JAMIE LYNN ABC’S & 123′S with Billy Speech… AR4T by Jesse Fulton from Ceremony Productions on Vimeo.

Jamie and Friends Set Up Day 2 from Blackyck on Vimeo.

AR4T Family Dinner from Blackyck on Vimeo.

Jamie and Friends Kids opening from Blackyck on Vimeo.

Interview by Dana Nichols

1. Can you walk us through the process of creating your skateboard art so we can get an idea of how intricate it is?

It is kind of a long process, but its not much different than any other painting. Actually, painting is the hard part for me, the rest just takes time. Starts with a sketch, turns into a drawing, sand down the board(s) to wood, apply drawing to board(s), cut it out and wrestle my way through the painting. There are definitely some tedious time eaters involved, but its not the cutting. The sanding takes a while, getting the drawing solid and making sure your line work isn’t going to disappear during the cutting adds a few minutes, painting all of the edges that you cut so they blend into the painting, and figuring out how to mount them, these ones went pretty smooth, but i’ve definitely fought with that part before. If you dont leave enough board, there is nothing left to hang.

2. I heard that you are from Alaska – can you tell us about the Alaskan themes/influences in the pieces in this show?

I think the biggest influence Alaska had on these pieces was the choice of animals. This series actually started from something i think Torrey said. I asked here about the guidelines for the show and mentioned i had no idea what i was going to do for it, then she said something along the lines of “let the boards tell you, their spirit animals so to speak”. So that was the initial idea, and I thought animals would be great for a younger audience. unfortunately these beasts don’t look like the friendliest critters you’ve ever met, but they are from the spirit world.

3. Since this is a kid-centric show, tell us what inspired you as a young artist?

I think when you’re young everything inspires you, there is no lack of creativity or the ability to consume your imagination with a single idea. For instance, the ninja turtles. i think i probably drew about a thousand of them when i was younger, along with every other cartoon character.

4. Can you talk a bit about Jamie Lynn and how you feel about being in a show with him?

Well…. i dont really know him. I know who he is, i really dig a lot of his art, and i think i’ve probably bumped into him a time or two at snowboard connection or around seattle somewhere. I am however really stoked to be in a show with him. its definitely kind of an honor to get to be a part of something larger than yourself and with someone who is a bit of legend in the skate/snow industry.

Ben Brough, Interview by Dana Nichols.

Here are 4 interview questions for the blog, for the upcoming show:

1. Can you talk a bit about Jamie Lynn and how you feel about being in a show with him? JAMIE LYNN. SALT OF THE EARTH. TOUGH AS NAILS. I LOVE HIM LIKE A BROTHER. HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT BEING IN A SHOW WITH HIM? AS KATRINA AND THE WAVES SAID…”I’M WALKING ON SUNSHINE.”

2. In the last interview you mentioned that you love kids art – tell us more. KIDS ART HAS THE GUSTO IM LOOKING FOR..THE EPICNESS OF RAW AND VOID OF ANY CORRUPTION OF ADULTHOOD.

3. What most inspired you as a youngster? PINK PANTHER, POPEYE, GARY LARSON, DISNEY AND MAD MAX.

4. In what way did you gear your work to kids for this show? ASKED MY 6 YR. OLD TO TELL ME THE FIRST THING THAT CAME TO HER MIND WHEN I SAID “WINTER, SPRING, SUMMER, FALL.”

Thanks Ben!

JAMIE LYNN. SALT OF THE EARTH.TOUGH AS NAILS.I LOVE HIM LIKE A BROTHER.HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT BEING IN A SHOW WITH HIM? AS KATRINA AND THE WAVES SAID…”I’M WALKING ON SUNSHINE

Jamie Lynn Q&A Part II – by Christine Rasmussen, Durango, CO

What do you think about the art community in snowboarding, and where do you think it is going?

I wish that I knew more or saw more (pieces/artists) that really stuck in my head, like Ryno’s artwork, Nick Russian, and Mike Parillo – those are the three in my head who stick out as people who get involved in the art process, throughout all the years that I have. But with Travis’ board graphics, Mike Parillo’s art is incredible; to have that vehicle to get that artwork out there is always something that’s been inspiring to me. And now to have Asymbol (Online Art Gallery) as something that provides people with the chance to get some of those board-graphic pieces, which may not be the originals, but it gives them the opportunity to have those in a high-quality print that they can enjoy.

The art community in skateboarding has always seemed more prevalent to me; why do you think that is?

It’s a difficult question. I see certain individuals like Zak Marben who’s an incredible artistic individual, and that kind of person in the younger generation gives me hope that it’s still part of something I’ve grown up with, which is snowboarding. Maybe I’m just not out there enough to see it and maybe there is more of a creative side that I’m just not aware of. As far as seeing it in the mainstream and what’s on the shelf – what the designers are working on behind the scenes to get the products out there that the pro’s are putting underneath their feet or on their body – seems like maybe it’s an easier way to get those products out there, to pay an in-house designer to do what they do best, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

It’s just like, there are some people who are into it and there are some people who aren’t. Maybe growing up, it was something through skateboarding I was attracted to. I believe there are others who will continue that legacy in snowboarding as well; I’d like to see it.

What inspires you the most – music, art or snowboarding?

That’s a tough question, because each one holds such a different form of creative expression. Snowboarding to me is the one thing that allows me to get up into the mountains and enjoy peace, quiet, tranquility, and on a good powder day, there is nothing better.

Is there anything else you want to add about the upcoming show?

I am really proud of Torrey (Cook) to put together all the JLA stuff that we did throughout the last year and a half or two years. And now, having the gallery space, which is kind of an accumulation of all that energy, it’s something that I know would make Jeffy proud to see: all the support and love go back into an art space, allowing us to be able to have a place to show our work. I am proud of her and Jane (Jeffy’s mom) for making all this stuff happen.

I am looking forward to seeing the 26 panels.

Yeah, me too (facetiously). I’ve skipped around a couple, but I’m on a pretty good pace. I have a good formula so I’m not too worried about it. This might be the first show that I’m actually done with before the 12^th hour on the night before the gallery opening; that’s quite an accomplishment.

Those who experience the “ABCs and 123s” show at 210 AR4T as it debuts on November 20 and exhibits through December 24 at 210 AR4T Space in Laguna Beach, California will likely see a side of shred legend Jamie Lynn they haven’t seen before. Oh, the kids will be stoked, as they learn at the same time – without even realizing they’re learning. But us little kids trapped in big bodies will be super stoked, as we see the world through a child’s eyes again and remember how fun it is to create, no matter what our medium. This is Jamie’s goal, and as the artistic icon he’s become and as an influence to so many – younger and older than him – he’s the exact person who can pull it off.

As Jamie rarely completes pieces for a commission – most of his work has been for products he’s endorsed, or a select few have been for friends’ collections – the question is relevant: Why now?

Intro/Interview by Christine Rasmussen

How did the idea for the ABCs and 123s show come about?

Billy Anderson and his wife Sarah came to me with the idea to put together an art show based around ABC’s: 26 canvases for each letter of the alphabet. My art style is kind of a strong outline, simplistic fill-in colors, easy to absorb and can relate a lot to children’s art, so they came up with the idea for me to do the ABC stuff and Bryan Iguchi is doing the 1 through 10. Ben Brough is going to do some work, and there is another artist from Seattle, Brennan Coyle.

What a wonderful opportunity and a wonderful art space to do something like this, especially be involved with good friends such as Bryan and Ben. Bryan and I have done shows together in the past, internationally and over in Japan that have been successful and we had a great time doing it, so now I have this chance to do it again. It’s something I’m really looking forward to.

Can you tell me about the book that may happen with these pieces once they’re complete?

I wanted the art show to read as if you were reading a book, so with each canvas I did the letter, the imagery and I tagged on a little one- or two-line stanza of rhymes, like “A is for aeroplane, way up in the sky; B is for big bright balloons, hold onto them tight; C is for crispy cat, mine is colored blue; D is for that darn dog, best friend to me and you.”

I’ve been focusing on the show, primarily, but if anything more can come out of that…to inspire kids or open up their eyes to artwork, colors, imagery, or inspire questions or learning – what an opportunity.

What about publishing as flashcards for kids – is that a possibility?

Instead of getting too far ahead of myself, I would like to get the 26 panels done first. If we could get flashcards and have them available at the opening, that would be awesome. Or, it may be something that we take some of the proceeds from the show and invest it back into perpetuating this, so more kids have the opportunity to check it out. It’s definitely something I’d be interested in; it’s just a matter of figuring out who can do the printing, what it would take. I think that would be really cool.

Why is the idea of turning children onto art important to you?

It was instrumental for me to be watching my mom – she’s not really an accomplished artist but there was a time when I was at a certain age I watched her go through the process of taking art classes and doing some pieces that I remember distinctly, which I still have in my possession. To support creativity, to allow kids the chance to see something inside of them or want to express through art is a positive thing.

Where did the idea for the rhymes come from?

You know, I don’t have any kids myself but I am a kick-ass uncle. When I’d hang out with my nieces and nephews, the books I’d read to them I’d always turn into like a singsong story – just for me to have fun with them and make it more fun for them. So I wanted to do it in that fashion. That’s the way I approached it in my head: walking through it with a kid, or if a parent was reading it to them, would it be interactive and fun for both of them?

Can you talk more about how are the pieces similar or different to your other works?

With this I tried to simplify it into more primaries and make it easy to just see what’s going on. A lot of the simple colors I used show a strong contrast between one and the other. The compositions are the same way – nothing complicated but easy to digest.

Maybe there are similarities with some of the graphic work I’ve done in the past for snowboards or T-shirt art that I’ve enjoyed. I’ve tried to keep the same formula throughout all 26 panels, and it’s been fun walking myself into that mindset, trying to think, if I was four, five or six years old, would this make sense to me? Would I, without reading anything, pick up on what this is? And that’s been a challenge. It’s not dumbing-down but just simplifying your way of thinking to get into the heads of that age, while making it fun for me in the process. Hopefully they can share in how fun that was when they look at it.