Go Skateboard Day Skateboarder Art

Go Skateboarding Day. 

One of the great activities of the last 70 years is skateboarding.  And what better day than to relive the past is to dig out the skateboard buried in the basement or garage and head out to a nice concrete spot and celebrate Go Skateboard Day.

 I did some skateboarding when I was in my teens and early twenties.  Much later, after I was first married we had moved into our first home.  It was in my old neighborhood so some of the neighbors knew me.  But I was older now, married and settled down with a small child of my own.  One day there was a knock at the front door.  A kid about twelve from the group spoke up and asked, “Can John come out and play?”  They wanted me to come out and skateboard with them.  My wife turned to me and said, “Get your skateboard but be home by dark”.

About the Skateboarder Art

 And here is a piece of skateboarder art that I did a few years ago.  I live in a town of both surfers and skateboarders.  Only a few blocks from me is a promenade along where a couple of good surfing spots are located.  So the surfers gather in the parking lot and in between trips to the water some will break out their skateboards.  Others are just skaters coming down to watch the surfers and skate. In the case of this skateboarder, she was standing on the promenade looking out at the surf at Ventura Point in Ventura, Ca.

Surfer Jeff Ho Portrait Sports Art Surfing

Surfer Jeff Ho portrait

Painting by sports artist John Robertson

50” x 72” acrylic on unstretched canvas

Surfer art Jeff Ho, Z-Boys

Jeff Ho was one of the original Z-Boys of skateboard and surfing fame.  Z-Boys were a group of skateboarders in the 1970's from South Santa Monica and Venice, California who are credited with inventing modern skateboarding.  Jeff had started a local surf team and later a skate team named Zepher Surf Team and Zephyr

Skate team which is how the they became to be known as Z-Boys.  Jeff Ho opened Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions, a surf shop in the Venice Beach area in 1971 and closed it in 1976.  By the way, Jeff still shapes boards and they are still available on line along with other surf and skate products. A bit of Jeff’s story was told, along with his team in the the 2001 documentary film, Dogtown and Z-Boys, and a 2005 biographical film, Lords of Dogtown.

Opportunity to Paint Portrait of surfer Jeff Ho

I first met Jeff Ho in Venice around 2000 when visiting my future wife in Venice, Ca.  One of my wife’s best friend lived next door to her in Venice and she happened to be Jeff Ho’s girlfriend during the Z-Boys days in Venice.  They were still good friends and sometime surfing partner’s to her husband.  He came around regularly to their house and I would speak with him, not knowing his past history.  I just always admired the surfboards he usually had hanging on his car.  They were beautifully painted and shaped.  Because he had an interesting face I asked him if he minded that I paint his portrait.  Being the great guy he is, he agreed.  Only after a few months after completing the painting did I ever find out who we was and his history.   

The skateboard you see photographed is one I made for a skateboard auction fundraiser.  It seemed appropriate to create the surf deck with the image of Jeff on it.  

Venice Family Clinic Surf and Skate auction donation

The skateboard deck has an old gas mask and an old Venice hat attached to the surface.

This was my donation to the Venice Surf and Skate auction (Photos of the event at https://plus.google.com/photos/107411629987584991934/albums/6054543005757560881 ) which was held a couple of weeks ago at Bergamot Station Art Complex to raise funds to support the Venice Family Clinic http://www.venicefamilyclinic.org/#1  Venice Family Clinic serves 24,400 men, women, children, teens, and seniors annually. Ninety-seven percent are low-income and nearly three-quarters are uninsured. Most live on the Westside of Los Angeles County.

Venice Family Clinic provides more than 106,000 primary care, specialty care, mental health, dental, and health education visits annually. Services include diagnosis, treatment, medications, follow-up care, and laboratory tests. Particular emphasis is placed on the needs of women, children, the homeless, and those with chronic diseases. Click here for more information about programs and services.

The 4th Annual Surf & Skate Silent art auction was a great success! Couldn’t make it? You still have the chance to purchase a one-of-a-kind skate deck or surfboard here http://www.vfcshop.com/collections/surf-skate

. Check out pictures from the summer celebration here. http://www.vfcshop.com/collections/surf-skate  

Skateboard Assemblage by Artist John Robertson

The skateboard deck uses tail lights and a mirror from a 1940's auto.

This skateboard  deck assemblage was created by sports artist John Robertson for a donation to the SURF AND SKATE AUCTION (in conjunction with the Venice Art Walk) supporting the Venice Family Clinic...  The Venice Family Clinic, founded in 1970, offers medical, dental and mental health care at nine Westside locations for those without insurance or the means to pay.  Venice Family Clinic Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/venicefamilyclinic

 Nose of the skateboard deck using tail lights and a mirror from a 1940's auto.

Tail of the Skateboard deck  using tail lights and a mirror from a 1940's auto.

The SURF AND SKATE AUCTION  is at Track 16, at Bergamot Station,

2525 Michigan Ave,

Building C-1, Santa Monica Ca.   

Friday, April 27, 6-10 pm.  

This is the kick off for the Venice Art Walk with celebrity hosts, one-of-a-kind skate decks and custom-shaped surfboards from local artists, musicians, athletes and tattoo artists.    

Skateboard Art

I was down at the Venice, Ca. skate park a bit ago and saw this dwarf skating in one of the bowls.  Here he image of the skateboarder grinding on the lip of the bowl.  This sports art painting of the skateboarder is 8 1/2" by 11" oil on vellum.
John Robertson sports artist.