Producer Deck
By Richard's Beard!
A collector reached out to commission this deck artwork based off the famous photo of Rick Rubin.
$500 USD Acquired
New work is priced at current rates, not the price shown above.
The Story
Commissioned custom skate deck art of Rick Rubin.
Commission
A private deck collector asked me if I would create a specific board for them based on an idea of theirs. The specs were pretty open: a painting of Rick Rubin. No other constraints.
So, I looked around at paintings made by others of him and I landed upon a photo by photographer Robbie Fimmano for "Interview Magazine with Rick Rubin" back in 2010. This was for an interview with him by RHCP’s Anthony Kiedis. Incredible.
The reference photo seems instantly iconic even considering this was only a few years ago. I cut the search short because I felt that it best represented the persona and captured the confidence and experience he has in creating the most amazing albums and bands of the last few decades, including that of the Beastie Boys, Madonna, Metallica, Weezer, LL Cool J., Run DMC, and many more.
I chose a greyscale palette and painted a base of several layers of enamel and high-alkyds in a way that created a chaotic and crackly crazing effect. Over that is acrylic brushwork with high-flow paints and inks. Then the details were added with a scratch board style. A slight wash of sepia is visible, as well. Topped off with a glossy magazine-style varnish, it was complete.
The video clip is during the varnish process.
This was my first commission this year and I enjoyed the challenge and the process.
Thank you, Chris, for letting me share this one.
Details
- Commissioned one-off original
- Acrylic details over high-alkyd bulk paint for texture
- Four coats of acrylic varnish with spot gloss and matt varnish details
- Custom, American-made, hard rock maple deck
Each art deck comes with our custom Floating Cream Skate Hanger made from Skatelite and includes all-stainless hardware. Hanging Instructions will come soon.
