Tom Dupere
New England
December 2022
Can you tell us something about Boston no one knows?
If I told you then it wouldn’t be a secret!
How would you describe the Boston skateboard scene and its community to a stranger?
Well at this point I am a stranger to the Boston scene. My era was the late 80s to mid 1990s. Boston has always had a tight scene. You don’t need a car. There is a bunch of rad history and culture. Lots of rad music venues. skating through the city at night is always a good time.
What are some of your underground heroes within the skateboard community in Boston?
A few that come to mind are Timmy Battle, Jad Angle, and Rob Desjardin.
How come you work with mainly watercolors?
It’s a combination of watercolors, acrylics and ink. I like how those mediums flow together.
Any local skateboard inspired artist that you follow?
Tons! Russ Pope, TJ Kelley, Damion Silver, Pete Talbot.
Proudest moment?
The birth of my daughter June.
Most embarrassing?
Slamming so hard that I shartted myself. Oh well. (laughing).
You are an artist on many fronts like building skateparks as Artisans Skateparks. Are there differences in park design and even material when you build parks on the East compared to the West Coast?
The east coast has such extreme weather conditions that are taken into consideration when building. It’s much harder to get parks built here. There is still that stigma attached to it (though it is starting to fade).
What are some of the challenges people in general face in Boston today?
Extremes in weather. It’s expensive! Gentrification.
What is still on your wish list?
I really want to travel to Japan to skate and paint and possibly build some stuff to skate.
Last question. If you could interview a person, who would it be and why?
Oh man tough question! Here are 5 in no particular order.
John Coltrane
Gonz
Henri Matisse
John Steinbeck
An extraterrestrial
I would ask them all about how they approach what they do and their techniques and process. What their biggest influences are. And advice on creativity.
