I Have To Admit...

Fall is not one of my favored seasons, but it sure can be pretty even on the greyest of days!

Happy Anniversary To My Favorite Flyboys (and Gals!)

In 2007, I decided to attend a kite festival in Wildwood, NJ and had my mind blown! I met the founding four members of iQuad and saw my first ever precision kite flying team! On FOUR lines no less!!! Little did I know that it was also a premier event for them as a team! I went home from that festival and immediately invested in a Revolution kite! I had dismal luck with 2 line sport kites in the past. Little did I know what I was getting myself into, but I HAD to try this! It was exactly the kiting zen I had been searching for!



Five years later, iQuad is celebrating their 5th Anniversary and 100th festival at the Borneo International Kite Festival in Bintulu, Malaysia! They have built their team up into a very well oiled machine consisting of 8 talented men and women with additional alternate members throughout the United States and Canada. Some of those amazing folk have gone on to form their own uniquely wonderful flying teams!



Five years later, I am obcessed with this sport and am a halfway decent "Rev" flier. I have met wonderfully creative people and made friends with fliers all over the globe who either already flew or had experienced The iQuad Effect themselves. I'd be insanely curious to know just how many people have picked up quad kite flying because they saw the magic of an iQuad performance.

I was quite honored when iQuad approached me to design their 5th Anniversary Logo! :D I wanted to create something appropriate that conveyed the fun and complexity of what they do. In my mind it also had to be as colorful as the individual personalities of it's team members.

I would like to wish the team a Very Happy Anniversary and most of all say THANK YOU for getting me off the ground!

Remembering 911

Remembering all those who perished and all who survived on this extremely sad day ten years ago. Time has finally given us a place to grieve, but many are still dealing with the after effects. May we find resolution to this insane mess some day.

http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/index.html

I Won't Deny It

This is my most favorite time of the year...


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The urge to firmly stay put is strong.

New Work From Mark!

http://www.leshockarts.com/mark

I think this woman's nautical sleeve has got to be one of my new favorites that Mark has done! I've just recently gone and updated his web gallery with all kinds of new work. Go check it out! Summer is one of the best seasons to get a tattoo (and display them too)!

Welcome Summer!!!

After a lonnnng winter and a rainy messy spring, I am SO ready for this! Next stop bare feet on the beach! Woo Hoo!!!

Ever Honor Our Fallen

http://www.leshockarts.com/mark

In honor of Memorial Day I thought I'd feature one of the many cool patriotic tattoos done by my brother, Mark Leshock. He has the opportunity to meet many of our brave servicemen and women in his line of work and always puts in the extra effort to give them something special. Nearly every generation of our family has fought for our country. We remember them this weekend and all of our military overseas who fight for the right to freedom.

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I have always been very inspired by Celtic art and design. My personal logo even reflects that interest. The Celtic Nations have always possessed a wonderful joyful spirit rich in history, art and of course music. They are a strong hard working people who still found a way to celebrate life even during the toughest of times. I admire that. When St. Patrick's Day rolls around, that spirit is what I celebrate since I cannot claim any celtic heritage. May your shamrocks been green and not your drinks today! ;D

ps. For those that are Xm/Sirius listeners, tune into channel 45 today! :)

Happy March!

http://www.zazzle.com/leshockarts/gifts?cg=196576609638505094

In honor of my birth month, I'm happy to announce that I've added iPhone cases to my Zazzle site! There are more designs coming in the days ahead. In the meantime please feel free to peruse the selection and add some awesome custom art to protect your phone! You might even find some cool apparel to match! iPad cases coming soon...

Happy Valentine's Day!

What would Valentine's Day be without a little bit of candy? My personal favorite of all are chocolate covered pretzels! Lucky for me I live in Pennsylvania where they originated in the USA from German immigrants and are plentiful! Pretzels even look like little hearts, so to me they make the perfect gift and expression of love at any time of year. My pretzel of choice comes from Tom Sturgis Pretzels, but visit any candy maker worth their salt and you'll find chocolate covered pretzels. My home turf was once filled with many different candy making families. Sadly they have been disappearing over the years, but a few great places are still standing the test of time. One such candy maker is Premise Maid Candies in Breinigsville, PA. Beyond their killer selection of fine candies and chocolates, they also provide a really wonderful atmosphere in which to shop. I can't resist the temptation of popping in there from time to time. During the non holiday season they also sell ice cream, coffees and both home made and local desserts in their cafe. It's fun to visit their old world shoppes located out in the middle of the beautiful rolling farmland. I love to patronize local small businesses who are doing things right!

A Fresh Start

Happy New Year Everyone! While it is no secret that I am not a fan of winter, it does provide an awful pretty landscape sometimes! Truth be told, I would probably miss this if I lived in a warmer part of the country. I went out to the lake today to see what effect the cold weather was having on the water. These photos do not reflect the fact that the wind was ripping today! BRR!

Small Business Saturday!

In honor of Small Business Saturday I've added quite a few new products to my online Zazzle shop! I have quite a variety of t-shirt designs, men's ties, mugs and drink ware available. I am particularly thrilled with the line of custom sneakers produced by Keds! I will be adding even more products in the next few days, both to my Zazzle shop and photography site so please stay tuned! Perhaps you'll find something cool for your loved ones this holiday season!


http://www.zazzle.com/leshockarts
Please note Zazzle's online coupon codes which appear at the top of the page!

Needless to say that I hope you all get out and patronize your local small businesses whether they be brick and mortar storefronts, independently owned restaurants, your local artisans or those with online shops and services like myself. There's nothing like giving back to your community businesses. Who understands your needs and gives you personal service better then they? As someone who has worked for small businesses all of my life I can tell you what a vital part of the economy they represent. Go save a local business today!