22
Morgan flexes a frontside 50/50 in Chicken's backyard.
Two Pumps, 8" x 14", 1991.
Canvas
Morgan
Ghan
When was your first artistic experience!
I've just been scribbling and drawing ever since I
was a little kid-finger painting.
crayons-didn't know what I was doing.
just attracted to drawing for some reason.
Who were your early skateboarding
influences?
My sister gave me my first skateboard.
in the second grade; a little green plastic
one from the toy store.
Who were your first artistic influences?
My dad, he did a lot of sketches and
was a painter. My more recent influences
are people like Chester Arnold-who's a
Bay Area painter, a realist-seeing all kinds
and styles of art everywhere, everyday.
What mediums do you prefer?
1 like to paint, sculpt, and draw
skate graphics.
Do you consider skateboarding a medi-
um of art in a sense that you leave your
mark on every curb, ledge, and
handrail you touch? Is it a form of gen-
uine artistic expression or is it the
juvenile in you clinging to the last bit of
youth you have left!
Are you kidding me? Skateboarding is
like having a paintbrush under your feet:
you're painting lines of different color with
every obstacle your board comes in con-
tact with. You roll down the street.
leaving your mark, letting people
know you are alive and were there.
Do you find it ironic that you put
so much thought and effort into
the design of a graphic when it's
going to be scraped off anyway?
The art is what helps sell the prod
uct. The kid sees it on the shop wall.
can maybe identify with the image.
makes the purchase, sets up the board.
and rides it. My art is then animated.
What companies have you done
graphics for?
I started out doing stuff for
Adrenalin, then I did a couple for
Think, Venture, Black Label, and most
recently Creature.
Do you see a difference in art
from Southern California com-
panies compared to Northern
California's?
Yeah, I've noticed that the Southern
ones tends to use a lot more comput
er-generated images, and the Northern
ones use a lot more free-hand.
Computers can be useful, but it's
important to keep the human element,
involved in the process.
What does skateboarding and art
mean to you?
Skateboarding just makes me feel
good, makes me feel free. My art is
often a reflection of that.
UNDEFENDERS
Monuments of a Better Time, 12" x 24", 1990.
Jaye Bonderov
Truck, 3" x 5", 1992.
Dart Landscape, 12" x 18", 1996.