chad hasegawa - artist series
Born and raised in Hawaii, Chad moved to SF in 2000 to attend the Academy of Art. Upon graduating, he went on to work for top ad agencies, including Venables, Bell, & Partners and Goodby, Silverstein, & Partners. After leaving advertising and focused on chasing artistic ambitions, he concentrated on creating murals in the city, which gained recognition for his bold and colorful latex paint brush strokes. A quick google search brings up many a mural worth saving to your desktop.
Very thoughtful when it comes to speaking on the composition, elements, and colors in his art, you cannot help but be impressed by the intent in each of his works. For his collaboration with javatron dream machines, we asked Chad if he could create one of his trademark bears for the jazz chord. Each of his bear paintings/murals has been created with the intent of being a protector, as they are well known to be fiercely protective of their young, but also intelligent, independent, benevolent, and playful. His approach to painting his bear is unique, and can be described as a blend of figuration and abstract expressionism. He creates with diverse influences, such as street muralists Barry McGee and Margaret Kilgallen of the Mission School, Van Gogh, Keith Haring, and Franz Kline. With the board he created for us, the color of the board was important to him, as it reflected an iconic color in bodyboarding, of which he is known to be a charger of at SF’s Ocean Beach.
portraits by andrew paynter
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for more info on chad, take a look a look this from KQED
The Jazz Chord is all about improv on the mountain. It strikes any freeride or freestyle notes you choose to play with its moderate flex, sustainably sourced poplar core with hardwood stringers, a UHMW hi-density sintered base, carbon V's, and damping system. The Single Shot camber profile gives it snappy response and confident edge hold. Shred the Jazz Chord & make your own music down the hill. Featuring the artistry of Chad Hasegawa, an SF based artist known early for his unique trademark bears, but also applauded for his color usage, minimalism, and abstract expressionism.
