Christian Hosoi was my favorite skater. I skated his deck then and still have his board now… Not that I can use it much anymore. He had an undeniable sense of style and charisma, grace and toughness, attitude and flair. So many adjectives. I titled this piece “The Truth” because Hosoi could do it all. He got the highest airs on the halfpipe and pulled off spectacular tricks from launch ramps, twisting his body into contortions you didn’t believe he could pull off. Of course, he always did.

Christian was a constant presence in skate magazines like Thrasher and Transworld, with a personal brand and presence that had tremendous rebellious appeal. In an industry dominated by teams of skaters sponsored by prominent skate companies, Hosoi stood, as a free agent, alone.

The Skater series is inspired by the photography of J. Grant Brittain and especially his recent book, Push. Grant was there in the early days of skateboarding, working the skate parks, capturing, chronicling, and sharing his work through Transworld Magazine, which he co-founded. Skateboarding is larger than a hobby, larger than a sport. It is a culture, which Grant helped to establish through his creative direction of Transworld, and by the deep relationships that he built with the skaters whose lives and talents he shared through the images and moments he captured.

The color palette I chose for the Skater series is intended to keep the subjects grounded in reality, complemented by a consistent, prominent orange for the skateboards as a through line across the portraits. However, the skaters appear to be anything but grounded, as they soar through the air, each in some form of flight. The explosiveness of their actions is accentuated by the 1980’s style paint splatter motifs that echo their kinetic energy.

Original is acrylic on canvas. Prints are available in limited editions per size. Read more about print quality, edition details, and commissions in the FAQs .