Oakley Action Sports – Skills & Thrills

Action sports have four common elements: thrills, sweat, speed… and the pros all wear Oakley sunglasses. The Oakley illustration campaign by San Diego based designer Mel Marcelo shows vector art portraits of the world’s best snowboarders, skaters, surfers, wake boarders and freestyle motocross riders, doing what they do best: ride the waves and fly to the sky.

A person’s eyes can often express more emotion and meaning than an entire conversation. Eyes are not only the window to our soul, but also very precious; they deserve and need to be protected - and in the case of “action sports heroes”, it’s simply a must.

Over the years, Oakley has built a strong reputation for quality, style and durability by offering excellent protection for the eyes of thrill seekers. Wearing Oakley sunglasses are a great way to not only protect your eyes, but they also add a little spice and confidence in your life and make a strong statement to others about a fast-paced, ever-changing lifestyle. Trends in fashion may change constantly, but Oakley managed to stay on top for decades. No wonder that the world’s top riders use Oakley’s Pro and Signature Series eyewear gear.

Oakley’s art director Paul Schulte hired Californian illustrator Mel Marcelo to depict these heroes in their natural habitat, where the action is…

Marcelo skillfully projected style and attitude onto the illustrations of snowboarder Shaun White; skateboarders Greg Lutzka, Rune Glifberg, Ryan Scheckler and Bob Burnquist; surfers Chris Ward, Dustin Barca, Adriano de Souza, Tom Whitaker, Bruce Irons, Nathan Fletcher and Tipi Jabrik; wakeboarders Keith Lyman, Danny Hampson, Aaron Rathy and freestyle motocross riders Mike Mason and Ronnie Renner.

All the “action figures” are framed in each artwork with an incredible eye for detail and distinction. Truly "Physics Elevated to an Art Form” …

Website: www.oakley.com

ABOUT THE ARTIST

The powerful illustrations of San Diego artist Mel Marcelo are a true reflection of what is going on within contemporary pop culture. Mixing Photoshop with vector art techniques, Marcelo pulls in inspiration from action sports, street culture, music, film, media and visual arts. Marcelo didn’t yet have time to set up a real portfolio website, but you can see a collection of his amazing vector illustrations on his Flickr page: www.flickr.com/photos/melmarcelo

© 2010 Oakley / Mel Marcelo. All images and footage are owned and protected as property of Oakley, Inc. All Rights Reserved.