AFQ - Andy Jenkins
I met Andy Jenkins through submitting a drawing to his Diurnal Drawings back in 2001-2002. From that submission we would occasionally email back and forth and we both were posting links on the OG Arkitip IR news feed. If you follow skateboard art and it’s history you surely know who Andy is. You might recognize some of his work from the Wrench Pilot comics, 101 skateboard graphics and of course his work at Girl Skateboards / Art Dump. Besides his commercial work I’ve been a big fan of his personal art. The layers and clean organic lines that are found in his work allow the viewer to get lost in each piece. You should check out some of his older paintings and while you are it you can pick up newer pieces from here. I can ramble on and on but lets jump right in to A Few Questions.
1. You’ve been painting a lot lately I notice, what started this renisance?
I can never tell what it is that kicks my ass into the kitchen (my studio). A lot of the pieces are collage with paint, so, sometimes, if I find a cool piece of paper or note, something that I think would work nice in a piece and I’ll go in there are start moving things around. The work can go fast or slow depending on how inspired I might be. Usually slower since I work in multiple layers and have to give things a chance to dry before I start again. In the last few weeks I’ve been in my studio a lot at night and on weekends… it’s feeling good. Working on paper right now. Hoping to get a solo show sometime next year.
2. Are you still riding mx bikes? How often and where do you ride?
No. It’s funny that you ask because I sold a couple pieces recently and was thinking about buying a bike again. But I quickly realized it wasn’t practical at all. When I was actively racing motocross I’d be out at the track(s) a couple times a month - it was costing me a small fortune. And a small fortune is something I don’t have the luxury of owning. So I sold it all. Bike, truck, etc. And went back into the studio to paint! It’s weird but I’m a real competitive person when it comes to sports and that has to be fed… I need to figure out another outlet. Coaching my son’s baseball team seems to help some.
3. What’s awesome about skateboarding right now and what blows?
The best thing about skateboarding for me right now is watching my 12 year-old son get so into it. He’s bordering obsessive. We go out on spot searching trips and hit skateparks with his buddies all the time. It’s so rad watching him skate and pull off stuff I could never do. Crazy.
I’m also really into the quality and artisanship that goes into skate films these days. Absolutely amazing. The shooting, editing, writing - I’m not even talking about the skating, though that’s always rad. Fully Flared blew me away. Blew my mind. And there’s a crew in Japan called the Far East Skate Network that’s just killing it in terms of putting together some amazing work with incredible skaters. I think a guy named Takahiro Morita is the main head behind it. And there’s a skater in there, Gou Miyagi, who is mind bogglingly cool. He reminds me of Neil Blender in terms of fun and originality… innovation. Really inspiring stuff. When I see this stuff, it makes me optimistic about skating’s future… knowing there are skaters out there with intense passion for the lifestyle, the ART of skateboarding.
4. In your personal work you always tend to use these thick lines that go from straight and then into organic shapes, what do the lines mean to you or is it purely aesthetic?
You know, I go for zero time when I work. I just get lost in it and improvise. Sort of like a jazz soloist might do. I mean, I have all these ideas in my head as to why and how, but once I get down to it I just let it flow out. Tony Larson told me once he thought those lines were just cleaned up and much enlarged versions of my neurotically complicated sketches. Made sense to me after he put it that way.
The basis of the work itself - the mindset behind it - deals a lot with my ideas of post-consumer guilt and the bog that is life. Samsara. The mortal coil. The confusion and the attempt to clarify it. I think that’s a why a lot of the newer pieces almost look like maps. Indecipherable maps. Try as we may, there’s not real finding the way. It’s more like learning to deal with acceptance. Or just learning to accept and flow. Yikes. Didn’t mean to go that deep.
5. What advice would you give to an artist trying to break into the commercial world of skateboard art or dare I say “action sports”?
Work, work, work and work some more. Seriously. A good work ethic is the foundation of any success. Then just study the world and learn from everything. EVERYTHING.
Is that vague enough?
