The Open Road “Character Driven” James Perkins

Shot on location in his studio in Long Island City, Queens, artist James Perkins wears the Open Road Royal Deluxe in Natural. Celebrated artist James Perkins uses the sand, sun, surf and salt of Fire Island, a beach community about 60 miles east of New York City, as his paintbrush to create his signature sculptures. Crafted from two-by-fours wrapped in colored silk, his artworks are left to age for up to years, half-submerged in the sand and exposed to sun, salt, wind and freezing rain—making their mark on the landscape as they weather the storm, slowly becoming monuments of nature’s power. “It's my version of trying to find a totem for all mankind,” he says. “Standing on the shore, I'm reminded of how small I am. We realize how much of the planet we have to share when we're at the beach.” His passion for land art and beach life is balanced with an equal zeal for the pace of New York City and the energy of the international art scene—and dressing up for the occasion. “I'm interested in getting in the dirt, I'm interested in being at the beach and being outside and being challenged physically as much as I am mentally,” he says, “But for style, it's important to me to be a gentleman. I get dressed up as a sign of respect to my fellow human, but more importantly as a sign of respect to myself and to the day. The Open Road is a great hat for me because a lot of my personal work is this juxtaposition between being in the city and being out in nature.” #OpenRoadCharacterDriven