ARTIST BIOS
MEET THE ARTISTS
South Sound Roller Derby is excited to be participating in the Arts Market at Arts Walk Olympia! Join us Friday, Oct. 4, from 6-10 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 5, from 12-6 p.m., for a vibrant two-day celebration of community, culture and the arts! The market will be located along the street closure of the downtown Arts Walk community celebration. There you’ll find diverse works of art from the league’s many talented artists and creators. Keep reading to learn more about them!
ROCKET #89
My name is Rocket and I joined SSRD during their Bootcamp this past January. I started crocheting about 6 months before that. I am new to both roller derby and crochet, but am happy to share my hobbies and continue building on my skills with some pretty amazing people!
Rocket has made the crocheted spiders and skate toe covers. See them in action in her photo.
SAWSHA FIERCE #187
Summer James, aka SawSha Fierce, is a PNW based artist who enjoys painting acrylic seascapes, landscapes, and portraits. She is inspired by her small town roots, and the magic of Washington’s remote beach towns.
SawSha has made the seascape and apex jump paintings.
SLAINBOW BRITE #1221
My name is Slainbow Brite. I have been playing roller derby since 2012 and have been with South Sound Roller Derby since April 2024. Art has always been a huge part of my life and I am living my dream of owning my own small art business, Scratches The Brain. I mostly make mixed media collage art out of recycled materials, but I dabble in polymer clay too. Thank you for reading a bit about me and supporting South Sound Roller Derby. You can find more of Slainbow’s art at www.etsy.com/shop/ScratchestheBrain
Slainbow has made the polymer clay pins and the collage cards.
Photo credit #follyphoto
OSO #3
Oso, she/they, was always considered that quirky weird girl who struggled to make friends growing up in the Midwest. One of the only ways she could connect with her dad growing up was through art. Living as the over achieving all star perfect kid caught up to her in college. Art was lost for years out of fear it would be “wrong” or “not perfect”. Leaving the Midwest and moving to the PNW, Oso finally was able to be openly queer, polyamorous, and their neurodivergent self they were hiding away. Joining South Sound Roller Derby (SSRD) in October 2023 with no skills as a bigger bodied adult roller skater was pivotal. Why? Because at some point, Oso just asked themself, “Why not?”.
Oso has made the acrylic pours.
AMBUSH #86
Amberlyn Riecken was born in Olympia, Washington, however she has recently found herself on an adventure in Anaheim, California. She enjoys many artforms and crafts such as cardmaking, painting, costuming, and dance. Her favorite medium is digital art because it is easy to manipulate the art and digital art can be used in many ways. She has begun to explore animation, as well. Her favorite art projects are ones that serve a purpose, such as providing content for her first ever roller derby team, South Sound Roller Derby, to use and sell. In her spare time, Amber enjoys playing board games and spending time with her partner, James, and her family and friends.
Ambush has made the halloween garlands.
RACY GRACIE #104
Racy Gracie is a psychotherapist by day and a crafter and farmer by night. She’s been playing derby off and on since 2019 and has the privilege of being League Secretary this year. She loves collaboration and often involves her family in her art. She’s been spending her allowance on beads since elementary school. She’s married to @robotchickenworkshop and ropes him into derby related crafts on the regular.
Racy Gracie has made the beaded chapstick holders and the polymer clay skate and leaf earrings. The polymer clay magnets were made in collaboration with her kids. In collaboration with Robot Chicken Workshop, she has made the silver skate earrings and the ornaments. She has also made the tie dye t-shirts in collaboration with Smarty and I Got Snacks.
SMASH MOUSE #94
Smash Mouse has been with SSRD since 2018.
She is a part time barista and stay at home mom to two toddlers. She says she’s not the most crafty, but sometimes when she has little free time, she likes to bake, make bracelets or trophies for the team.
Smash has made the bearded friendship bracelets with her good friend Chichi #33.
SMARTY MCFLY #85
Smarty McFly is the Present of the SSRD Board of Directors and one of the longest standing members of the team. She utilizes her creativity, innovation, empathy and organizational skills to build inclusive communities wherever she goes. She has been making art for decades.
Smarty has made the stickers, prints, the boxes. She has also collaborated on the tie dye t-shirts.
UPCHUCK
UpChuck (He/They) is the spouse of ref Doombrew, and attends various derby events and sometimes practices. He dabbles in many different arts and crafts, but needlework is their favorite.
Upchuck also trains dogs and participates in dog sports like herding and agility.
UpChuck has made the needle point.
ROBOT CHICKEN
Robot Chicken is a self taught maker. He is always keen to learn a new workflow and to try out a new process or tool. He explores microelectronics, woodworking, car restoration, automation and more. He is excited to be launching an Etsy shop soon but for now you can find him on Instagram at @robotchickenworkshop. Robot Chicken in married to Racy Gracie and supports SSRD with various collaborations.
Robot Chicken has collaborated on the wooden and 3D printed ornaments as well as the roller skate earrings.