Bruce Lee when I was a young kid and it had a profound effect on my way of thinking. It fueled a fire of perseverance for the intense passion and desire I felt, and still feel for riding today. It helped me decide to pursue snowboarding as a career and is why I chose to have the martial arts theme on my first pro model.

"Bruce Lee"

pro model snowboard circa 1993

Instagram of Mylo that sparked a reference to my original graphic.

 

 

Last Tram Of The Summer

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Yesterday was the last day the JHMR would be running the tram for the 2012 summer season. I took a ride up with my son Mylo in the morning to get some waffles and to take in the view. He threw rocks and wandered around and as he played I studied the familiar faces void of snow. A couple lines far beyond the ski resort boundary caught my eye and now I’m obsessed with checking them out. It’s not too far off, but it feels like it’s never going to come. It’s always a tough time of year to be patience and I find myself daydreaming of the days to come. Time to get prepared, get as fit as possible and make sure my gear is in order and I have everything ready for when the snow turns on. I know the next time I step off the tram is going to be a powder day and that gets me excited. It looks like we’ll get our first storm in a couple days from now bringing snow and colder temps…

Winter is coming!

last pow day, of last season