peggy oki | Artist Activist Skateboarder
“I'm as passionate about my activism as I've been for skateboarding.”
“I just feel that there is so much beauty and life here that we are so blessed to have on this Earth that we all live on.”
“I think that it is a life long challenge to learn to know when your mind needs to be quieter and to grant yourself that by doing things that give you a balance. For me, yoga is a great way to quiet my mind because I become internally more focused on the yoga. The same is true for me with the physical activities that I like to do – the surfing, and the rock climbing, and the skating, and cycling – all of those things require focus and give my mind a break.”
“Well, I’m a total natural history nerd. I am fascinated when I learn about things, not necessarily about marine species alone, but whenever I learn about the life-forms on this planet I am in awe! Because it’s not just one creature that has unique qualities or survival features or behavior, it’s how beautiful all animals can be. And I get chills, I feel so amazed, and I really appreciate these things! I feel that for whatever life-forms there may be in this entire universe, and there could be limitless life out there, I really feel so grateful to be alive on this planet and I treasure this planet for being home to such a diverse range of life – it’s just so inspiring to me. I just feel that there is so much beauty and life here that we are so blessed to have on this Earth that we all live on.”
“It really is, I mean every single life-form is truly amazing, you know? Millions and millions of years of evolution to become what these different beings are today, it is fascinating.”
“ When I talk to people I tell them to really try to find what their passion is, to follow that, and to try to be of service. Really think about what you can do that will help make the world a better place. Even if someone is working a “regular” job, perhaps as a plumber or a bookkeeper, no matter the type of work, there has got to be some ability that they have to help make a contribution. For people who really do feel that they have a passion for something, whether it’s helping wildlife, or animals that are in shelters, or people who want to do beach clean ups, or re-vegetating areas that have been cleared and need to be replanted, or helping the elderly, or getting involved with youth groups to keep our youth on a healthy path… I believe that everything is connected in one way or the other and that whatever good energy is put out there, it is all contributing in one way or another to the greater good.”
Since her skating days with the Z-Boys, Peggy Oki went on to UC Santa Barbara to study environmental biology, eventually receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Painting at The College of Creative Studies (UCSB). (She got around campus, primarily by skateboard.). The theme of her paintings reflect the landscapes, seascapes, and marine mammals that she loves. With her more recent activity of rock climbing, she includes images from her climbing trips to Joshua Tree, SE Utah, and Yosemite National Park.
Still surfing, now for over 40 years, she’s travelled to Fiji, Mexico, South Africa, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Japan, and Tonga, Hawaii, New Zealand , Australia, and Costa Rica.
She has a greeting card business representing her artwork, teaches art and her Whales & Dolphins Ambassador Program, and occasionally freelances in graphic design. As a fine artist she’s exhibited in over 40 group exhibitions, and more than a dozen one-woman exhibitions.
