It’s no secret that I’m a skateboarder through and through and have been for the majority of my life. As I get older unfortunately it has become harder and harder to get on my board as often as I’d like to. One thing I really miss is the physical process of setting up a new skateboard deck. With that in mind, I started to make some simple paintings (or maybe a more appropriate term is collage) using skateboard grip tape as my primary medium. It was no surprise that I instantly fell in love with the process and final product. The nostalgic and emotional connection I have to setting up a new board is in this case translated to a piece of fine art, the process is exactly the same. In fact, cutting images into my grip tape as a kid about 15 years ago was how I got into stenciling in the first place. Further, the textural and optical qualities that are inherent in the material are incredibly rewarding to work with. In the end, you have an object that is functioning on multiple levels: physically, mentally, emotionally and optically. Anyway, I’m freakin’ in love with these things and am very eager to see how far I can push them. Below is a sneak peak of just the first 3 experiments I completed back in early February. You’ll have to wait until my upcoming solo exhibition at White Walls Gallery in October to see finally see them in person. And YES, those are actual colored skateboard bolts in the second one. Also, there is no paint in any of these, just colored grip tape. Enjoy…
Untitled, grip tape on panel, 16 x 12 inches, 2012.
Untitled, grip tape and steel bolts on panel, 16 x 12 inches, 2012.
Untitled, grip tape on panel, 16 x 12 inches, 2012.
