This is one of my favourite things and also one of the first projects i’ve ever done - using used skateboard decks as a canvas. I used to work in the office of a skate shop and found some old decks. At first, I just used one to make a gift for my then boyfriend, but I was so inspired by the artwork from different skate brands, but mostly by my favourite Magenta (Soy Panday’s artwork), Stereo, Polar and Ed Templeton for Toy Machine. I just loved them all and just had some fun using the old decks, so they don’t go to the trash anyway.
Ive decided I want to use old decks, firstly because they become upcylced and are not thrown away, so - Sustainable, and second, I’ve always thought that the old deck keeps some part of the skater and the cities and streets it has been around. There is just something so art-like in skateboarding - decks, sport, videos and all.
The process is simple. I take off old stickers, sometimes I take off the paint with paint remover and finish them with sanding by hand. After that I paint them with acrylics, markers, Indian ink and carve them as well. Here are most of the decks. Unfortunately, I don’t have many photos of them. I have been wanting to make some new ones for a while and I think this will be happening soon.
Sometimes I do have a hard time to find my decks, so if you happen to have a deck you’re not using, I would love to give it a new life. You can check out how here.
Glass dome with Limenitis populi and its cycles(a gift for my step-dad, who is an entomologist and this is one of his favourites)
Painted deck in black with King snake and different objects, all carved in the wood, only the golden details are added with ink.
Part of a series of museum specimen birds. This is European Jay or Garrulous gladnarius with its skull and carved details
Part two of the Nature morte series- Boston oriole (Icternus galbula) and a bird's brain
Part three of Nature morte - Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) and its skull
White deck with black and gold hand, surrounded by leaves. Moon at the top with the Ligurian hawk moth and Sun with its day version - Peacock butterfly
Another hand deck (you obviously can see I am kinda obsessed with hands), painted with white acrylic paint. The hand is with its muscles, Blue bells, King Snake, pears, Brugmansia and Garden tiger moth (one of my favourites). The deck was almost broken in half, so I added a golden detail at the crack, inspired by the kintsugi method for repairing ceramics.
Yet another hand deck. This one is on black background with the hand being inspired by palmistry and used as a "vase" with Iris flowers. It has carved details as usual.
These are one of the first decks I've ever done. They are a three part series with three scientist, surrounded by some type of symbols from their work field. The first one is Darwin with his Finches and the Tree of life. The second one is Robert Sapolski - a neuroscientist, studying animal behaviour through the life of Baboons. The first brains a human one and the second - of a Baboon. The Thord decks is saved for Santiago Ramon y Cajal - the first person to illustrate brain neurons, looking though a microscope. His brain is visible.
Charles Darwin
Robert Sapolsky
Santiago Ramon y Cajal
A commission for a Great White Shark and some Jellyfish. This is the only new deck I've ever worked on.
This is not an original work but it was a gift for my mother - Mucha
Fire walk with me (for the love of Twin Peaks)
The first images, inspired by Sofia, I've ever done and one of my first decks. It consists of different buildings and monuments in Sofia.
Some naked lady just chillin'