look what I found
I found a pile of these prints in my flat files. I have a lot of flat files and I don’t go through them as often as I should. I find the state of my studio is an accurate reflection of my mind and that means the past few/several/all years it’s been a real mess. So that’s how it is that I can have a stash of prints hiding under the rubble.
I made this original image (SKATEBOARD PEOPLE) some years ago, I can’t really remember. Sometime when I was doing a lot of gestural ink drawings. No wait! Now I remember: I made them for an art show I had at 35th North Skateshop in Seattle around 2014 or 2015. It was all ink drawings of skateboarding skateboarders. Now it all makes sense. That was a fun and hectic time: I had a young son and we were traveling for the first time as a family unit and we would drive around Green Lake in the middle of the night to get him to sleep. I was so tired.
This print was popular with people it seemed and that always feels good. I printed it a couple times and it always went away quickly. In 2020 my friend and fellow artist Thomas Campbell brought up the idea of making this print into a board graphic and reprinting the image in a two-color version to match as part of his Um Yeah Arts project which published books, made movies, skateboards, records and whatever else he felt like at the time. So that’s what we did! There were two different colorways: the one above (yellow/maroon) and a blue/maroon. Both went quick and brought joy and peace to many (I can only hope).
So I found this hidden pile of prints: proofs, extras from the original edition. Nat Swope printed them in Oakland, California and must have sent me the over-run. It seemed like these want to be in the world and not in my flat files. I have signed and numbered this AP edition and put them in my online store in the hopes that people who missed out before can get one and maybe I can fund some other projects I have simmering. I’m donating a portion of the proceeds from print sales to a local organization that provides programming and support to LGBTQ+ youth. (if you are interested I the organization or want to see some receipts, feel free to reach out) T
I’m going to start digging through my files more often, who knows what I may find. Or maybe I will leave that for my old age or for somebody else to do. I am always more interested in what it is happening right now and what is new but now and then I am pleasantly surprised by a discovery of some older work that still may resonate with other people and myself. who knows how these things work? My advice is let it do its thing and see what you see.