Thou ART Dedly

When watching a really talented actor play a role in a film, it's difficult to see them as a real person outside of that character you're watching on the big screen. Much is the same when you watch your favorite sports player. People tend to see them as The Quarter Back, First Base Man and so on. For actors and sports players, the film you watch or the game you cheer for, is just another day at the office for them. They are people like you and me. Ok, maybe not exactly like us, but what you see on TV, in the movies or at a stadium is someone at work, doing their job to make money.

While roller girls do not get paid to play derby, fans tend to have the same sort of idea in their heads about their favorite skaters. A fan goes to a bout to watch a skater perform or play and unless they know one of the skaters personally, it's really hard to see them as anything other than a roller derby player. The truth of the matter is, even though roller derby takes up a lot of time, us skaters do have lives off of our skates. Off the top of my head I can tell you that our league consists of police officers, radiologists, bartenders, musicians, chefs, administrative assistants, college students, mothers, and so much more!

So, I thought it would be cool to show you some of the lives our girls live off of their skates. After all, we do have to pay to play and that's where jobs come in handy.

Today I am happy to feature the amazingly, talented Dedly Weponz.
Art teacher, artist, graphic designer, photographer and of course, derby player.

She holds a BA in Graphic Design from Adelphi University and a Masters in Art Education from The School of Visual Arts. She creates and sells her amazing creations and writes her own blog. Her clients include, Paula Abdul, Kmart, Betsey Johnson and so many more.

A few months ago in her Etsy shop, she premiered handmade derby wallets. The wallets are made of her original art, covered in vinyl and cost only $15.

Also for sale are some of her prints. The characters illustrated in her art jump off the pages with real expression, bold color and movement.

Here are some images from her sketchbook:

All images copyright Renee Michele Andolina

It's not very hard to see that this girl's got talent and the Roller Rebels are proud to have her on their team. For more information, please visit Dedly's website: http://www.reneemichele.net/

Stay tuned to learn more about what some of the other Rebels do while they're not skating........