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Vance O'Rourke's Custom Painted Shoes


Admittedly, I haven't been much of a "shoe guy" most of my life. A way of living that belies both my status as a queer fella (apparently) and the fact that I've been a professional pedestrian for nearly a decade now. You'd think that someone who uses their feet to get everywhere would be either more concerned with their dainty pair o'puffs' level of comfort, or I'd pay more attention to their style. No and no. It's been Chuck Martins high-tops, standard black for several years now and hell if I don't wear them right down to their cheaply produced rubber soled nub. Nonetheless, my husband Daniel (who most definitely is a shoe guy) has made some headway on me of late, his enthusiam for footgear having become slightly infectious. But thankfully not to endemic (at $60 a pop, he'd own 40 pairs if he could and we'd quite literally be the old maids that lived in their shoes).Now thanks to him, not only do I own a pair of Chuck Martin hightops (alas, the standard black, they just go with everything) but I also own a pair of Chuck Martin hightops of the hot pink variety (still trying to get under my overly conservative mother's skin after all these years, I know I know). Oh, and a pair of DC slipons that have seen better days at this point. Okay three. I've become quite the conniseur right (okay, maybe not yet). Anyway, amidst this burgeoning desire to possess nifty little sneakers to bulwark my size ten-and-a-halfs, I came across Vance O'Rourke's custom shoe work.



Looks like it's time to hide my wallet under lock and key somewhere (not to mention keep my husband in the dark). A dedicated painter, Mr. O'Rourke has parlayed his talent into both the medium of tattooing and custom painting shoes and by the looks of the examples provided us, they're both pretty phenomenal. Though honestly, I won't even let the daydream of having my own personal ideas serviced onto a pair of his Vans enter my mind lest it be all I daydream about (hmmm, a Lamberto Bava's Demons collage complete with Geretta Geretta snarling forth from my big toe... Shit! Fuck!). As it is, the work that Vance O'Rourke has already accomplished is drool worthy (and yes, I need a bucket secured snuggly beneath my chin for the duration of writing this piece). At either rate, if I ever could afford a pair of his shoes (I'm not certain of their price, but a new pair of sneakers is not in the budget right now regardless), I don't know whether I would sport them out in public, or gift them to our mannequin that stands sentinel over our game room for longivity and safe keeping where I would no doubt stare at them for hours on end. They're that cool.



For those of you interetsed in purchasing Vance O'Rourke's work, or having a pair of your own customly designed shoes created, you may do so by visting his site here.