Art on Deck

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805 Living Pulse Jun 2019

Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Inga Guzyte, courtesy photo.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Inga Guzyte, courtesy photo.

Using recycled skateboard decks as her medium, Inga Guzyte (ingaguzyte.com) transforms her passion for skateboarding into sculptural art. Her new #RebelWomen series spotlights women from around the globe—Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Malala Yousafzai, Frida Kahlo—emphasizing their strength, courage, fearlessness and wit.

“I am hoping to share rebellious and empowering stories,” says the 34-year-old artist, who lines her Santa Barbara studio with floor-to-ceiling stacks of skateboard decks (recycled from the nearby Lighthouse Skateshop) and waits for the right colors to show up before creating her sculptures. Born in Lithuania, and raised in Germany, she came to Santa Barbara at age 21 to learn English and immerse herself in the California skateboarding culture. Making her way into the male-dominated sport influenced her work.

Inga Guzyte self portrait, courtesy photo.

Inga Guzyte self portrait, courtesy photo.

“Inga’s work is an exciting combination of vision, originality and high craft,” says Nathan Vonk, owner of Sullivan Goss Gallery (sullivangoss.com) in Santa Barbara, where a solo show of Guzyte’s work appears from June 1 through July 23. “While her pieces are made from brutal, broken materials, the finished products are both sophisticated and delicate,” he says. “With her #RebelWomen series, she has added to that appeal by including a message that is powerful, important and uplifting.”  

Originally published in the June 2019 issue of 805 Living Magazine.

 

The Books of 2015

Fates and Furies coverSo many books, so little time—part nine.

My son started keeping a reading list in third grade, so I did too. This is the ninth year we’ve done this.

My favorite books of 2015 were probably The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt (which incidentally, won the Pulitzer Prize), Girl on a Train, by Paula Hawkins, and Fates and Furiesby Lauren Groff—all of which are widely-praised fiction, so nothing too original in my suggestions for this year, unfortunately. I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, but I did really enjoy Quiet (about introverts) by Susan Cain and I Am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai.

Anyway, I’d love to hear about other people’s favorite books this year.

2015 Book List
title author first author last
Amber Beach Elizabeth Lowell
Pegasus Danielle Steel
A Grown Up Kind of Pretty Joshilyn Jackson
Love Anthony Lisa Genova
Shopaholic to the Stars Sophie Kinsella
Small Victories Anne Lamott
The Quality of Life Report Megham Daum
The Best of Us Sarah Pekkanen
Delicious Ruth Reichel
Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda: 60 Endings, 2 Happily Ever Afters Tara Lee Reed
The Rosie Project Graeme Simsion
The Heiresses Sara Shepherd
Yes Please Amy Poehler
Sweet Salt Air Barbara Delinsky
Then Came You Jennifer Weiner
The Last Anniversary Liane Moriarty
The Last Letter From Your Lover JoJo Moyes
14 Peter Cline
Night Road Kristin Hannah
Flight Behavior Barbara Kingsolver
Lift Kelly Corrigan
Family Ties Danielle Steel
Lock and Key Sarah Dessen
Littlebee Chris Cleave
The American Heiress Daisy Goodwin
Big Little Lies Liane Moriarty
Spring Fever Mary Kay Andrews
Julie and Romeo: A Novel Jeanne Ray
Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty Diane Keaton
The Rosie Effect Graeme Simsion
Laura Rider’s Masterpiece Jane Hamilton
Glitter and Glue Kelly Corrigan
Dirty Daddy Bob Sagat
A Tale for the Time Being Ruth Ozeki
The Goldfinch Donna Tartt
Funny Girl Nick Hornby
The Precious One Marisa de los Santos
Wife 22 Melanie Gideon
Summer Island Kristin Hannah
Jane and the Genius of Place Stephanie Barron
Marry Kiss Kill Anne Flett-Giordano
Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls David Sedaris
Single, Carefree, Mellow Katherine Heiny
The Summer Hideaway Susan Wiggs
Along for the Ride Sarah Dessen
Scandal in Spring Lisa Kleypass
Me Without You JoJo Moyes
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much Allison Hoover Bartlett
All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr
Mine Till Midnight Lisa Kleypass
Pretty Much Screwed Jenna McCarthy
From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess Meg Cabot
You Won’t Remember This Kate Blackwell
The Nightingale Kristin Hannah
Finding Audrey Sophie Kinsella
The Beginning of Everything Robyn Schneider
The Vacationers Emma Straub
The Girl on the Train Paula Hawkins
This I Believe Various
Life’s a Beach Claire Cook
Blueprints Barbara Delinsky
Breakfast at Tiffany’s Truman Capote
Then Again Diane Keaton
Friends Like Us Lauren Fox
Circle of Wives Alice La Plante
China Rich Girlfriend Kevin Kwan
Smart Blondes Sonia Koso
A Fine Romance Candice Bergen
Mermaid Out of Water Randy Gross
Quiet Susan Cain
A Wonder Story: Pluto R.J. Palacio
The Julian Chapter: A Wonder Story R.J. Palacio
A Window Opens Elisabeth Egan
Luckiest Girl Alive Jessica Knoll
Red Summer Fran Davis
I Am Malala Malala Yousafzai
After You JoJo Moyes
Arcadia Lauren Groff
The Woman I Wanted to Be Diane Van Furstenberg
Crystal Walter Dean Meyers
We Were Liars E. Lockhart
Being Committed Anna Maxted
Dietland Sarai Walker
Cross My Heart Carly Phillips
My Fair Lazy Jen Lancaster
Movie Star A Novel by Lizzie Pepper Hilary Liftin
Everybody Rise Stephanie Clifford
Fates and Furies Lauren Groff
The Bee Cottage Story Frances Schultz
Killing Monica Candace Bushnell
Modern Romance Aziz Ansari
Ladies Night Mary Kay Andrews
Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat? Lisa & Francesca Serratella Scottoline