Mark Oblow

Born and raised on Oahu, Hawaii, Mark Oblow's illustrious and creative career started as a sponsored surfer at a young age. Turning full-steam towards his true passion for skateboarding at 12 years old, Oblow rode for prominent brands, Vision Skateboards, Independent Trucks and Jimmy-Z. Relocating to california in 1990, he became an integral and influential leader with Color, Vita Shoes, Indian Ink, Prime, etc.

His ability to develop, inspire and manage people is successfully embedded into the history of brands like Think, Quiksilver, Analog and Gravis (to name a few), as both a team manager and creative director.

In addition to his influence over the past 20+ years helping to define the identity of what we call skateboarding today, his photography career, not surprisingly, involved working with the likes of David Beckham, Snoop Dog, Ozzy Osbourne to Katy Perry. His first photo ads were in Thrasher Magazine via Alva and Santa Cruz skateboards when he was in the 9th grade. Over the years, oblow has been featured in countless publications and periodicals for his design, artwork and his photography including books by Tom Adler, David Carson to GQ magazine and What Youth.

A culmination of his life experiences within photography and art, Oblow captures, cuts, paints and immortalizes his subjects within his growing journal entries, mural installations, block prints, and canvas', all barreling towards what is identified as a true artist. He is endorsed by the Impossible Project, RVCA, New Balance, Electric, Stance Socks and The Speed Merchant. Mark's solo works have shown in California, Brazil and Japan with group shows in Antwerp and Tokyo.

“The Gonz, Wallows, 1986 with Jesse Martinez and Gator in the background. Seeing The Gonz exploding in the ’80s was the best thing ever. Shot on a Canon AE.”

- Mark Oblow