{"id":199575,"date":"2012-01-24T16:43:42","date_gmt":"2012-01-24T22:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nicekicks.com\/?p=199575"},"modified":"2022-09-16T04:06:32","modified_gmt":"2022-09-16T09:06:32","slug":"sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/","title":{"rendered":"Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sculptor and sneaker connoisseur Gabriel Dishaw<\/strong> has made a name for himself in the sneaker community with his innovative creations such as the Nike Free Time Y2K sculpture. It turns out that he?s been doing his thing for years, counting the likes of Nike and Finish Line as clients. We caught up with Gabriel to discuss the marriage of his passions, his creative process, and his advice to up-and-coming artists.<\/p>\n

For readers unfamiliar with your work, give a brief explanation of who you are and what you do.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’m Gabriel Dishaw, age 31, and I live in Indianapolis, Indiana. I use discarded technology, like typewriters, adding machines, and old computer parts to create my up-cycled art. I carefully disassemble each item and then reassemble them together using metal wire and glue to create a life-like representation of my idea.<\/p>\n

When did your passions for footwear and art meet?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It started when I had this bright idea to combine a real shoe and my junk art into one. I bought a pair of Nike Dunks and started the process of dismantling the pair. This sounds easier then it really is. Every piece of material required me to cut every loop of thread and then pry those glued pieces away from the shoe. It took hours! I finally was able to dismantle one shoe and then started to apply computer parts and metal scraps to the base of the shoe. I got about halfway done and just couldn’t see it coming together, so I scrapped it and approached it differently. I thought I could take what I learned from dismantling the shoe and try to apply that to building an up-cycled shoe from the sole up and what I came up with was the Junk Dunk.<\/p>\n

Junk Dunk by Gabriel Dishaw<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Is there a goal or focus with your art?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My goal when creating my sculptures is always to achieve a likeness or realism that rivals the real thing. I want the onlooker to mistake it for a real shoe.<\/p>\n

How did Nike approach you about doing a commissioned project?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finish Line owns a few of my sculptures and they are on display at their corporate office. Nike saw the sculptures and approached me to commission a piece for their release of the Air Max 2011.<\/p>\n

Up-cycled Nike Air Max 2011 by Gabriel Dishaw<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Free Y2K take made a lot of noise on our site. How much time did that take?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This one took quite some time; about 90 hours. The sole was one of the hardest parts. The Nike Free has such a unique bottom that really sets that shoe apart, and if I didn’t nail that the piece would have went to hell.<\/p>\n

Nike Free Time Y2K Sculpture by Gabriel Dishaw<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Click page two to get Gabriel’s inspiration, rotation, and advice to aspiring artists.<\/p>\n


\n

Waffle Racer F.I.F.O. Sculpture by Gabriel Dishaw<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

Where does your inspiration come from?<\/strong><\/p>\n

From everywhere really. From seeing what other artists are doing to the junk I take apart to seeing a sculpture with the very item I’m disassembling.<\/p>\n

In regards to the materials you use, do you go hunting with a project in mind or do the scraps you find dictate the direction?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It really varies sometimes. It happens when I see a mechanical object or it happens in the process of taking something apart. A small piece can spark my imagination that then evolves into something bigger, like in one such case was when I was taking apart an adding machine. Once I had it pretty much taken apart or destroyed, I realized the remaining piece greatly resembled the basis shape of a horse’s head. I then spent the next few months creating a horse?s body that was to support this head. I ended up with a horse that stood 7 feet tall titled “Rearing Horse”.<\/p>\n

What?s your favorite piece?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My favorite shoe sculpture would have to be the Junk Dunk. It was the first shoe sculpture I did that started me down this path.<\/p>\n

Junk Dunk by Gabriel Dishaw<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What kicks are you rocking these days?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today I’m wearing some vintage Nike Lava Domes, one of my favorites, but I enjoy Dunks and Waffle Racers mostly. I have a nice collection of about 250 plus sneakers that are mostly Nikes. I like shoes that are unique, and you won’t find the average person wearing.<\/p>\n

What advice would you give to someone with a passion for footwear that wants to make it in the art scene?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Make it your own, work hard, and continue to develop your skill. Your best art is not going to happen overnight. It takes time and a ton of work. I think it?s also important to find something you?re passionate about. I love shoes and up-cycling so I combined them.<\/p>\n

To contact Gabriel or check out more of his work, visit his portfolio site<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Looking to make a career in sneaker art? Read this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2415,"featured_media":199577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[199,1225503,1204248],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw | Snkrs Day<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Where to buy Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw shoes. Snkrs Day has release dates, prices, and where to find Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw for sale.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Where to buy Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw shoes. Snkrs Day has release dates, prices, and where to find Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw for sale.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Snkrs Day\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NiceKicks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-01-24T22:43:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-09-16T09:06:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2012\/01\/gabrieldishaw.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"382\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ian Stonebrook\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@snkrsday\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@snkrsday\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ian Stonebrook\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"ItemPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/\",\"name\":\"Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw | Snkrs Day\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2012\/01\/gabrieldishaw.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-01-24T22:43:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-09-16T09:06:32+00:00\",\"description\":\"Where to buy Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw shoes. Snkrs Day has release dates, prices, and where to find Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw for sale.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2012\/01\/gabrieldishaw.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2012\/01\/gabrieldishaw.jpeg\",\"width\":\"620\",\"height\":\"382\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Columns\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/columns\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Interviews\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/\",\"name\":\"Snkrs Day\",\"description\":\"Sneakers News. Culture. Community.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Snkrs Day\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2020\/10\/nice-box-400-225.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2020\/10\/nice-box-400-225.png\",\"width\":400,\"height\":225,\"caption\":\"Snkrs Day\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NiceKicks\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/nicekicks\",\"http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nicekicks\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/asnkrsdaya\",\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@snkrsday\",\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/nicekicks\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw | Snkrs Day","description":"Where to buy Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw shoes. Snkrs Day has release dates, prices, and where to find Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw for sale.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/","next":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw","og_description":"Where to buy Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw shoes. Snkrs Day has release dates, prices, and where to find Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw for sale.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/","og_site_name":"Snkrs Day","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/snkrsday","article_published_time":"2012-01-24T22:43:42+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-09-16T09:06:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":620,"height":382,"url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2012\/01\/gabrieldishaw.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ian Stonebrook","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@snkrsday","twitter_site":"@snkrsday","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ian Stonebrook","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["WebPage","ItemPage"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/","url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/","name":"Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw | Snkrs Day","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2012\/01\/gabrieldishaw.jpeg","datePublished":"2012-01-24T22:43:42+00:00","dateModified":"2022-09-16T09:06:32+00:00","description":"Where to buy Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw shoes. Snkrs Day has release dates, prices, and where to find Sneaker Sculptor: 1 on 1 with Artist Gabriel Dishaw for sale.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2012\/01\/gabrieldishaw.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2012\/01\/gabrieldishaw.jpeg","width":"620","height":"382"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sneaker-sculptor-gabriel-dishaw-talks-inspiration-creative-process\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Columns","item":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/columns\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Interviews"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/","name":"Snkrs Day","description":"Sneakers News. Culture. Community.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#organization","name":"Snkrs Day","url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2020\/10\/nice-box-400-225.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/files\/2020\/10\/nice-box-400-225.png","width":400,"height":225,"caption":"Snkrs Day"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/snkrsday","https:\/\/x.com\/snkrsday","http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/snkrsday","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/asnkrsdaya","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@snkrsday","http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/snkrsday"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199575"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2415"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199575"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199575\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1123353,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199575\/revisions\/1123353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199575"},{"taxonomy":"cultivate_rss","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cultivate_rss?post=199575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}