Interview

When did you discover your love and talent for art?
I have always been excited with art since I was a young child in the early 1970’s. I drew pictures all through elementary school and took art classes in middle and high school. I just recently got into painting with acrylic paint in the last 10 years. I’m always discovering new ways to express myself in the art field and eager to learn new ways to be creative… I love the challenge it brings to my life.

Who influences your art?
I have never had a real big influence I can just pin down as a sole artist that gives me the passion to create. It’s been a collaboration of various people who I feel have been gifted with this passion. In the past it’s been a lot of artists in the skateboarding industry, like Court Johnson ( Powell Peralta) Pushead and Jimbo Phillips ( Santa Cruz). Recently though, I have been attracted to the works of Dirty Donnie, Coop, Alan Forbes, Jeremy Fish, Andy Howell and Shepard Fairey.

How does the board sports culture influence your art?
Skateboarding of course! I really feel that skateboarders are a creative breed of people that always have a different way of looking at life and the world around them. They use everything the world has to offer to express themselves on their skateboards. I feel that skaters can translate that same passion onto a canvas because of knowing that everything we do to progress at this lifestyle takes a lot of time, patience, perseverance, dedication, hard work and an open mind.

How do you feel about wood as a medium?
It’s a smooth hard surface that the paint just flows off the brush. Sometimes the rough texture of a canvas can be annoying on detailed work. This wood is actually the same maple ply’s of wood used to make skateboards as well, so there’s a cool relative connection there.

As a rider and artist, how important are board graphics to you?
The importance is, it needs to be attractive enough (the art that is) to sell skateboards if ya want to stay in business. That’s the first thing a skateboarder looks at when purchasing a new deck, how cool it looks if it’s not based on their favourite rider when they choose a new deck. But ya can’t please everyone, art wise, because we all have different opinions on what we think is good. But for me, if the art displays a message of some sort, I like to keep it positive. Skateboarders and the art they promote on the bottom of their signature decks can be pretty influential to the young minds across the world. So I’m pretty sensitive to what I’m promoting to these kids these days. I care about them and do feel responsible in a way of how much kids look up to us in this industry. My role in this world we live in is not only to share the gifts and talents that God gave to attract them to our skateboarding industry, but mainly to be a positive light that shine in peoples lives to attract them to a loving relationship with our father in heaven through Christ Jesus. If I can do this through skateboarding or art, this brings a lot of happiness and joy in my life.