Skull Skates would not exist without a small army of behind the scenes craftsmen and ladies that physically produce the Skull Skates skateboards and related merchandise. One of the standouts is artist and screen printer Kent Peterson who makes sure your Skull Skates garment has crisp, solid prints that stay on through much abuse. We recently had a moment to nail down this master printer in between production runs with the results shown below.
how long have you been a screen printer?
- I started screen printing in High school in 1983 in art class. My first project was making myself a screen printed T shirt of an image from album cover artwork.It was a black raven image from a Stranglers record. I started doing more and more projects that were not part of the curriculum and was kicked out of art class for not conforming. Soon after being booted from art class I managed to be dismissed from all but math class and showed up at school only to be a DJ on our school radio station. Played punk rock and electronic music. How I was allowed to come to school for just one class and DJ time boggles my mind. That would never happen today. After moving to Vancouver from Winnipeg which was my parents routine every 5 years, I started working for a T shirt shop with my sister in 1986 called Nonfiction Design.
I was trained as their first in house screen printer as a means in which they could control the quality of the printing for their designs. Nonfiction was sub contracting their printing to a large shop in Burnaby and they grew tired of having their T shirts fucked up.
It was hard work. I was 19 years old and was working full time for 3.65 per hour. I had 4 shitty screens to work with and the inks and equipment I worked with were in poor shape. My boss was from Australia and he stressed quality work. Each day I would start out with my 4 screens and a new T shirt design to setup / print and then Re-claim / clean the screens to be used the next day. Again... looking back how the fuck did I do it ?
I was afraid of not having a job and rent had to be paid. And yes I lived in a shit hole apartment with cockroaches leaky taps and had Tarot card reader living below that always asked me for pot. " the good ole days ? "
how long have you been printing stuff for skull skates?
- I've been printing stuff for Skull Skates when I re-joined forces with my first shop I started in Vancouver with Nonfiction Design. I had left Nonfiction in the late 80's to work for another shop for more then 3.65 per hour. I think my first Skull was printed around 1994 ? I started my own screen printing Company KPD - Kent Peterson Design in 2001 and took over the Skull Skates contract from there. As an employee of NF Design I saw that there was a growing lack of care of quality of work and the owner didn't really didn't give a shit.
boxers or briefs?
-Used to wear boxers these days it's those weird brief things that look like cycling shorts.
Never tighty whiteys or commando.
what is quality? KPD. Giving a shit about what you do. Thinking about the person that gets the item you made with your hands. Visiting the Hotshot and looking at the art gallery of shirts that I have screened with my hands in Canada. Taking care in every step of the screening process. Making choices in products and working processes that are responsible and sustainable.
what is art? Good question. I ask myself that a lot. Art to me is making something. It can have a purpose or no purpose other then to be looked at and enjoyed or not, by the beholder. I couldn't exist in world without art.
does music matter? Music has always mattered in my life. My father played piano. My brother Chris Peterson is an accomplished " Scary Music " electronic genius here in Vancouver. Chris has printed many a Skull Skates shirt with me as well.
I was so shitty at every instrument when I played gigs with I Braineater he had to put me in charge of smoke and mirrors / special stage effects. I mostly tried to hide on stage behind smoke machine effects. Music inspires so much in creative people. Another " thing " that I can't live without.
is screen printing an art form?
- Yup it is. I'm planning a Skull Skates tribute Art Show. Stay tuned.
what are the benefits of art in our world?
- Art can take us away from or take us to another world.
what can you tell us about the game of darts?
- Started playing in 1988. As a kid I was a standout baseball pitcher and I like baseball I always enjoyed hitting targets. My goal was to win at least one tournament and I have far surpassed that goal. I have won everything possible in league play multiple times and have been Vancouver Super League champion 5 years in a row. Played for our provincial team twice and made the top 4 in the World Ranked Greater Vancouver Open 4 times.
I enjoy the discipline and concentration required to excel in Darts.
It beats sitting around in a pub as well.
