Turquoise Hercules was conceived as a response to surroundings. Rather than creating a narrative that steers the listener toward a concrete resolve, Turquoise Hercules uses repetitive everyday phrases to evoke the seemingly infinite sprawl of the desert. The beauty is that you might find or lose yourself in it.

The blurb above was written by my good friend Jim Siegel (Vivid Oblivion & Raspberry Bulbs), who released a fantastic collection of songs in 2022. (link below)

Before we talk about Turquoise Hercules, you should listen to Vivid Oblivion The Graphic Cabinet immediately. Bonus: If you’re a 4AD fan you’ll enjoy the layout before you even hear a note.

Turquoise Hercules is my latest musical project. It’s up on various streaming platforms, including Deezer (WTF is Deezer?), but I linked to Spotify and Bandcamp below because people seem to use those more than Deezer.

I also made a shitty “video” for my favorite song of the five and you can watch that too. Do you ever mess around on Archive.org? I found some footage there and set it to “Age Hole.” It reminds me of being in science class and focusing on the hum of the projector and the film burns more than the topic at hand. I hope this doesn’t happen to you and you forget that a song is playing.

That’s it.

Currently, there is no vinyl pre-order or cassette or shirt printed on Comfort Colors, just five songs that I wrote, recorded, and played that have nothing to do with skateboarding.

Thank you for listening and maybe sharing the tracks.

"Matthew Jay Landon is a great artist when he actually feels like doing it." — Ray Cross 

“Get some paint, put on some music, make a mess, rip that shit up, put it on a wall, and get that shit.” - Matt Landon

Photographs By PJ Cambe

Matthew Jay Landon was creative in the purest sense—the realest sense.

He constantly made things because he had to. Sure, he founded and operated brands including 3d Innovations and Brains on Fire but they were outlets, not businesses. Whether he was working on those projects or not, he was constantly sketching—pouring his thoughts and ideas through his paintings, multi-media pieces, or with a Sharpie onto bar napkins or whatever other surface was handy when inspiration hit.

When you spoke to Matt it was a direct look into where his head was firing off and while there were touchstones, you always learned or heard something new. We’d have long phone conversations that darted between discussing scenes from Curb Your Enthusiasm and our favorite Mountain Goats, Dinosaur Jr, and Lemonheads tracks to skateboarding, life, and why New York City is beautiful and stressful. He’d text me a link to a song or a documentary with the comment “You better like this shit.” There was always a thread no matter what we were riffing on—great art is a mix of beauty, pain, and sometimes, a dose of uncomfortable.

Our calls always ended with him saying “Thanks for getting on the phone. Get that shit.” 

Matthew Jay Landon would never refer to himself as “a creative” or even “creative.”

That’s marketing jargon—LinkedIn-ass language. Matt was here to make things that were funny, interesting, cool, and irreverent. Often those paintings, sketches, or pieces of clothing were visual tributes to his friends and the folks he admired.

He didn’t always do it in a straight line but everything came from his heart.

That’s creativity.

For example…

In 1992 3d Innovations–the company he founded in Connecticut in 1990 with friend Matt Pesci–released their first full-length video, Fat Juicy Video filmed mostly by Jeremy Traub. Then based in Boston, MA, 3d was not only one of the most recognizable clothing brands on the East Coast, it was a company that defined an era in Boston skateboarding.

For context, a few small brands outside of California were making cut-and-sew pieces and Zoo York and Supreme wouldn’t officially launch until 1993 and 1994 respectively. Having a full-on brand that sponsored recognizable names, made interesting pieces, and released a legitimate video was a big deal. A legit brand in Boston in the early-90s?

Mindblowing shit, especially to a late teen such as myself back then who thought you needed a million dollars and some connection to California to do anything in skateboarding.

Did you need money? Yeah. Did you need ideas? Definitely. But how do you turn bread and dreams into something real? A business plan? Listening to some entrepreneurial podcast filled with jargon and weird Ponzi schemes?

Nah, get that shit.

3d Innovations Fat Juicy Video (1992)

Fat Juicy Video starts with a hand striking a match before “Velvet Roof” by Buffalo Tom kicks in and some grainy filmed-off-a-TV footage of a Mike Kepper ollie sets things off, followed by Jahmal Williams’ first video part. Filmed in black-and-white and color, Williams’ section begins with a shaky slo-mo clip of a pigeon at Needle Park in Boston. There’s a noticeable tooth and grain to the footage coupled with a double shot of Marvin Gaye (“What’s Going On” and “Right On”) along with images of boxy vehicles. Williams' part feels like the ‘70s despite his technical skating and modern clothing.

Following his part there’s a lengthy clip from Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira (1988) before Matt Reason’s footage begins, followed by more excerpts from the Japenese anime film (real cult shit at the time), specifically the trippy-ass teddy bear scene that still makes me uncomfortable. Landon appears in the video with a few clips and a short on-camera interview where he proclaims running 3d “Kinda sucks… it’s a lot of work.”

There are more parts, contest footage, montages, friends, Akira clips, and great songs.

Then it’s over.

Screengrab from Fat Juicy Video

In 20 minutes 3d Innovations’ first video says a lot about East Coast skateboarding, the era, and the brand without forcing it. It shows a group of individuals having fun and expressing themselves with touches of Matt’s personality and artwork intertwined along with homages to the art that informed his work.

Most importantly, Matthew Jay Landon made the brand—at a time when making things wasn’t a turnkey endeavor—for his friends. I know this because that’s what he told me and that’s what showed through in 3d Innovations. You can read an old piece that ran on Jenkem that I wrote with Matt here.

3d Innovations Messin’ Around 1998

With 3d and his shop Hanger 18, Matt was almost an anti-salesperson and I really liked that. Yes, he hustled and was quick to mention that a little “fake it, till you make it” ethos and attitude helped, but everything was what it was without spice.

You need a board? OK, pull some boards out, stand on them, buy the one you want–rarely at full price–and shoot the shit about whatever in the process. Matt didn’t lack ideas or confidence but he also wasn’t trying to sell snake oil or “self-promote.”

The things Matt made were the thing.

You like it, you get it? Get that shit… or don’t. Simple. 

No one who knew Matt will ever forget him and conversely, you couldn’t speak to Matt without him praising his friends.

If you aren’t familiar with Matt or 3d, please dig into the 3d Innovations video archive here

“Art is a lie but it makes me happy every day” - Matthew Landon 1970-2024

Matt Price by Matt Price 2023

Welcome back to the new look Artless Substack®.

A while back photographer Matt Price made a Tweet about critics that went #SkateTwitter viral. I’m a huge fan of Matt’s work and also, I appreciated that he put an opinion out and created a dialog. Even better, it was a real back-and-forth type thing with opinions rather than insults and whatnot.

You can peep the thread by clicking here because you can’t embed Tweets or Xs or whatever the fuck anymore.

At the time, I thought speaking to Matt about this topic would be cool. Life happened and the piece didn’t but I was compelled to reach out almost a year later to have a chat. So we did.

What you’re about to read is about 2,000 words from our hour-long conversation. I debated running the entire thing because it was a fantastic and inspiring chat, but hey, with attention spans what they are these days, let’s start here. Maybe the whole jawn will be some bonus content in the future.

Matt Price is also the co-founder & CCO of Kinser, a creative agency that—in my semi-informed opinion—brings a fresh and artistic lens to advertising, specifically in the skateboarding-related wares category.

Please enjoy these pieces from our conversation about criticism, creativity, and the state of skate media.

Nick Matthews “The Back Smith Heard Round the World” Photograph by Matt Price

ARTLESS: You’ve talked about being heavily involved in online photography forums early on in your career How did that criticism help you?

MATT PRICE: I think informed criticism is important, especially in this day and age where everyone has a platform, everyone has a mouthpiece, and everyone's been empowered to think that they’re a critic. I firmly believe that you can't be a proper critic unless you've attempted to do the thing you're critiquing. If you don't have an understanding of what it takes to do something, you can still talk shit all day, but if you've gone out to shoot skate photos—even if you suck—you've tried it, you put yourself in the trenches, and because you've done the activity you have a different appreciation for it. 

Going back to the forum days, getting critiques from people who were significantly further along than you in your craft is invaluable. Criticism is important, especially when you're in the early stages of learning. This is going to sound a little bit shitty, but there is some aspect of gatekeeping that is helpful. I don't believe in huge gates. I don't believe in 14-foot gates of barbed wire, but if there's a five-foot gate and you are scared to jump over, it can make you push through a little bit. 

I was critiqued as a kid and those dudes were harsh and mean, but it lit a fire under me. It helped me to be like, 'Oh, I'm gonna learn because I want to make sure these assholes like my pictures!' 

That being said, when someone is giving feedback, you always need to understand the power you hold as someone that person looks up to or respects or whatever. It's a dangerous, dangerous position to be in. 

priceyhot

A post shared by @priceyhot

“I’ll steal some gas, fix my motor… ” Check out Matt’s IG if you aren’t already following him.

What was it like submitting your work to a magazine in the heyday of print, knowing a Grant Brittain, etc. was going to look at and critique your work?

If you're giving your photos to Dave Swift or Grant, at the end of the day they're the voice of the magazine and whatever they say goes. I was fully prepared for them to straight up say 'yes' or 'no', no matter how much value I thought what I was submitting had. I had to be prepared for that. Luckily they were cool bosses and the feedback wasn't that harsh.

When you're working for a magazine or any media publication, you have to understand that you're helping the people who started that publication build and carry their narrative. That's what you entered into.

Adrian Lopez 1998 Photograph by Thomas Campbell (Courtesy of Chrome Ball Incident)

What sucks is that a relationship like that can stifle some creative people. Think about someone like Thomas Campbell—who I think is one of the most talented photographers of all time. His photos didn't always fit into the mold of Transworld. Transworld had a vibe, an energy, and a style. Those guys would get Thomas Campbell photos and not know what to do with a lot of them. Thomas knew they were good but maybe the person seeing them didn't feel that they fit their narrative and that's something that could push a unique style or voice out.

You touched on something that's very nuanced and can be difficult to accept. You can make something that's technically sound and that works visually, but that doesn't mean it's “right” for the project or magazine.

The hardest thing about making art is that it's so subjective, right?

It's hard to say what's "good" or "bad"--what's "right" or "wrong." I always say to people that if you want to be an artist, go be an artist.

If making art makes you happy don't expect to get anything else from it aside from a good feeling in your soul.

If you want to have a job, then you have to play by some rules and there will be different rules for every job. When you get to make something that is exactly what makes your soul feel good and then you get money for it, that's the dream. 

Do you feel that because there are fewer opportunities for traditional media as an artist and photographer, you have to seek other places to do your thing?

Unfortunately, I'm not a huge seeker. I don't like trying to find a place to put stuff. That's what Golden Hour was: my place to put work that didn't fit anywhere. I just made my own thing and didn't care how small it was. These days, most of my best work happens within the confines of a job because of the need to make money and survive. There's Closer which is great but it's only four times a year. I don't want to make my own magazine every three months or whatever because it's exhausting. I guess I'm lazy in that way. [laughs]

Golden Hour Issue 4 - Still available (hint, hint)

But if I see a skater that inspires me, I will reach out to them. I’ll go shoot with those skaters just for the sake of shooting with them and developing relationships, but that's kind of few and far between at this point. Also, interests change as you get older. I'm not trying to just be out all day, every day in the streets in LA. I love skateboarding but with where I am right now, I don't necessarily love that part.

Louie Lopez defining dipped. Photograph by Matt Price

Not to be a downer but it kind of feels like we're at this sad point where a person like yourself doesn't get the opportunity to almost “graduate” to be the photo editor of a magazine, so you can help other photographers instead of feeling the pressure to be in the streets.

Right. I would want that opportunity but I also don't want to run that business. Skate photography as a career has kind of disappeared. There are only a few people I can think of that make a full living doing it at this point and what is that living?

I'm 37, so a nice living to me is paying my bills and taking a vacation once a year--middle-class shit. Maybe five people on Earth can afford that by shooting skate photos? I'm not saying it's fair or unfair, that's just how it is. What I think is sad is that everyone--not just people making photographs--has to wear so many hats. You're a photographer and a team manager. You book flights, you pack boxes, you do design work, and you run social media. Some people could and should be excelling but have to juggle other things just to make money in skateboarding.

To go back to your question, it's a bit of a bummer that there's no magazine I could go apply for a job as a photo editor. I mean, there is one, but they wouldn't hire me in a million years.

I think skating could benefit from more styles and views of skateboarding being represented. That's the biggest shame to me. The magazines and media have the power to put people on the map and that map is shrinking.

Fuck, don't make me sad. [laughs] You work 20 years to be as good as you possibly can at this very specific niche thing, you get to a point where you feel confident, and then there's literally nowhere to showcase your ability.

Shit, the mags don't even have photo annuals anymore, which used to be my favorite thing in the world.

Totally. I will say that Europe is a bit different. Solo had an issue where they were looking for experimental and unique photo essays that I participated in. That was exciting because I have plenty of weird ideas and usually don't have time to make things just for fun. It was a great opportunity.

But you're right, Thrasher doesn't do a 13th issue anymore. They're not known for being the most out-there artsy, experimental photography magazine, of course, but they occasionally indulge that stuff a little bit—showcase some creative weird shit in there. We're just back to meat and potatoes content—tour articles and stuff.

Marbie Miller with the flick, Matt Price with the Flash.

This makes me think of something so simple that’s a bit lost or at least rare in skateboarding. I like portraits in general, but you don't see a lot in skating. Lou Reed was a prolific musician and people liked to take pictures of him because he was interesting. There are so many photos of Lou Reed and that’s amazing, but we don't necessarily look at skating or skateboarders that way. How many portraits do you see of Heath Kirchart or whatever...

Skateboarding reduces skaters to their tricks. It reduces people to their actions to a point where so many skaters don't have enough to stand on their own without those skate tricks. Also, the skaters hate doing it (posing for portraits) because they feel like they're nothing without their tricks. 

I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to shoot more portraits of skaters and they're so uncomfortable and they're so stiff. They hate it. They want to shoot bangers. The second you got to shoot a portrait, they're fucking petrified. They don't want to be in front of a camera, which is kind of sad. Skaters can feel like a trick defines them—that's all they have to offer and a picture of their face is useless and meaningless. That makes them uncomfortable.

As photographers, we need to foster a sense of like, 'Hey, you're interesting, you're cool, and you do cool things when you're skating--let's document that.' 

We miss out on so many moments because we're just talking trained to define people as their tricks. I've been working for the last five years—maybe a little more—to shoot portraits of people to try and put them in interesting situations. I'm still not great at it. I'm relearning that whole part of photography, but I make it a point when I'm out with people now to snap at least a couple of portraits.

A triptych of Mr. Price’s portraits. Head to Matt’s site (specifically the Blog section) to enjoy more.

What we’ve been talking about highlights something unique about where media in general is. On one hand, you have the ability for anyone to make what they want… often for free and that gives a voice to people who were often ignored. On the other, because we’re so used to free content, there’s no money to showcase things or nurture art, unless it’s selling something.

It's funny, as you said that you sparked another idea—this concept of the reverse gatekeeper. Let's just talk about magazines, right? There was an editor who was the chief creative of the magazine, then the owner or publisher above them.

The editor's job was to be the barrier between the people making things and the people thinking about money. That's such an important role to foster a community and whether it's a magazine or a paper or whatever—shielding all the creatives, nurturing them, and letting them come up without getting the shards of fucking nickels and pennies raining down from the top.

That's a crucial thing that is disappearing because the middlemen are getting cut out. Publications and media companies are realizing, 'Oh, we can just hire these photographers straight-up and pay them nothing and they'll do it because people want to do this so badly.' 

Those people—the ones that are protecting and nurturing art—just don't exist anymore and even if they do exist, they're not coming from a place... fuck, this is going to sound pretentious... they aren't coming from an art-minded space or they think of the best way and most special way of showcasing skateboarding. It's usually thought about from the perspective of, ‘What's the headline? What's hot, what's going to sell... what's going to create clicks?’

No one's thinking about what's best for skateboarding or even art.

A Dane Brady slappy by Matt Price that makes me think about art but also, those fucking bolts…

Studies show that over 61% of the American population collects things.

My friend’s Dad had his study lined with vintage beer cans and he could tell you something about each one of them. Learning about his collection was a painful lesson in vintage aluminum and rife with tedious tales such as a 30-minute story about this “doozy of a dive in Oklahoma City” where he had the best wings of his life and kept some shitty IPA as a souvenir but I appreciated his passion for can design.

In doing these recent eBay dives I’ve noticed that the more I scroll the more I’m tempted to buy random things that I probably don’t need. Like many folks, I may not consider myself a collector of anything but I have collections of stuff. (Shit, I guess that means I am a collector)

Unlike comic books, custom cars, or trading cards, skateboarding collector culture is still relatively underground or maybe, “behind.” There are online collecting forums, museums, books devoted to collections of decks, and several Instagram tribute accounts devoted to different brands and eras, but the actual collector space is spread out. But Skateboarding does have an annual “con” (SkaterCon) where seekers of rare and cool stuff can converge. If you’re interested, act quickly because it’s coming up this September.

I haven’t attended SkaterCon but Same Old and Bobby Puleo checked it out in 2019. Check the video below.

Most of us can’t attend SkaterCon and there’s no Kelley Blue Book to tell you what an old deck is worth, so figuring out what to collect, how to collect, and what the market price for an item may be is daunting. How are you to know what a good price for a Sean Cliver print or an old Sal Barbier H-Street T-Shirt is… or where to even find that stuff? Hopefully, this piece helps.

So how do you start collecting curating skart and what should you pay for your non-deck skate artifacts?

Anyone reading this with a background in economics is saying “Well, Anthony, something is worth what someone will pay for it!” 

They aren’t wrong but they also aren’t necessarily right and I’m hoping the tips I’m providing will offer a better understanding of Skart Value® and a more efficient shopping experience.

Jeff Kendall > Keith Haring

YOUR PROFESSIONAL SKART COLLECTING TIPS

KNOW YOUR BUDGET

Have a dollar amount in mind before you start combing through auctions. You’re supposed to only gamble what you can afford to lose but good news: when you acquire skart you can only win!

OK, you could get burned on a transaction but you know what I mean and hopefully, these tips help.

Only spend what you can afford and look within that comfortable range. If you’re discovering that what you want isn’t lining up with your auction budget, hold tight and see if the prices drop, or maybe settle for less expensive reissues (if available).

Seriously, don’t overpay or impulse buy. You aren’t trying to be skart-poor just to own an old T-shirt.

ASK QUESTIONS, DON’T PUNISH

Unless someone is urgently trying to raise funds on some one-time situation, most sellers of things know how the auction systems work and know questions are coming. They’re pros (sellers), remember.

Seasoned auction folks are aware of their ratings and feedback and how that impacts their selling power, so feel free to ask questions on auction sites and other online shopping destinations.

You might want to know the dimensions of something or get some tidbit about the item and that’s totally cool. Have you seen some of these eBay descriptions? Sometimes they’re like, “I got this a while ago, it’s really cool.” OK, but what size is the thing?

Just don’t be aggro or impatient, especially before you get an item. Why? If there’s a problem with a purchase and you need to file a claim, having a paper trail of aggression isn’t going to help your cause. Also, if someone isn’t being cool in your correspondence, it might make you rethink a potential purchase and sometimes that’s a good thing.

As a general rule, being nice is the move, and also, you might get a deal or some free things thrown in with your purchase and that’s great. No one wants to deal with a punisher, especially when money is involved.

THE A-WORD: AUTHENTICITY

Because we don’t have an agreed-upon grading system for skateboarding stuff* and, unlike buying sneakers on eBay or other reseller sites that offer authentication, your quest for skart is a “let the buyer beware” landscape.

*The Art of Skateboarding does have a serious glossary

I can’t help you verify signatures, dates, or realness, but I can caution you to be mindful of the details in listings and photographs.

Here are a few things to note:

• When buying photographs—especially when they aren’t purchased from the artist—be mindful of the printing and paper. Digital prints aren’t necessarily “fake” but there is a lot of forgery happening online. If you’re seeing a Glen E. Friedman flick for sale on “any size stretched canvas you want” and it’s not being sold by GEF, that’s not good. Strive for photos printed on archival paper and of course, if they’re signed, that’s a nice assurance.

  *Photographer people, if you want to correct me or clarify here, hit up the comments and I’ll edit the post.

• Old shirts are going to have old tags and also, they’re often single-stitched. Usually, those direct-to-garment digital repros are easy to spot because they’re priced low and offered in a variety of sizes, but occasionally someone will try to pass them off as an OG. You’ll also encounter shirts that are “without a tag” which could be a normal thing that happens to an old garment that’s been washed a bunch or perhaps someone removed it for comfort, but that’s often a red flag.

• Read the descriptions and compare photos to other listings and auctions. For example, if you’re looking for a sold-out Strangelove print you can pressure test a listing against the photos posted on Strangelove’s site and Instagram account. Do the signatures and colors line up? Sure, screens lie, but this is going to help.

• You’re bound to find old sketches, paintings, and art that weren’t signed by the artist. Is their rampant Gonz forgery on eBay? I don’t think so but a signed work is always a.. well, it’s a sign that something is legit. Also, if you’re buying a work from someone directly, make sure they sign that shit!

• Check the ratings of the seller as well as the feedback. This was mentioned earlier but it’s a massive help. Someone with little feedback or past auctions? That could be a sign of trouble—could be, I’m not trying to be an asshole.

TRANSPORTATION BLUES

Shipping costs are high—we know that. Local pick-ups are a way around the fees but also, that can be awkward, so don’t go that route unless you have a good vibe about going to a rando’s home to procure goods.

Also, beware of gassed-up shipping and “handling” fees. You can get quotes online to decide if what someone is charging is fair but also, be mindful of their time and materials. For example, you might find that a poster will cost $9 7 change to get to your door but the seller has to pay for shipping materials such as a tube and the gas to get to a post office or whatever, so padding the costs a few bucks is reasonable.

Factor in the shipping costs in your budget to not only get your item but also get it to you safely. Take out insurance. This is important! Protect your investment and also, make sure prints, photos, and paper are sent in one of those tubes I just mentioned and not folded up all weird and shitty.

DO YOUR RESEARCH (OUCH)

Check completed listings on eBay and Artsy, etc. for the items or similar items you’re trying to find to get an idea of the going rate. That sounds simple but there are factors that will inflate prices. For example, right after something drops and sells out, you’re going to see prices peak but as the sugar high fades, prices tend to normalize. So maybe you’re bummed that you missed out on a limited edition print. That sucks but you can set a reminder to check auctions in a few weeks or a month to see if the price is closer to your sweet spot.

You can always ask other collectors what they’ve paid but understand that people tend to say they paid more or less than they really did for an object. That’s just how it works.

Forums. You can get on forums. And talk to people about old shit. Just don’t get too sucked in or you might get red-pilled or something. That shit is real and I know how the internet works. Conversely, you could meet some great people and form friendships that will really last. You never know.

BUY DIRECT

If you’re looking for a painting, drawing, or photo and the artist doesn’t have a hub and or you aren’t seeing their work on eBay, etc., a polite DM or email is nice. I mean, ideally, we’d be buying all this work from the people who made it, but that’s not always the reality of collecting or how capitalism functions—there’s often a middle person, so try to cut them out.

Collectors, pro skaters, ex-pros, art makers, photographers, etc. are used to people asking if they “have any old shit lying around they wanna sell.” Seasoned veterans are hip to this ruse.

I’m NOT encouraging you to potentially punish people but it’s perfectly fine to ask someone (nicely) to buy their stuff.

When you go direct, be direct:

“Hi (person), I’m a huge fan of your work and wanted to know if there’s somewhere I can buy (the thing) from you. Thanks so much.”

Something like that. This might open a dialog asking what you’d pay for something and it’s always smart to lead with your best offer. Negotiating is boring and you aren’t trying to rip anyone off, so just tell them what you’re able to pay if they aren’t providing a price/being vague, at worst, you’ll keep it moving.

TAKE CARE OF THE THINGS YOU “WIN”

This goes back to the whole budget thing. If your purchases require framing, it’s probably going to be expensive, especially when it’s an object that isn’t a common size or something such as a T-shirt—shirts can require a lot of work and materials to frame.

Factor that in and try to find an affordable way to preserve your item so it won’t degrade. Those different glass options at framing shops are legit but also, you might be looking to frame an old poster or something and letting it age can be fine or charming.

I lost a bunch of shit in a flood—it’s more common than you think. Avoid keeping items on the floor or in spaces where they’re going to get wet. Do you have some type of renter’s or home insurance? Well, research your policy, especially if you have some big-ticket items. Think about where you’re going to display this new thing. Is it going to be in direct sunlight? Will a pet or child potentially knock into it? You never know if you’re going to resell it and having that piece in great condition is… it’s just smart to take care of these artifacts.

DON’T BUY IT IF YOU DON’T LOVE IT

Unless you’re a flipper, you’re buying things can be emotional. Saying to yourself, “Do I really wanna look at this thing every day” or “Will I be stoked to own this?” can prevent regrettable purchases.

Photoshop the item in your space and see how it feels. Does the idea of looking at that thing or wearing that thing or reading that thing bring you joy? Does the price equal the potential joy? It does? Epic, you should buy it.

I’m not trying to be all Marie Kondo or whatever, but it’s important that you’re buying something you’ll love and not buying or bidding on something you kind of want because you can’t afford the real deal. Save up. Set a goal. Be patient. Maybe the thing you really want will fall in your lap and in your budget.

WHERE TO GO

eBay: “Connecting Buyers and Sellers Globally” 

What a weak ass tagline. eBay is the most common and easiest-to-use hub for skateboarding collectibles. Have you ever messed around on an online forum? It can be really challenging if not draining on your mental health. If you’re looking for artwork–we’re talking prints, original drawings, paintings, etc—eBay is where most of it lands outside of Instagram. Because of its review system and buying assurances, eBay is a trusted place to buy things with one caveat: It’s up to you to decide if what you’re buying is legit. 

Searching for the stuff is actually trickier than just typing “Neil Blender Art” and hitting a button, but like actual skateboarding, you’ll try, fail, and develop your own search style.

If you do your own legwork, you can pay a fair price for something. So what’s that fair price? Without heavy number crunching, you want to keep a few factors in mind.

• What did something sell for at retail?

• How big is the edition?

• What have prior auctions sold for?

• What’s the condition?

• How confident am I that this is real?

What’s interesting is that if you’re looking for an old Mark Gonzales board, you’re going to pay as the Olson’s say. How many of those boards exist is unknown but if you want to buy an original Gonz drawing or painting, it might actually be a more affordable and potentially profitable investment. Weird right? There’s only one Gonz drawing and it’s yours but a Mark Gonzales deck, originally made in the thousands could cost you thousands. Art is strange.

Remember, prints or collectibles may double or quadruple on the resell market once they’ve sold out and that’s fine. You missed the boat and now the original price is irrelevant—it’s all about what you want to pay.

MORE RESOURCES

Art of Skateboarding - An incredible archive of decks, sales prices, and other stuff I can’t use because I forgot my password.

Skull and Bones Skateboards - Also mentioned early and heavy on discussion and forum stuff.

The Seller Door Skater-owned online marketplace where you can buy a lot of recent-ish artwork, prints, and, objects etc. for retail prices.

The Secret Tape - All your video needs in one spot.

HVW8 Gallery - LA-based gallery that often has prints and artwork from the skateboarding sphere, most notably Brian Lotti and Mark Gonzales.

Artsy Mainly a spot for prints, original artwork, and paintings but you’ll also find other skate stuff here and there. If you’re looking to invest in serious skart, this is where you wanna hang out. The snag is that you’ll need to request pricing for a lot of items—that’s serious shit.

Facebook Marketplace & Craigslist - The lottery ticket of collecting. Art rarely comes up in these places and when it does, it’s either “you’re high” pricing or “holy shit, I hope this is real” pricing. 

Instagram You know it, you use it, you probably follow some accounts focused on old stuff, now use it to build your Skarthive. More importantly, IG is your direct line to artists who make great things. Yes, you can DM the icons and try to buy their stuff but I think it’s a lot more exciting and interesting to hit up new folks and invest in new creatives. Just saying.

Reddit? haven’t had any luck there.

These resources aren’t the most comprehensive, so if you have some suggestions, leave them in the comments and I’ll add them to the post.

THE CONCLUSION

I don’t know about you but I’m sparked to buy some things. I figured I’d link to some interesting auctions to not only get you started on Skart Collecting, but also, to give you an idea of pricing. Some of these are sweet deals.

Disclaimer: I’m not connected to or making a commission off of any of these auctions.

Ed Templeton Print and Book Approximately $245.23

Ed Templeton 6”x6” print $680.00

Ed Templeton Handsigned Print $2000.00

Thomas Campbell Print $1,800.00

Thomas Campbell Print $2300.00

Pushead Toy $250.00

Pushead Mystery Pack $71.00 At the Time of Publishing

Todd Francis Signed Print $99.00

Lance Mountain Print $75.00

Lance Mountain Print $89.99

Neil Blender Designed Bo Turner Sticker $15.00

Elissa Steamer Trading Card $20.00

Sean Cliver Print $250.00

Sean Cliver Sean Sheffey Print $275.0

Tobin Yelland Print $84.00

Mark Gonzales Art $804.30

Mark Gonzales Priest $492.82

Wes Humpson Illustration $399.00

Rob Dyrdek Signed Street Dreams Poster $125.00

And the chewed-up but awesome poster below for $44.95

THE END

“Bro’s $5.00 Find Could Be Worth… $200!”