Art History: Stack the Decks

-Skate decks have long been an under appreciated mecca of modern art. With more and more artists and companies seeing the skate deck as an equally important artistic and athletic vehicle, it was perfect timing for a exhaustingly comprehensive examination of the history of skateboard design.
-Disposable: A History of Skateboard Art accomplishes the task brilliantly. Told from the perspective of legendary artist Sean Cliver as he made his way in the skateboarding world, starting at the epochal Powell Peralta powerhouse. The book includes countless interviews, anecdotes, and photos as it relentlessly details the construction of an industry.
-Chris from Skate Daily summarized the effect of the book with a great quote in his review, "Anyone who has skated for even a brief period of time can remember the graphic on the bottom of their favorite deck. The artwork became a part of your story…why you picked that board to skate, and why it spoke to you. This book is an extension of that feeling."
-My first deck was a Zero deck with a very uncharacteristically Zero graphic of ships falling off the edge of the Earth, I wish I still had it. In addition to that board, I think back to my red Muska silhouette, the one from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. I wish I had those decks now, not to skate (I skate blanks like a real skater, duh) but to hang on my wall .
-Take a tip form Dyrdek and the next time you're looking of some fresh art to adorn your walls, head to your local skate shop and pick up a piece of modern art for around $50. A little bit more on the subject after the jump.




-Thinking back to when I was first getting into skating, I was always drawn graphically to Alien Workshop. The chronicles Mike Hill, the mastermind behind many early AWS decks, as well a s many other artists who were instrumental in shaping the way decks look today.


-This is the only photo I could find of that iconic Muska deck. Someone find me a photo of the actual deck. Fuck, that was a sick deck. I don't even know what happened to it.Muska is one of the most hated skaters in the industry, but I love him.

Oh yeah, the photo in the original post, the vision deck, thats by Andy Takakjian. From the disposable site. Check it out. oh yeah i heard about this originally form the Turntable Lab blog.