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May 2 - June 10, 2009.
HIT THE DECK! was organized in anticipation of the new Hot Spot Skate Park opening soon on Union St. The exhibit is sponsored by Monster Energy, New Gen and Scion in partnership with The Coalition for Active Youth and The City of Spartanburg
Skateboarding is said to have been born in the 1950's when surfers wanted to surf on land, adding rollerskate wheels to boards and boxes. Soon companies started producing skateboards, or decks, and the boards themselves evolved along with the sport. Many early decks were much narrower but as they became larger, so did the desire to decorate them. Stickers and decals became a popular way of customizing decks but in the late seventies and early eighties decks were being produced with graphics and artwork printed on the bottom. Much like skateboarding itself has evolved, the art of skateboard decks has grown to a new high with collectors now seeking out the boards that were once deemed disposable, all the while keeping track of new decks designed by artists from within the industry and beyond. The art on skateboards is not only mass produced, decks are now the "canvas" for many artists creating original works. Hit the Deck features decks with original artwork by regional and national artists. This exhibit does not attempt to represent the entire skateboard art genre, rather it offers a wide spectrum of styles and media from artists selected by curator/artist/skateboarder Andrew Blanchard. “Being a skateboarder and visual artist for over 18 years, I feel they are one in the same… an extension of each other. With the selected twelve exhibitors, I tried my best to include the gamut of influences the skateboard world is accustomed to: painting, printmaking, the DIY aesthetic, punk music, hip-hop, photography, tattoo and graffiti art, and yes, even our forefather, surfing.”
Jason Adams
father, husband, skateboarder.
his wife calls him an accidental artist, he views himself as "aging, somewhat grumpy, and very thirsty."
born in new london ct. grew up in san jose ca. where he lives with wife korrine and daughters hailee ann and luxe layla.
See more of his art at jasonadamslh.com
i make stuff, i paint stuff. i'm constantly on a quest to feel sane. when making my art, i feel sane.
skateboarding use to be all i needed to get me through the madness, but shit changes. skateboarding became my bread and butter and later the way i support my family.....i needed an extra outlet. at the age of thirty i found one. it's hard to dissect or generalize my work. i feel very young as an artist . i'm constantly changing and trying new things, trying to put the pieces together, find my voice. i'm just about there........i can smell it.
Christopher Koelle
Christopher Koelle was born and raised in Chicago suburbia. Making pictures with colored pencils, markers, and crayons from a very early age, he was continually encouraged by his parents to draw. Koelle started skateboarding when he was just a kid (first on cheap Wal-Mart boards, of course), skating for hours alone until friends at school and church got their own boards and joined him in skating anywhere they could. Skateboarding and drawing dominated Koelle’s free time throughout his childhood and highschool years. Now, a husband and father, his life consists mostly of doing illustration for books, personal art (when he can), listening to music, and spending time with his wife Annie (also an artist) and their boy Marshall. Koelle has received his MA in Studio Art from Bob Jones University and has done illustration for many clients. Koelle created the illustrations for the “Men in Black” segment (written by Colby Buzzell) in the Oscar-nominated documentary Operation Homecoming, which aired on PBS in 2007. Koelle currently lives in Greenville, SC. www.chriskoelle.com / koelleart.etsy.com / koelleart.com
After being introduced to the world of printmaking while in college, I fell in love with the medium. Etchings, drypoints, aquatints and monotypes became the primary focus of my work, alongside drawing and painting. My personal work is often figurative and iconic, using symbolism and text layered with decorative elements and realism.
At the same time, I am excited by so many different media, stylistic approaches, and processes that I tend to explore making many different kinds of imagery at any given time. Through working as an illustrator and designer, my visual work has broadened into the realms of illustration, print and packaging design, branding, graphic novels, and animation, often using digital media alongside traditional—charcoal, ink, pencils and paper littering a desk armed with a Mac, scanner, Photoshop, and Wacom tablet.
Over the years, I’ve realized that taking chances and surprising myself is extremely important to my process of making a picture, specifically regarding the actual physical application of the pencil, ink, paint, and so on. If I avoid getting a little messy and playful with the application of the materials, I usually end up completely bored and dissatisfied with the predictability of the picture.
Jason Baldwin
Jason Baldwin was born on June 9, 1972 in Durham, North Carolina. He grew up in Alexandria, Louisiana where he attended Louisiana State University at Alexandria from 1994-1996 on the Elizabeth M. Bolton Art Scholarship. In May 2001 he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with an emphasis in painting. He received his MFA, emphasis in painting/drawing, from The University of Mississippi in 2004.
Jason has exhibited his artwork in solo, juried (international, national and regional) and
group shows throughout the country. He was also recently one of three jurors for the Ohio +5 Biennial held at the Dairy Barn Arts Center. Jason has won many awards, including four Best of Shows and an Artist’s Grant to attend the Vermont Studio Center. His work is included in the permanent collections of The University of Southern Indiana, The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, The Laurel Arts League, the Meridian Museum of Art and several other private/permanent collections. Jason is currently an Assistant Professor of Art and Studio Arts Coordinator at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont.
Portrait:
1. A painting, photograph or drawing of somebody, someone’s face or a related group
2. A description of something such as a person, place or period
Agent:
1. Something such as a chemical substance, organism or natural force that causes an effect
2. A spy or agent provocateur
When I decided to become an artist, the usual reaction was:
“Why would you do that?”
“Artists can’t make a living…”
And my personal favorite:
“You’re doomed if you do that!”
The Agency of Doom is a series of portraits that I started in Spring 2008 that focuses on up and coming artists that I respect, have influenced my work in some shape or form, and refuse to be doomed. The paintings are fictional portrayals of each artist as secret art agents and are partially based on their personality, artwork and inside jokes (between the artists and I).
I paint them on blank decks because skateboarding, to me, represents individuality, creativity, fine art, low art, punk culture, independence, a means of transportation (physically and metaphorically) and is a defining part of my identity. Skateboarding opened my eyes to different types of art, music and cultures.
Bill McRight
Bill McRight was born in Decatur, GA. He led a nomadic life all throughout the Southeast eventually going to Brooklyn to get an MFA from Pratt Institute. He now lives in Philadelphia where he is a member of the artist collective Space 1026. He is also telepathic, and knows about your kinky fantasies. In 2008, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts awarded him a grant. You can see a more of his art on www.fantasticlurking.com.
“I was first interested in skateboarding because of the graphics, while my friends were figuring out how to do tricks from the photographs in magazines I was copying the Jeff Grosso face and trying to figure out how to draw like VCJ. I am also real into monsters and beasts, that’s where most of my imagery comes from. I usually carve linoleum blocks then hand print them on vellum and then use that to make screen prints. It is a ridiculous process but with out a legit press it is the best way to print. For the boards in this show I tore up a bunch prints I did on newsprint and made new images out of the old ones. My favorite tricks are slappies and no-complys.
Aaron Troski
Aaron Troski is an artist living is Spartanburg via Toronto, Ohio. He was introduced to art as a child from the solitary world of heavy metal and skateboarding, which are still a large part of his life. Aaron shows regularly in Spartanburg at HUB-BUB and his art can be seen online at myspace.com/aarontroski, Facebook and HUB-BUB.COM.
My work can best be described as “New Brow Folk Art” dealing with such topics as heartbreak, loss of love, religious convictions and alchemy. With no formal art training I only do what comes naturally and channel it through my art.
Jason Greene
A transplant from Mississippi, Jason Greene now lives in Portland, Oregon. Skating, music and painting are the conjoined triplets that have provided him with an endless amount of self-inflicted joy. The creative energy that he harvests from these activities undoubtedly carries over into all his endeavors whether it is illustration, children’s interactive exhibit design or public art. Check out more of Jason’s work at www.greenelbow.com.
Through painting, I symbolize my surroundings. When I look at common objects like extension cords or plastic toys they become much more as I attach memories and experiences. My paintings represent and preserve these associations while often adding other objects or drawings to provoke thoughtful compositions.
Jason Robert Eisenberg
Hometown: Charleston, SC
DOB 8/17/73
Years as an artist: 35
Occupation: Artist, Tattooist
See his work at holycitytattoo.com
The first deck is a collage of my favorite line drawings from the first year of my tattoo studio being open. The name Life's Blood comes from an artistic reference my third grade Art Teacher made. I guess it is also the ultimate homage to Skateboarding. I credit skating for starting me on the path to where I am now.
The Back of the board is an illustration of a Rollo-Matic tattoo machine. A very influential machine made by Mike "Rollo Banks" Malone. The banner reads "For Life" in Spanish. The drawings are Varnished onto the board w a walnut stain. The back is an acetate.
The second deck is a little less glamorous. I in entitled "GOldfish in a STick."
The deck is made from Black paint w gold/silver leaf and gold paint.
There is no deep story, just looks neat.
Zane Logan
Zane Logan was born in Pickens, South Carolina. His family relocated to Florida where he lived until graduating from high school. In 1996 he returned to the upstate of South Carolina where he resides today. In 2001 Zane was introduced to photography while taking courses at Greenville Technical College and subsequently changed his major to photography. Zane received his BFA degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2007 and is currently enrolled in the Graduate Program at Clemson University. His work has been exhibited locally and nationally. He is currently employed as an adjunct professor at Greenville Technical College and instructs classes at the Photo School of the Upstate. You can see more of his imagery at: www.zaneloganphotography.com
Photographer Annie Leibovitz said "photograph what you know"… skateboarding is what I know. Skateboarding has been in my life for almost twenty years now.
I encountered skateboarding for the first time while in the seventh grade, I was riding my bike like most kids did every day. I saw a group of older kids riding their boards down the street. It was the most graceful movement I had ever seen. My bike was soon retired for good, and my life was changed forever. I went to three different middle schools and two different high schools. During lunch on the first day at a new school, I would seek out the table with the skateboarders. I always knew I would have a place and I wouldn’t have to sit at the new kid table. The great thing about skateboarding is no matter what differences you may have when you skate you have friends.
I have been fortunate to combine my passion for photography and skateboarding. The subjects for this series are my friends, some I have known for less than a year others I have known for more than ten. They are diverse in their lives and interest. Some are fathers others musicians, but they all share a deep passion and conviction for skateboarding. This body of work illustrates their uniqueness and the diversity that they share.
Brian Baker
Brian Baker was born in Portland, Oregon in 1977 and graduated from Oregon State University before moving to California in 2001 to pursue a career as a designer/artist at Expedition Skateboards. The following year, he helped launch Organika Skateboard with the identity design and art direction. In 2003, Baker helped launch DGK Skateboards. That same year, they formed The KAYO Corp., as a distribution and marketing channel for their growing list of brands. In 2006, he helped start L&K Limited with identity design and art direction. Today, he serves as the Art Director for The KAYO Corp., where he designs and directs a little of everything for: DGK, Expedition, Gold Wheels, L&K Limited, and Organika. Definition of everything: ads, apprrel, catalogs, deck graphics, hats, posters, packaging, t-shirts, wheels, and whatever gets thrown at him. His work can be seen on his new website www.bebakes.com.
Drew Brophy
Surf Artist Drew Brophy is best known for his surreal surfboard art and rock & roll paintings with bright, colorful designs. He has created thousands of paintings while traveling and surfing around the world. He draws his inspiration from the waves and the beautiful places he visits. Drew hopes to inspire your imagination with his paintings. Visit his online gallery at www.drewbrophy.com.
In addition to the curated exhibit, the show features skateboard decks have been painted by artists with ties to the Spartanburg area. The artists graciously donated their time and talent to benefit the Hot Spot Skate Park of Spartanburg. These boards will be on display here at The Showroom for the Hit the Deck! exhibit throughout the month of May. Thereafter, the skateboards will be usefully displayed throughout the permanent concessions/operations building that will be purchased for the Skate Park and their decks will serve as a constant reminder of local talent and dedication of our community to the park.
We would like to thank these wonderful artists for donating their time and talent.
Brandi Dice Tyler Dimery Trey Finney Darren Johnson Jill Jones Josh Phillips Melissa Pitman Ed Purdy
Alix Refshauge Andy Ripley Garrett Scott Aaron Whatton Lee Wilkie Miles Paquin
Opening Reception photos
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