What is it about BC painters? There's something in the mountain air up there that just creates incredible artists like Rick Bond! What I love about Rick's artwork is how his blocky strokes of bold, bright colors are abstract, but I also know exactly what I'm looking at. When I first saw this painting of these Aspens, I immediately knew it had to be on one of our skis. The way it fills the entire length tip to tail blew me away – honestly, it's super difficult to fill such a skinny, long canvas split in two, but this painting of these trees just naturally fits the shape of a ski. The scene reminds me of when I'm skiing through trees on a rare sunny day and the light's hitting everything perfectly. Just brings back good vibes and memories of all my best tree skiing days! The color palette Rick used, all these blues and whites with hints of yellow and orange perfectly captures the way you see the snow mixing with the tree trunks and leaves. I learned Rick's got this cool process where he starts each canvas by painting abstract shapes, then sketches the foreground outlines once it's dry. His brushstrokes are powerful and energetic, and he works with acrylics because they dry fast enough to keep up with his quick, dynamic style. This former pharmacist from Vernon, BC had his artistic awakening after visiting the Vancouver Art Gallery back in the day. His vision for creating art just hit him hard, and he's been creating these larger-than-life contemporary impressionist landscapes since 1980. I made only 200 pairs on The Fastforward ski, and hand-signed and numbered each so you’ve got a truly Limited Edition work of art. When you’re not riding these beauties, hang them on your wall and you’ll enjoy them just as much! Check out more of Rick Bond's art on his website!
