Gregg Visintainer, aka Viz, is a self taught artist. At age 18, after a pretty severe car accident that required 2 back surgerys, Viz moved from the Bay area to San Diego to be near his family. Following the accident, Visintainer stopped creating art for nearly six years as he struggled to overcome his own personal demons, which included drug and alcohol abuse, and getting kicked out of community college. Around age 24, a sequence of unfortunate events occurred that inspired him to turn his life around and really focus on his passion, drawing.

Viz’s artwork is hand drawn, using only pen and ink. His style is incredibly unique and meticulously detailed. Every drawing is made up of various hidden pictures, words, and messages – giving each piece their own distinctive meaning. Viz is inspired by his own personal life experiences, and by individuals who make a difference and are willing to take risks. Read More…

We were honored to get a sneak peek inside the fresh, modern, and classic world of designer Robin Zingone, and couldn’t resist sharing what we learned with all of you! Enjoy!

You’ve had quite the journey, and your personal story is quite inspiring. What has kept  you continually inspired and always positive throughout all of life’s ordeals?

Every life has chapters. One night I went to sleep normal and woke up abnormal. My brain started to bleed from a lesion unbeknownst to me. I lost my sense of balance, my eyes crossed, I lost hearing in my left side, I got lockjaw and the left side of my face was numb. Basically, happy hour without the happy.

The neurosurgeon told me I was at risk of blindness, paralysis, coma and death, but the little voice in my head said “oh, no no no no no!” From the time I came out of surgery to today, I told myself I could beat the odds. Luckily with therapy, my first fix was getting the cross eyes to go back in place since I was not digging that look. And I’ve been working with a personal trainer to get my balance back. My hearing returned and I can get a fork in my mouth now. And the silver lining…I was able to work 2 months after surgery. Sitting in front of my computer designing and dreaming, leaving the world of ugly; hospitals, medicine and sadness and entering my world of beauty, art and happy. If I had had any other career I would probably still be laying in bed. My work brought me back to life and now I’m ready for the next chapter. Read More…

You’ve been painting for most of your life. Growing up, were there any particular artists that inspired you or whose style you sought to emulate?

I grew up surfing in South Carolina as a young kid in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The art that I saw in surf magazines back then was really cool. Though I didn’t know who the artists were at the time, they were a strong influence on me; guys like Rick Griffin and Bill Ogden. Read More…

What prompted the move to the United States in 2000, and in what ways has American culture influenced your work since then?

I moved to the US because of my marriage. I was leading a typical Japanese life, but I ended up living here! Life brings lots of surprises.

Yes, American culture has influenced me a lot. I was a traditional calligrapher most of the time, but now I try to incorporate Japanese calligraphy with colors, acrylic, canvas, graphic, and fabric — anything interesting.  When I first arrived here, I had to learn English and the culture. It was tough, but I can now say I learned a lot from that and I never gave up wanting to be an artist.

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“IDENTITY IS EVERYTHING”

An Interview with Graphic Designer & Vinyl Artist, Jorge Oswaldo.

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Peter’s design work is built on the idea of simple order. His inspiration varies from fashion found at art gallery openings to art found at old hardware stores. He loves to pick up colors, textures, shapes and patterns from simple junk-shopping excursions or a casual day of people watching. Peter loves anything beautifully distressed and aged by time, and we love anything he creates.. Read More…

Born on the sunny streets of Miami, 2Kool 2B True aims to ‘spread the vibrating culture, impersonate street smarts and deliver bad-ass apparel.’ With influences from Miami, New York, and L.A., their mixture of fresh and unique styles combined with their astonishing attention to detail, bring an edgy, but realistic, urban street vibe to each design. Recently, skinit had the chance to get inside the mind of Art Director, Mariano Diaz, and as you will see, 2k2bt is undoubtedly Kreatively Kool. Read on… Read More…

Here at Skinit we love to embrace the culture and character of each of our designs in order to truly discover what makes each brand unique. We had the amazing opportunity to sit down with Dersu Rhodes of Reef to uncover the art behind the brand. Read More…