Adam is a skater and artist from Canada

Skateboarding is so creative it’s natural that skaters pursue other art avenues. Skating appeals to me because you can do what you want with it.

 

It’s a lather, rinse and repeat type activity. It teaches you discipline, persistence and patience.

 

Those qualities are crucial to my art and creative process.

 

Producing portraits is a strenuous process. Every portrait starts with finding the perfect subject. I haven’t drawn certain people solely because I haven’t found that perfect picture. Once I find the reference photo I want to use, I’ll decide which medium is best for recreating it.

 

Once I’ve done that, I’ll start. That’s where the patience comes in. Smaller pencil portraits can take 20 hrs, compared to bigger charcoal drawings or paintings that can take 80 + hours.

 

Haroshi inspires me. His sculpting and woodworking skills are amazing and I love the fact that he repurposes old boards in his work. Blending the two perfectly reflects the influence of his passions.

 

Ed Templeton inspires me. He’s a prime example of a multi-talented skater. He makes art, runs Toy Machine and shoots photos. I have a lot of respect for people that explore more than one passion. –

 

William Strobeck’s approach to skate filmmaking has always stood out to me. Supreme’s “Cherry” is one of my all time favourite skate movies. It always gets me hyped to skate. –

 

As for brands, Huf Worldwide is a major one. I love how involved they are within the skate community and collaborate with artists. It makes all the difference when things are done for skaters, by skaters.

 

Unless you have a degree, a platform or a gallery to back you, It’s hard for artists to break into the art world and get exposure. The world needs more No Comply Networks.

 

My main focus is my next solo show in 2019. I want to be as productive and consistent as I can for that.

 

Besides that, I’ve been curating an annual art show called ‘MADE’ here in Vancouver with a friend for the last 5 years. It’s a platform we started to bridge the gap between music and visual art – www.madeartshows.com.