A quiet, artistic
moment with
Rob Dafoe
Rollins
In the late '80s, Goleta's Rob Dafoe took his natural boarding
abilities to new territory-the Sierras-leaving behind his par-
ents' dreams of college in a cloud of fresh powder. In his first
year there, his survival depended on Top Ramen and cafeteria
food stolen from Donner Summit ski area, where he washed
dishes with Dave Seone. Soon enough Dufa became part of a
heroic clan consisting of Steve Graham and Damian Sanders.
Oddly, despite much respect from his peers, Rob rarely made
the media's eye until later in his career, after comebacks from
paralyzing injuries. As the central cortex within the braintrusts of
the original Bear Mountain Snopark, several snowboard com-
panies, Fear Control Cinema, and other goings on, Dufa has
maintained a focus on his creative energy that he wants to
incorporate into the world at large. As comfortable he is in front.
of the camera, Dufa has also developed a talent behind it. With
the dedication that it takes to become one of the most suc-
cessful pro snowboarders, Rob has accepted the calling into
the domain of feature films, all the while maintaining a contin-
ued endurance for snowboarding and taking photographs.
Fortune favors the brave. -James Jackson
Clockwise from above: Rob uses the interplay of light and shadows to create an emotionally charged atmosphere of subdued eroticism in the manner of
Hieronymous Bosch. The creative process can be much like traveling down a dark and lonely road guided only by the distant glimmer of one's muse. Adil Dyani's
lien over the settled valley with the distant mountains visible suggests a relationship between these elements and compels the.viewer to ask what meaning we
are to infer from this juxtaposition. Artists frequently refer to classical sources. Here Rob retells the tale of Icarus with Roan Rogers' snowboard acting as a
metaphor for the fragile wax wings and the backside 540° as the pride that cometh before the fall. By virtue of his profession, the artist estranges himself from
the values of society in his pursuit for aesthetic truth. As a consequence, the artist may feel as though he is strangely out of place within his own world, much
like an alien standing by a Joshua tree in the desert. Small photos: Isolating the commonplace initiates the transcendence from mundanity to profundity.
114 THRASHER
XTRA