Our fourth artist is Annu Kilpelainen, a Finnish illustrator with a love for all things ludicrous. Her work ranges from abstract yet intricate murals to eye-meltingly colourful art pieces and illustrated insights to daily urban life, all laced with her technicolor imagination. Her growing list of clients and projects includes The Sunday Times, Battersea Arts Centre her own ‘zine and a colouring book on Evolution coming out later this year.

Here’s what Annu had to say on the Deck Chair collaboration.

 

What was the inspiration behind the artwork you created?

I wanted the artwork to have movement and be fun and be a bit chaotic like skating. 

 

Tell us about your process?

Skateboarding requires determination but as well with it comes the ability to relax and have fun. I wanted to show this in the artworks. For the bottom side of the decks I created an everyday scene of girl letting loose on washing dishes – who ever said that can’t be fun? There’s splashy textures to go with the scratches and marks you get from skating. And on the top of the decks I created an abstract pattern, it’s birds eye view of possibly the best skate park in the world with endless amount of curvy ledges and little spots.

 

What is your most memorable skate moment?

I’ve got to say, I am way better at snowboarding but I got in to skating through that too. Think the most memorable moment has to be learning to skate and hulahoop at the same time. It looks stupid but its actually quite fun.

 

What is your most important piece of furniture

I think definitely my table, it’s a massive old piece of board found outside my old house. It’s damaged already so few extra paint drops make no difference. It was actually the first piece of furniture I got in London.

What do you think connects skateboarding and art?

Freedom of expression and style and also the fact they are really for everyone and anyone can start skating or doing art just by getting a board or couple of pens.
But also both require countless efforts before you master them and as there’s really no rules there’s endless possibilities to always learn something new.

 

What was your favourite board graphic?

Finnish Control Skateboards (goes by the name CTRL now, mostly doing streetwear) was massive in Finland in the late 90s. And I was really into the whole ideology and visuals they had. All the graphics either has some funny jokes inserted or cool colours and patterns.

 

Have you seen him?

Yué is a Chinese-born French artist. From illustration to painting, animation or even direction, drawing is always at the base of Yué’s creative process. Combining East and West, he’s been working a lot on burning subjects lately!

 

What was the inspiration behind the artwork you created?

The main inspiration is to draw something that can age, that exist even after being skated and the patina of time as a chair, and a random and free handrawing style but carve it in the wood, in the matter itself.I usually listen to music when I draw, so there will be a lot of references to what I’m listening to at that moment, and I browse the internet looking for visual stimulations or I flip through magazines and images I collected! It’s changing every minute: I never know what it’s gonna look like til it’s done!

 

Tell us about your process?

Every new medium is an excuse to explore new techniques, so the each board is a step of the learning process. The first one is the more random one: the lines lack in details, but I’ve tried piroengraving, drilling, burning… On the second and third one, the lines are more controlled. I explored colourblocking and old leaves and tried to create a main horizontal figure and a main vertical figure and different ways to organise smaller doodles! 

 

What is your most memorable skate moment? 

I don’t skate so I don’t have any memorable moment of my own!

 

What is your most important piece of furniture?

My bed.

 

What do you think connects skateboarding and art?

The urge to express yourself. 

 

What was your favourite board graphic?

Jim Phillips’ screaming hand! That gold and blue Supreme board from back in 2008 or 09, a lot of Geoff McFetridge boards…

 

Have you seen him?