The exhibition of skateboard deck art also serves as a fundraiser for Ukraine

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What an artist can do with a skateboard deck is amazing.

Check out this year’s All Hands on Deck show, fundraising exhibits, and auctions of decorated decks at Beyond The PaleBrewing Company to see for yourself. Of the more than 200 decks fixed to the walls of the brewery, every time you look, a new deck stands out. Each was designed by an artist from the Ottawa region.

My crew had a great time choosing our favorites at a recent gathering at the City Center brewery.

Some people liked the ones decorated with images of Star Wars four-legged robotic vehicles. Others were drawn to the Tragically Hip Gordon Downie portrayal at his last show. I liked things full of flowers and colors, but others were drawn to those rendered in elegant shades of black, white and gray. Wheelless wooden boards, such as cartoons, memes, TV stars, and landscapes, bloom.

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But what knocked us all out was barely recognizable as a skateboard. It’s on the side, not on the wall, instead on a shelf near the bar, depicting a cozy room that invites viewers to sit down and listen to records. There’s a working lamp in the middle, a baby-blue swivel phone on the low table, and a pair of red sneakers thrown into the shagrag.

In fact, it’s a miniature, small, realistic replica of a 1970s wreckroom that uses a skateboard deck as a wall. Attention to detail is truly noteworthy, such as posters on the walls, stuffed animals, books, shelves full of board games, and slices of half-eaten pizza within reach of chairs.

According to show curator Daniel Matelock, this is the creation of an anonymous Ottawa artist known as SAM, or Instagram’s Street Art Miniature. .. In one interview, she revealed that as a Nepean woman, she is working hard to make the city of Ottawa “a little more enjoyable.”

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In the new show, her work is number 227 and 226 in Martellock’s head. One of his favorites is the hand-crafted Mario Kart video game scene with crochet, an unlikely art form. ..

Each artist at the show bought a locally sourced deck (or up to two) from the brewery for a cost ($ 20) and worked in about six weeks. Artists range from internationally known names to emerging creators who are still teenagers.

Overall, “this year’s work is astounding,” Marterok said of the deck batch for the 4th Annual Show. “Yes, not only the level of creativity, but also the level of artistic skills is incredible. We get a level of work that touches my heart. This year I know and enjoy this show. I think it was really pushed. “

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With 228 decks on display, it’s also the largest show Martelock has ever installed on a brewery wall. In fact, he believes it’s probably the world’s largest skateboard deck show and is proud to have been anxious to be verified by Guinness World Records people, but they’re more. Needed lead time. “It’s arguably the largest in Canada,” Martelock said.

He has been portraying soldiers in the army of birds for many years since he noticed that small birds like chikadies and sparrows tend to stick together. “They always hang out together and there is a mix of men and women,” he said. “They cooperate with each other, help each other, and do not leave in the winter.”

Adding a helmet with a medicated symbol highlights the useful nature of the bird and the cute image becomes a model for members of a community-oriented and compassionate society. You can see some of the Marterok birds around the town, indoors and outdoors, including a couple currently hanging in the Hintenberg pub.

Returning to the brewery, the auction will be held at btpshop.ca on May 20th and will continue until the Grand Finale Party on May 29th. The money collected is usually sent to a local skateboarding group, but this year it will be donated to the Red Cross campaign. Ukraine.

lsaxberg@postmedia.com