Not all of the art gems we found while in Miami were at the organized fairs, or even at private showings for that matter; Josh and me discovered Ross Ford while walking down the pedestrian shopping plaza on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach during the Saturday lunch hour. I have to admit– I was drawn to the paintings at first because of their size, bright colors, clean (albeit curvaceous) lines, and contrast– they were pleasing to the eyes. Ross’ explanation of his work intrigued Josh and I even more– each painting is a face, pulled from a daily emotional diary of faces from his sketchbook. Ross puts brush to canvas for sketches he finds to be particularly significant. The final product is an organic type of emotional self portrait all his own (in every sense). When you go to the ‘paintings section’ of Ross’ website, click on individual photos within the photo matrix to see enlarged versions; it will also inform you of which ones are available for purchase. Ross Ford’s art was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise sensory overloaded weekend of art fair viewing in Miami. More on Ross after the jump…

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We viewed a wealth of amazing work at the Scope Miami fair over the weekend. Young Ryan Carr Johnson’s paintings were at the top of the heap for me. From what I can deduce, Ryan layers paint onto plywood and then refines the living daylights out of it with a hand sanding process. The result is awe-inspiring to see in person, because the art has such depth and structure to it– regrettably, I can only bring to you, our beloved readers, two-dimenstional images of Ryan’s work. The images I have included here are phases 2 and 4 of the piece entitled ‘Blotter Acid.’ Ryan’s work was shown as part of the gogo art projects initiative, which is Connor Contemporary Art’s attempt to incubate emerging and experimental art; it evolved from CCA’s annual Academy Exhibition of recent BFA/MFA grads from the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area–and appears to be a great program.

As Josh mentioned a few days ago, we weren’t all that impressed with the shopping opportunities in Miami (at least from an individualism standpoint). With the exception, of BASE World, we were faced with ‘run of the mill’ stores that you can find in any big city. That’s not to say we didn’t have a ton of fun trying on denim at the Diesel store, or jackets at the Barneys Co-op. The most consistently impressive clothes we saw, however, had to have been from Nice Collective. The Barneys Co-op had stocked quite a bit of their stuff, and Josh and I must have tried on it all. Each jacket, sweater, and hoodie felt like a dream to wear– the fit, the details, the winter comfort factor– it was all there. We definitely will be tracking Nice Collective’s progress and new lines to come.

I urge you all to visit a theater near you to see Snow Blind, a new film produced by Red Sky Pictures and SnoCountry, featuring some of the best snowboarders in the game. More than merely showing viewers great snowboarding, Snow Blind documents the history, culture, and lifestyle surrounding the sport of snowboarding– from the birth, through the evolution, to what it is today– a sport, a sub-culture, and an obsession for many. The film was shot in high definition, so the spirit of the mountains is really brought to life (see trailer). Snow Blind premiered last week in New York City– some of the riders, including our buddy Jeff Cormack, went to the Big Apple to add some flair to the premiere event. You know, the usual– urban jibbing at the Brooklyn Banks, pants dropping, etc. For more details, you can read Jeff’s blog; and to see a local news station’s reaction to their crazy antics, read after the jump…

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Some of my favorite content on the site comes from our fashion vaults (that probably has a lot to do with my love for fashion, but I really do think we have found some fabric gems). I frequently find myself sifting through the archives to see what we’ve written about so I can give references to interested friends. Then I thought: why not do the same for all of you? So here it is– my top fashion picks from our vault. Just in time for holiday shopping!

Newson for G-Star: Industrial design legend Marc Newson teamed up with the raw denim hounds at G-STAR to bring us G-Star by Marc Newson… Continue Reading

Triko: The Art of Life: Triko is a brand founded by Hector Estrada, after years of designing for some of the biggest names in the street-wear market he decided to set out on his own to build a premium brand with what he proclaims to be a soul… Continue Reading

Invicid Takes on Broadway: I really dig this new Invicid Hoodie, called ‘Tanks on Broadway.' It's new for Winter 06, hand-screened, and has inside pattern prints of grenades… Continue Reading

Wrath Arcane Clothing: Cleveland, Ohio. The home of the Cuyahoga River, the Tribe (Cleveland Indians), and now Wrath Arcane Clothing… Continue Reading

Monsieur T: Our friends over at Monsieur T in Portland, OR have been creating great skateboard and indie art-scene-inspired screen printed tees since 2004… Continue Reading

PRPS Denim: PRPS, also known as Purpose, lives by the slogan “bruised but never broken,” because each pair of jeans is put through various treatments, washes and hand-done details to give it that amazing finish… Continue Reading

Trovata: We just received word that our friends at Trovata have just opened their online store for business… Continue Reading

Ever Clothing: Ten years ago I didn't think anyone did vintage clothing better then my friends Mr. Abercrombie and Mr. Fitch, but since then times have really changed and Ever clothing is a perfect example… Continue Reading

Big Mouth On Tour: On Tour Lab strikes again with their autumn / winter 2006 collection of tees, sweatshirts, and hoodies dubbed Big Mouth Ontour… Continue Reading

Blue Blood Denim: For those denim aficionados that love a great looking pair of distressed jeans, but hate looking like you just walked out of a homeless shelter then Blue Blood Brand has your back… Continue Reading

Nudie Jeans: Some companies merely make products. Others strive to create not just a “product,” but instead something that becomes a natural extension of the consumer, almost like a second skin… Continue Reading

Angry Retail: A fashion and graphic design agency out of Dublin, Angry recently launched their website Angry Retail… Continue Reading

Sick of Skulls yet? How about some cross bones instead? These Dry Bone Salt and Pepper Shakers are about 5 inches long– made from fired, hollow, unglazed porcelain. They’re designed by an LA guy by the name of Chris Stiles and they look spookishly like the real thing. Small corks form the stoppers at the tip of the bone, $24, excellent gift for the holiday season. Via Notcot.org

We just received word that our friends at Trovata have just opened their online store for business. Their timing couldn’t have been any better with the holiday shopping season still upon us. On the new website, you can find many hard-to-find Trovata pieces that you could never seem to hunt down on your own due to Trovata’s tight network of select retailers. There are some great basics up for grabs like the Lighthouse jacket and Culprit trousers, a pair of which I own personally and am a huge fan of. Kudos to the team at Trovata for an excellent job on the store. Fans of Trovata finally have a great online source that connects them full-circle with the creative themes/stories Trovata has been telling each season.

Kind of like HotOrNot.com, but for design, DesignFlood.com is a relatively new site that allows you to vote on web pages using a 1-9 scale. For ease of use, you can sort through the sites by newest/oldest date and highest/lowest ranking. With currently over 170 top-notch websites and more added everyday for visual enjoyment, DesignFlood.com is a great resource for anyone trying to stay up on the latest and greatest in web design.

World-renowned for their high-end cutlery, German knife manufacturer Zwilling J.A. Henckels is also in the business of men’s personal care and grooming products with a line called Zwilling Pour Homme. Henckels applies their craftsmanship and quality to a very upscale line of items that include finger/toe nail clippers, mustache scissors, and multi-piece grooming kits. I think most guys would balk at $29 nail clippers, but if you’re into having the best in life (or ladies, if you’re into giving the best to the guy in your life), then the Zwilling Pour Homme line is definitely worth hunting down. Your local Nordstrom (or online) is a good place to look.