A new wakeboard company? Rick Gonzalez has been pined to this new company as the co-founder. There is no more info as of yet. The info I have is that the company is based out of california and is a new high end board company. Ricky G stated that Phalanx products are going to be top of the line and the best quality out there. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

photo: bryan soderlind
Brandon Mclean is a good friend of mine and a talented artist. Brandon resides at one of the most progressive wakeboarding locations in the world and is inspired daily by the amount of progression on the water. Read more about Brandon and find out some really interesting facts about the artist.

PW: How did you get started doing artwork?

BM:I'm not entirely sure how I got started making art. It has been a gradual process over the last nine years or so. I had a stroke in 2000 when I was 18 and the artistic urge began to grow after that. I have tried to research the effect of strokes on the brain in regards to changes in creativity, but I believe for myself that blood clot that rocked the right side of brain sparked something, because I previously wasn't into art @ all. Then the process started slow with working with collages in journals, and working on paper. Eventually I began to work on canvas and different pieces of scrap wood, just trying out all kinds of methods, and techniques. I just started running with it truthfully, making work and enjoying the ride. I say keep experimenting, and follow your intuition, you'll be amazed @ what you can turn out sometimes. It's honestly my favorite way to spend a day..

PW: Has the creative environment of living at the projects and being close friend to pat ponakos affected your work?

BM:Pat and the Projects have been great in regards to affecting my work. I have been there for three years now, and I don't think I would have been able to make as much work as I have if it wasn't for that place. First off I am deeply in debt to Pat for his generosity, encouragement, and friendship over these past few years, and not to mention allowing me to use his wide array of power tools, that he has to make different surfaces and installations.. Buy Ridgid tools !! Also meeting so many other creative people that come out to the projects has been amazing. Of course all the riders and their own sense of creativity on the water, but also numerous other artists, photographers, and film makers. All these awesome people making it in life doing something they have passion for. 'Misfits live and breathe in an atmosphere of passion' (Saying on the first Projects t-shirt I designed)

PW: Can you explain your work? Its not your normal paintings.

BM:Umm.. I always seem to go back to the phrase 'character excursions' when describing the paintings. I really enjoy the stories behind people and events that take place in the everyday that shove the individual along the path of life. I am so curious about the mysteries behind people; where they came from, what makes them turn out the way they do. Everyone has a story, many as interesting as a hollywood movie, yet we worship a well known star while the guy you see riding a lawnmower down the sidewalk could have a much more interesting personal history. I like to let the viewers of the work find things that they can relate to, whether it's a picture, or a word, or color. I feel everyone can connect to the work in their very own way. Re-connecting to their personal memories..

PW: I know you use alot of different types of canvases. Whats the coolest canvass youve made into a piece of art.

BM:I usually tend to paint on wood because it's much more economical than canvas.. I can take a sheet of plywood for $20 bucks and build 6 or 8 big pieces where as one pre-stretched canvas can cost you $20 bucks. But I guess the coolest thing I made into art would probably have to be the road gap out @ the Projects.. The old lake to lake transfer from back in 2000 or 2001. I took a large canvas transfer and surrounded it with tons of scrap wood from various rail building experiments and built a giant wood juxtaposition. I had a great time making that one, although now two years later it's pretty dilapidated.. 'Alter Egos are Great'

PW: The large store front display you made for Urban Outfitters was a pretty large scale art piece. What was it like working on that size of work?

BM:I loved working on the window display for Urban Outfitters. I had been slowly working on these small wooden blocks, a homage of sorts to baseball cards. They were filled with all kinds of topics ranging from family photos, baseball logos, or Kennedy assassination newspaper clippings. They were more of an exercise to get working on a small scale, to kinda jump start the art making for the day, working out my own observations and interests. When I came across the opportunity to display @ Urban Outfitters I thought why not just expand on that idea of hundreds of various blocks of collage and paint. I cut up over two sheets of plywood into 4" x 6" blocks and went through the paper archives, pulling so many images from the past. Going in to set up that day was awesome, I just had all the supplies, an ipod, and no idea how I was gonna hang it all up. Just letting the composition come out. It only took about 8 hours...

PW: How do you get inspired for each different piece of art?

BM:Getting inspired always seems to be different. Sometimes it comes from seeing other peoples art. Like after I go to an art show, I can't wait to get home and start working on my stuff. Also sometimes from movies or just various patterns or typography you see in the world.. A lot of the time though it comes from the lapse of time of not doing art, and knowing that I have to get stuff done for various commitments, and getting stuff made to satisfy my own needs as well. I like this quote though from artist Chuck Close ' "Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work"

PW: Where can people see your work and maybe purchase a piece?

BM:You can check out my work primarily on my website www.elus1v.com. I try to update it quite frequently as each piece is made, or after I have various shows. I also have an etsy store (elus1v.etsy.com) where you can purchase works...

Or just email me anytime and we can work something out..

PW: Wheres the next show or display your work will be showcased?

BM:I have a few different shows coming up.. I will have one piece in a group show called 'Life Essentials' which will be on display through the Art Whino Gallery @ Art Basel down in Miami. I also have a couple exhibitions @ venues in Orlando and Tampa and I will have a booth @ surf expo in January, which I'm particularly excited about.. Check out my website (http://www.elus1v.com) for updates and details... Thanks..

Alliancewakeboard magazine and Arnette recently teamed up for a contest. The winners got to hang out with Scott Byerly and Randall Harris for a day and ride with them. It was a great experience for the winners and it was fun for all. Riding at Orlando Water sports all day and finishing the day at Kobe Steak House.

The biggest buzz on every wakeboard message board this week has been about Aaron Rathy. Rathy a former Natique boat team rider is now without a boat sponsor. No one knows the motives behind Natique dropping Rathy. The word on the street is Rathy contract came to an end this year and Natique did not sign him back. Rathy is on the top of his game and I am sure He will find a new boat sponsor soon. When we find out well be sure to share it!

Olivier Derome stops by today tell us a little bit more about himself. Olivier is a top notch wakeboarder from Canada. Olivier spends most of his time in America at the projects wakeboard camp coaching and riding as much as possible. This past season on the Pro Tour Olivier finished every contest with outstanding results and next year will be a top contender. Olivier is also one of the nicest guys around and he kills it on everything from wake to rails. Watch out for this foreign ripper.

TOP 5's

Top 5 Shred Spots:

5. Lake St-Francois, Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec

4. CWC Phillippines

3. Blue Lake, Ronix Photoshoot

2. the Projects, Florida

1. Wow Plaza, St-Zotique Quebec

Top 5 Canadian things America doesn't have:

5. Quebecers

4.Colored bills

3. 19 yrs old drinking age in BC, Saskatchewan & Ontario

2. Better average of good looking girls

1. 18 yrs old drinking age in Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta & New Brunswick!!!

Top 5 Tricks:

5.Indy

4.BS 180

3.TS 3

2.Method

1.Pete Rose

Top 5 things about riding for Ronix:

5. The story

4. The boards

3. The boots

2. Paul's passion and stories

1. The team

Top 5 things about the projects:

5. The campers

4. Lake 1 & 2 - Boat lakes

3. Lake 3 - Rail park

2. The Crew

1. Pat Panakos for being the Projects

Top 5 wakeboard movies:

5. Wake Place... On its way!!!

4. Relentless

3. Natural Born Thrillaz

2 .Parks Documentary

1. Incomplete

Top 5 songs your listening to these days:

5. Yelle - Amour du Sol

4. Michael Jackson - Bad

3. Jose Gonzalez - Hearbeats

2. Windmill - Fluorescent Light

1. Young Jeezy - My President

Top 5 things about having a system 2.0 in your backyard:

5. Pressin SON!

4. Friends

3. Riding doubles

2. Rails

1. Progression

Top 5 foods:

5. Greek Salad

4. Pasta

3. Lazy Moon Pizza

2. Sushi

1. Chipotle Burrito

Top 5 wakeboarders:

5. Projects Crew

4. Aaron Rathy

3. Bonifay x2

2. Danny Harf

1. Raph Derome

Check out this video teaser for a new video on www.alliancewake.com



Its going to get wild. Next week. Halloween will never be the same. Nick Taylor, Ben Horan, Josh Kirby, Travis Doran, Matt Hooker, Keaton Bowlby all come alive at night. Make sure you stop by on the 28th to see all the action go down.