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Interview: Chris Bourke

  • 23 August 2021

It doesn’t seem 5 minutes since we did our first interview, but we have hit our 20th already. for this one I’m stoked to have one of my favourite skate related artists – Chris Bourke, to mark the event.

 

Chris has designed a bunch of outstanding graphics for Death Skateboards (amongst others) and also ran Spine Skateshop in Worcester for 11 years. Chris’ artistic style is one that is instantly recognisable and he has a real talent for putting the perfect wording to some really memorable art. Anyway, lets get this underway with some words from Chris….

 

 

 

Whats your current situation?

Hello. My name is Chris Bourke and I have been a full-time artist and printmaker for over a decade now and for eleven years before that I owned and ran Spine Skateshop in Worcester and during that time produced quite a few board graphics and a fair handful since. Skateboarding and Art have both been huge influences on my life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are you currently working on?

A few things which is usually the way, then one will kind of take the lead and i’ll pursue that until its finished and released and then its on to the next idea, my main love is making new work, but there is a ton of other stuff to get done every week, packing orders, editing photos, accounts, the actual printing of the work but honestly i can never wait to start the next new piece that’s where the fun and thrills are! In terms of the actual things I’m working on, I’ve just finished a print called There Is Only One Truth And Its Name Is Love which has a black and white and two hand coloured versions and so I’m getting that ready for release now and I’ve been working on small Playing card sized prints for release later this year. 

 

 

 

 

Favourite skate related possession

Probably one of the first Zarosh boards that I did the graphic for, signed and drawn on by Zarosh. Everything about that board gets me stoked, I love Zaroshs skateboarding, Love Death Skateboards with all my heart, Nick who runs Death will always be one of my heroes and i’ll never forget what he did for me during many tough years of retail, the graphic is still running a decade later, the board has had so many different incarnations thanks to Zaroshs creativity and he screen prints runs of them himself, cmon! it dosen’t get any better than that. I’d also mention the A Third Foot Flaming heart board which was the first board graphic I ever did so that will always be a special board to me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Something about you that is not related to skateboarding that people might not know?

I’ve just started playing two string slide bass, inspired by Mark Sandman (RIP) from Morphine, my sisters partner builds guitars and he adapted a bass for me. I’m still horrible but enjoying it immensely, its nothing anyone else would want to hear though. haha!
 
 

 

 

 

What did you do yesterday?

Woke up and had a cup of tea and dragged myself out and cycled to a local park where the sit up bars of truth (i named them) were waiting for me, did a couple of hundred sit ups, a load of press ups and a few pull ups to a soundtrack of The Doors and Wu Tang and then cycled up a big hill home – I’ve been doing this at least three times a week for years now as much for my mental health as physical, I’ve now got to the stage where i almost enjoy it, almost. Then i showered (is this too much info?) had some lunch and then took some orders to my local post office. For the rest of the afternoon I worked on the little prints I mentioned earlier, sent a few emails, had my dinner and then went to the supermarket, did a little bit more work on the prints and then watched a movie about midnight. 

 

 

 

 

 

Favourite period in skate history that isn’t right now?

I’ve probably got two, late eighties/early nineties, I still had working knees and was living down in Kent for a few years so skated Southbank (which was a whole different place back then, if you were there you were either homeless and living there or a skateboarder), Kennington, Romford and so many good spots, so lots of good memories of this time travelling about with my mate Ian and skating all kinds of spots, we even got to skate new cross before that went.
 
The next period would be the 2000’s, i set up Spine in 1999 and ran it for eleven years so it went right through the 2000’s, these weren’t always easy times and I worked way too much but they were also the best of times, the store was at the centre of a healthy scene, loads of great regulars, kettle always on and as much skating as I could get in but i also blew my knee out during this time and needed surgery so i wasn’t skating as much as id have liked for long periods, fortunately I had my art to work on during those down times.

 

 

Favourite skate spot of all time past or present

Easy. Droitwich Banks. RIP. I can’t tell you what those banks meant and mean to me, I actually learnt to skate transition on those banks and spent every minute I could down there. For those that don’t know the red brick banks were in a shopping precinct and ranged in size and transition with a grindable/slideable brick on top as well as a load of other skate able features, it really was too good to be true.

 

 

 

 

 

Favourite piece of skate related art that isn’t your own

 
I’ve got a couple of The Mo Wax Gonz statues, These are cast statues, I think called The Priest that were then hand drawn on by Gonz, anyway i’ve got a couple of good ‘uns that I got during my shop days. Other than those it would just boards I’ve collected over the years because i like the graphics, i’ve got a couple of nice Usugrow boards he did for Consolidated, One of the Jeremy Fish Unbelievers boards, just bits and pieces. I’m not really much of a collector but there’s a few things that are special to me.
 
 

What’s next in skateboarding?

Whatever you want. Thats why we love it.
I actually just got a txt from one of my friends who’s five year old daughter wants to start skateboarding and he was after some advice so I’ll be off to meet them in a quiet car park soon and start teaching her the basics, so if this is anything to go by I’d say the future is pretty bright. I think its also important though that in the midst of the Olympics that we remember skateboarding is a multifaceted activity that has lots of different aspects, those in the culture understand its links to art, video, music etc not to mention all the different styles of skating and what it can offer to those of us who were never attracted to mainstream sports.

 

Follow Chris on insta at www.instagram.com/chrisbourkeart

You can buy his art at http://chrisbourkeart.com/

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