Indosole Blog & News

Bali {based} Artist: Matthew Gillett Matthew Gillett is a visual artist. His eyes have that sparkle of a guy who is psyched on life. From across the room he looks like he could be a tough guy, but when you meet him you find out right away he is all heart. He is the example of that saying “still waters run deep”... or is it “quiet rivers run deep?” “Deep waters run deep?”.... I can’t remember, but you know what I’m saying. The dudes got soul.A few years back before Gillett had dedicated his life to art, he was breaking up a fight outside a venuehe was working in Australia and was hit from behind. The result was weeks recovering in a hospital from a hemorrhage in his brain; seizures, migraines, and depression for the next year of his life. Because of the seizures he wasn’t able to surf or motocross anymore or even drive his car. He watched himself deal with mood swings and depression from the brain injury. His entire life changed as he lost the ability to do the things he cared about most, and his vitality was dimmed to a hazy shade of winter.And so it goes if you wanna make lemonade from lemons you better get squeezing. With the help of a friend, Gillett made some major life changes to help his mind and body heal. And in the end, he decided to save his own life and plunged himself into his own serotonin- producing, self- medicating therapy: ArtName: Matthew Gillett .Age: 36 but its hard to believe to look at!Hometown: Stanwell Park , South Coast of Sydney Australia also known as Gods Country .Currently living: In Bali .Occupation: Artist .Medium: Oil On Linen .Endorsed/ Sponsored by: My Credit cards like most artists, (Hurley , Carve, Nathans Bequest.).Next art exhibit: (name, date, location) MY ART KILLS MONSTERS . Date not fixed but 2012 if the worlddoesn’t end, cause that would be a shame not to have the show ha ha haHi Matty!Tell everyone about your newest project "My Art Kills Monsters"It’s an idea I came up with over a year ago. The idea is to paint pieces then use time-lapse photography to document the creation of each painting! This then gets edited into a 3 to 4 min video. Then you can see the creation of the piece in fast forward instead of watching me paint for 4 days; which is kind of boring, like watching paint dry ha ha ha. Each video will then have a song donated to it from big bands in Australia creating a short film with music to the paintings creation.What made you decide you wanted to do this in Bali? Is it easier to be creative here?There were a couple of reasons. I have been coming to Indonesia to surf for 20 years and love everything about it: food, people… everything. It’s a can do country in Australia, we are so heavily governed and I wouldn’t have had the creative freedom to set up wherever I wanted to, like I have here. Every spot I have painted at has been hassle free, a quick chat to whoever is in charge with the explanation and then it’s sorted. In Aus there would be so much red tape! It’s so easy to be creative here. Creativity is everywhere. It’s infectious.How many paintings in different locations will you be producing in Bali? Which location was your favorite so far?I will be creating 14 paintingsin 14 different Locations throughout Indonesia. I have pretty much said after each location it was my favorite and that painting is also my favorite (I am my biggest fan). But thinking back with 12 completed… Krakatau. The energy at that place is crazy. I stayed on the volcano Indo- camp style. Krakatau rumbled smoke, exploded, and spewed out soccer ball- sized rocks. So yeh Krakatau… The solitude, remoteness, and danger combined to make it my favorite spot.What do you make of the contrast between your art and your personality? Your paintings can feel a little dark, but you’re so friendly. Which is closer to the real you?I agree some of my art is on the darker side so maybe I paint my bad instead of acting on it, resulting in my friendly nature. Ha ha ha. I think also that people see skulls etc. and associate it with darkness. But we all have one and it’s a damn attractive suitcase for our very important brains, and it doesn’t receive enough recognition.Don’t the Balinese have some theory about the balance between light and dark? Like their own version of yin and yang....Yeh, I mean you can’t have the good without the bad. My Balinese friend of 20 years made good sense of it telling me that we all have half bad and half good and that the goal is to live in the middle expecting both sides.As an artist, or just regular human, what do you think is your most unusual quality? Do you think it’s your belly button? I’m just wondering because one night I saw someone stick half of their finger into it.That’s kind of deep. As a human, sad to say I don’t think I really have any. Others may disagree, and haven't told me ....! Until now that you have made me aware of my belly button. Ha ha ha. To my credit the poker had short stumpy fingers creating a kind of optical illusion, like smoke and mirrors.On a scale of 1-10 how much do you love your life? Definitely a 10, every day is a trip!www.matthewgillett.com- Fayzer

REFINED CRAFT for the PAVEMENTThis past weekend was all time since Indian Summer has finally made its well anticipated arrival in San Francisco. The weather flirted with temps near 80....so yes, the dry winds were blowing east. Some may say that there was a lack of swell. Well, depends on who you ask. If you grabbed the most foam in your quiver, you might have come down with a rare yet desiring illness that my good mate Teacher Kevin calls "froth-itis." The highline trim and lowline head dips were there for the taking during loww tide.After fueling up on a full tank of premium leaded stoke, I took some time on land to shoot da breeze with the mates @ Mollusk Surf Shoppe. While walking up Irving St., I noticed some people getting loose on the pavement with some highly alluring skateboards. I asked the smiling young man with the longer shaped board-"who's the maker of these boards?"he replied, "me" with a slight grin. "you wanna ride one?"After pushing and leaning into a few tight pavement lines, he and I went inside to talk about his project. Erik Maki, the visionary behind Maki Longboards, is completely passionate toward his endeavor. I could feel his enthusiasm in both his board designs and the materials / processes going into each one. One topic that really stoked me was his approach to maintain complete wood rawness with using Entropy Bio Resin. Erik emphasized that each board he crafts is progressing to higher performance levels with rider feedback while also mastering the sustainable design science. Did I mention that his boards look slick. No Graphics. Just Rawness. Please check out makilongboards.com. Had the pleasure to ride his Skipper shape...could not have trimmed more this past weekend. Thanks Erik!

Good mate Mark Marovich, founder of The Greener Blue, wanted to pick our brain a bit. He delivered us some questions...hoping to get a deeper scope of IndoSole. We decided that no person was better suited for such a task than IndoSole's production manager / co-founder, Faye Middleton. click link below for interviewTHE GREENER BLUE INTERVIEWThe following is just a brief introduction into The Greener Blue. If you have not yet been to this website, we're casting a spell on you until you check it!When not working for the man, I enjoy surfing. Although my preferred activity doesn't seem to be threatening to the environment from the casual onlooker, referring surfing to a natural art form is a paradox. Surfboards are constructed from polystyrene, wetsuits are PVC based and well, that white stuff that is rubbed onto the board is petroleum based with synthetic rubbers. We make the attempt to live a carbon free life. Avoid certain items here and there, yet we still encounter the evils of pollution, forest degradation......Companies and shapers in the surf industry have begun to realize that technology is advancing in a way to combat some of their past negligence thus newly sustainable substitutes have revolutionized the way we perceive surf products. For example, we have a choice between polystyrene or reclaimed / sustainably harvested wood for a surfboard. We must give credit to sustainable information portals like The Greener Blue. It has given us a new way to see surfing through a green lens.

BALI BAGUSIn regards to the beginning of this short video, I think we have all experienced those times of our worrying mother at the airport soon before departure. Be Safe...Have Fun. Bali is a teenage utopia and possibly a mother's worst nightmare. Rad footage guys.

A Day of RemembranceAlthough it's hard to believe that it has nearly been a decade since the Bali terrorist bombing, it's even more difficult to stomach the fact that a few individuals took the life of so many smiling gathers who were simply at The Sari Club to enjoy themselves. How could Bali, our home, a refuge for peace, a sanctuary for spiritual values be overshadowed by evil? We'll never be able to journey away from hatred no matter the longitude or latitude; yet we still use one transcending act that fear can not contain, a smile. Today, please remember the 202 smiling people that perished on October 12, 2002.

Just Good Ol' Local FunSupport the creative minds of S.F. as they once again set up booths to showcase their trades. As is the case for every Indie Mart, there will be good eats, booze, live garage rock...45s spinning soul, and hand crafted products with a defined story. Swing by and give the IndoSole family some love.

All Lenses Focused on TonjoWell folks, he has done it again. On the previous post, I commented on how the charisma of young Balinese surfers is a contagious disease to others in their vicinity. On Wednesday, Darmaputra Tonjo defeated Nat Young, the number 2 surfer on the junior pro circuit, and Tonjo was all smiles yesterday as he slashed past the tour's number 1 rider, Jack Freestone. How rad would it be to see a local kid from Legian, Bali win the Oakley World Junior Pro Bali? Wow... Tonjo's next heat is against Eziekel Lau from Oahu, Hawaii. Yew!http://oakleyprojunior.com/

Selamat datang di belakang rumah kitaTown is kind of congested the last few days....more so than the average ebb and flow of traffic. There are reasons for this....The Oakley World Pro Junior Bali has set up camp in South Bali. Contest director has stationed heats either at Keramas or Canggu depending on the swell. I've always been a tad indifferent about surf contests; however, I view any Junior Pro event in Bali a testament to the island's youth levels in surfing.(Above) Dharmaputra Tonjo from Legian, Bali tucks into a hollow cranny. During the second heat yesterday, Tonjo eliminated Nat Young, a junior tour standout from Santa Cruz, CA.Canggu has been IndoSole's home turf for the last 3 years and we've been able to see the progression in youth surfing. Although some things have changed monetarily throughout the community (some kids can afford new boards off the racks) I have yet to see a slight decline in stoke while these kids are in the water. Once I return from a work mission in Bali, my first few surf sessions in California are always dismal. Could it be the cold water? Possibly, but rather, it's the lack of reverence for stoke from others in the lineup. There are no frumps or stink-eye Steve's in Bali and I allude to Bali's surfing youth for casting a FUN atmosphere throughout the many breaks. Whether it is playing or cracking jokes on each other between sets or hooting "YEEEEW!" as a random "bule" drops into a deep bowl, the stoke these local kids have and the talent they bring to the beach is unparalleled.My approval for the The Oakley Junior Pro Bali is supported by Bali surfing youth. Yea, give these kids surf credit for their mind blowing abilities, but more importantly, lets envy their stoke for catching waves.

Work It.October 2nd was National Batik Day in Indonesia. You may be unaware of batik, a cloth that traditionally uses wax resist dying technique and dates back to the 4th century. Not much of batik fabric has surfaced in the states; however, it's cultural identity among Indonesians in their homeland. Batik is used to make sarongs, kebaya dresses and even babies are intentionally wrapped in this cloth to bring good luck through infancy.Batik is making a strong presence in the 21st century since many Indonesian fashion designers are constructing collections with batik being the focal fabric. During Jakarta's Fashion Week in 2010 and 2011, the runways were strutted with batik. So, the next time you grab that "dakine" button up for Aloha Friday, IndoSole wants you to consider batik as an option. Yew