Art on Board
Photography: Timothy Thimmes
This is the mantra behind a clever, new company called Original Snowboard Art. The man behind the words is Park City local, Bob Lutnicki. “We wanted to make art accessible to everyone, and especially to snowboarders,” explains the affable Lutnicki.
Lutnicki and his business partner, Chuck Ankeny, are bubbling with enthusiasm over this concept that brings art into an active, outdoor environment. Their Web site, www.originalsnowboardart.com, is a gallery where artists display their creations on a snowboard-shaped palette. The site is home to more than 300 different snowboard art designs, created by dozens of artists from around the globe.
The homepage instructs visitors how to navigate in one short phrase: “Just click it and stick it!” The site provides an expansive online gallery of snowboard designs as well as short artist bios. This means a snowboarder in Park City can buy a top sheet for his or her board, designed by an artist who may live as far away as Serbia. The special top sheet, created by 3M, will permanently adhere to any snowboard. Each artist receives a royalty when his or her design sells.
“Our company is about creativity and acceptance, which is why Park City is the perfect community for Original Snowboard Art,” says Lutnicki. What’s next for the Web-based gallery? Both Ankeny and Lutnicki are sure their concept will naturally branch out to other surfaces, and therefore, into more sports such as skateboarding and skiing. Even so, they say the company mantra will remain the same: “It’s about the art.”
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