When did you start designing and illustrating and what made you follow this path? Was there a particular author that especially took you to dive into this world? I’ve always loved drawing, but for sure Maurice Sendak’s work really had an impact on me when I was younger. I made a conscious decision to pursue art as a career at around 18, when I enrolled in college. I didn’t really have any idea what I specifically wanted to do at the time, art-wise, but there just wasn’t anything else I was even slightly interested in (besides skateboarding). Skateboarding and art go along well. Why do you think they are such close disciplines? Skateboarding has a rich history/tradition of graphic illustration. Almost every component incorporates graphics in some way. That being said, as a skateboarder you grow up surrounded by graphic design, videography and graphic illustration. It’s a very integral part of the culture. In which moment of your life have you felt more proud of having worked hard to reach your goals? Probably my solo project titled “It Will All Happen Again” that opened in 2014 at the University of Texas at Austin. I’ve never worked so hard on an exhibition and it was really satisfying to see everything come together. It was also the first time I’d ever had a budget for a show and it was great to be able to hire friends to help me execute my vision. You are the managing editor of Thrasher magazine, apart from writer of a monthly column in Juxtapoz Magazine and co-founder of Okay Mountain Collective and Roger Skateboards. How do you combine all these aspects? Tell us about your day-to-day life. It’s definitely difficult to juggle all of the projects that I have going on. In addition, I have two small kids, so free time is a rarity. I basically just have to prioritize my workload and make smart decisions about what I’m working on each day. The Thrasher job is definitely at the top of the list because that’s a full-time position vs. a side project. But every day is kinda different depending on what deadline is sitting in front of me. How would you define the work you do at Okay Mountain? What do you focus on when carrying out the curation of the artists you work with at the gallery? The gallery closed in 2013, however, Okay Mountain still exists as an art collective and we have gallery representation through the Mark Moore Gallery in Culver City, CA. We’re still actively collaborating on future projects, one of which is a show in the project space at Mark Moore later this year. Where do you find the inspiration for your work, both for commercial and personal pieces? They all have a touch of humour that calls for reflection… My inspiration seriously just comes from being alive. I know that’s vague, but it’s true. But something I try to tap into with my work is that there’s beauty in sadness and that there’s always room for optimism. Smiling in the face of adversity is a simple way to phrase the sentiment I’m hoping to express with my work. And I love humor and definitely make a conscious effort to inject that into everything I do in one way or another. How would you define your 2014, this almost finished year, has it been a positive one? I think there’s always room for improvement, so rather than looking back on 2014, I have my eyes set on 2015. As much as I love the past, I try not to dwell there too much.
90
THERE’S BEAUTY IN SADNESS AND THAT THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR OPTIMISM. SMILING IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY IS A SIMPLE WAY TO PHRASE THE SENTIMENT I’M HOPING TO EXPRESS WITH MY WORK
You are father of a boy and a girl, does childhood bring you even closer to the pureness of thoughts and inspire you for your artwork? Having kids has definitely been inspirational. More than anything, it gave my work a purpose. It wasn’t any longer just something that I enjoyed to do, but it became something that I needed to do to support more than just myself. It definitely made me think of what I’m doing as more of a career than just my passion. Which I’m fine with. How did Roger Skateboards start? What is it like with the riders team? As in your artwork, the company you founded along with Stacy Lowery is also based on a way of doing things in which humour is crucial, is that a personal signature? Roger was born from the ashes of Bueno skateboards, another brand that Stacy and I helped start. Bueno’s parent company went bankrupt and Bueno went down with the ship. We started Roger as a small, silly company—basically just an excuse to continue working together. It’s definitely grown in the past five years and it’s been a really good learning experience for me. I love having a landing pad for my dumbest ideas—ideas that no other company would want. And I love being able to sponsor and support younger skaters. As far as the art, yes, the humor is very much integral to the way my brain works. And we definitely wanted to bring more laughter to skateboarding. Not that it was lacking it, but you can never have too many good vibes. What would you like 2015 to bring you? Maybe some really good Thai soup? Jokes aside, I feel blessed that I get to work in the skateboarding industry and that I get to do commercial illustration. I can’t really ask for much more. So I guess I hope 2015 just keeps the boat afloat and that I find some time to skate with my friends occasionally. If you could make a wish to change 3 things you do not like, what would they be? Stop all war and social injustice and convince people to never put raisins in cookies. What soundtrack do you give your creations? Paul Simon’s “Peace Like A River” This is edition number 100 and the topic of the magazine is THANK YOU because we have a great deal to thank to everyone who has supported us throughout this time. Who would you always say THANK YOU? My wife Allison, my Dad, my kids, everybody at Thrasher, the Volcom Art Loft, Stacy Lowery, all the Okay Mountain guys, Travis Millard, Mel Kadel, Mike Aho, Jeremy Fish, Ed Templeton and probably a thousand other people that I’m forgetting right this second. Oh, and you guys for interviewing me!