C. R. Stecyk, III
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C.R. Stecyk III (born in the early 1950s) is a Southern California native and one of its pop culture historians.
Craig (also known as John Smythe or Carlos Izan) gained notoriety for his artwork on surfboards in the early 1970s, particularly when he became involved with the founding of the infamous Jeff Ho/Zephyr surf shop in Venice, California. He created the infamous "Pig and Crossbones" graffiti that, along with the Dogtown cross, became an icon of skateboarding attitude. [1]
In the 1970s, Stecyk was also a contributing photographer and writer for Surfer magazine. As surfing gave birth to skateboarding, Stecyk became one of its earliest practitioners and proponents. When Surfer magazine re-launched Skateboarder magazine (they had published four issues in the mid-'60s), Stecyk became one its most important photojournalists. The stories about the notorious Z-Boys from DogTown were, for the most part, his creation. Some of the top skaters debated the accuracy of his stories;[citation needed] however, Stecyk's articles launched the Z-Boys to fame. Russ Howell said, "There were many good skaters who contributed positively to the sport and somehow Skateboarder chose to promote a gang of kids who only sought to destroy the sport on an organized level."[2] Regardless of the controversy, his stories inspired a generation, and he is credited as the Godfather of the sport/art of skateboarding as it is known today. [3]
Stecyk is also internationally known as a respected and collected fine artist working in sculpture, painting, surfboards and hot-rod cars. He is one of the founders of Juxtapoz art magazine, and has contributed to many different books. He is currently a contributing editor to Arkitip. His life was portrayed in the 2001 award-winning documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, as well as the Hollywood-style feature film Lords of Dogtown in 2005. [4][5]
[edit] Books
- Compilation of the best of the original 1970's C.R. Stecyk III DogTown stories and photographs from SkateBoarder magazine.
- DOGTOWN-The Legend of the Z-Boys, C.R. Stecyk III & Glen E. Friedman, Burning Flags Press, 2000, ISBN 0-9641916-4-4
- Catalog on the artwork of Craig Stecyk
- Papa Moana, Craig Stecyk, Laguna Art Museum, 1989, ISBN 0940872129
- Introductions or Essays by C.R. Stecyk III
- Rat Fink, The Art of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Last Gasp, 2003, ISBN 0867195452
- JAY-BOY - Classic photographs by Jay Adams stepfather, Kent Sherwood, Concrete Wave Editions, 2006, ISBN 0973528664 *[1]
- Fuck You Heroes, Glen E. Friedman photographs 1976-1991, Burning Flags Press, 1994, ISBN 0-9641916-0-1
- Fuck You Too, The Extras + More Scrapbook - Music and Skating thru> '04, Glen E. Friedman, ConSafos press, 2005, ISBN 0-9656535-0-1
- Dora Lives, The Authorized Story of Miki Dora, T. Adler books, 2005, ISBN 1890481173
- Surf Culture, The Art History of Surfing, Ginko Press, 2002, ISBN 1584231335
- Malicious Resplendence, The Paintings of Robt. Williams, Fantagraphics Books, 1998, ISBN 1560972785
- Kustom Kulture, Von Dutch, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Robert Williams and Others, Last gasp, 1993, ISBN 0-9641916-0-1
- Surfing San Onofre to Point Dume,1936-1942, Chronicle Books, 1998, ISBN 0811821102
- The Idealist, Glen E. Friedman - In My Eyes - 25 Years (1976-2001), Burning Flags Press, 2004, ISBN 0-9641916-5-2
[edit] References
- ^ Dogtown and Z-boys Documentary film, (2001).
- ^ Howell, Russ. Interview for Old Man Army Forum members, oldmanarmy.com.
- ^ Dogtown and Z-boys Documentary film, (2001).
- ^ Dogtown and Z-boys Documentary film, (2001).
- ^ The Lords of Dogtown Feature film, (2005).
