What inspired you to draw skateboard sketches?
I actually love to skate and have always loved skate culture. I started working in a skate shop at 17 years old and learned all the ins and outs of putting together skateboards and also had access to tons of skate magazines, books and videos. One book in particular was on the history of skateboard art. As a female, there was an obvious lack of women and girls involved in the culture as a whole. There were some but it was a definite minority, and I just remember thinking why the heck aren’t there more. I can’t tell you how many times people would come in to get a skateboard put together or grip tape etc. applied to a new deck, and they would assume I couldn’t help them just because I was a woman. So when I came back to art a few years ago, it just felt natural to depict skating, and maybe subconsciously it was me ‘showing them’, whoever they are. (laughs) I do love to highlight women skaters, though. I have also been able to depict some really great men skaters too.