An Art Show Celebrating Thirty Years of the Screaming Hand

A tribute to the artist Jim Phillips and a skateboarding icon

Audio Tour

Jim Phillips

History Of The Hand

Audio Tour

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Acrylic on canvas 21.25” x 24.5”

The Cubist Hand was one of a series of 5 acrylic paintings I made in 2008 based on the Screaming Hand. With this painting I set out to create an edgier version of my iconic logo, and one done in another style of art. Cubism, established by Picasso and Braque, was a major development in modern art and seldom seen since. I would consider my painting is more of a cubist influenced graphic than actual cubism that spawned a hundred years ago, but the context allowed a way for me to dabble in a playful way with the apparent anguish of the Hand outside of the usual constraints.

jimphillips.com

Acrylic on canvas 20” x 16”

I grew up surrounded by my Dad’s art, so I was influenced by him since I was a small child. We would draw together on the same paper and take turns drawing a piece of the same picture. He would show me little tricks with shading and lines that I still use to this day. My favorite art pieces of his were the concert posters; they were always so energetic and fun to look at. I’ve been a Godzilla fan since I was a kid, and I was thinking how the Screaming Hand is this larger than life icon that no one can stop, so it seemed fitting to have “Handzilla” on an unstoppable rampage! My favorite style to work is pen and ink creating bold eye popping graphics for anything that needs some eye candy.

jimbophillips.com

Acrylic on canvas 9” x 12”

I’ve been around my grandpa’s art for so long it’s hard to say the first piece of art I saw, but his art definitely influences me a lot while I’m trying to think of what to draw. I decided to do the Creature from the Black Lagoon hand because my grandpa likes the movie and I always liked the scaly, webby hand of the creature. I am 13 years old and my favorite kind of art is crazy faces, zombies, and waves. I usually draw with a pencil and then go over it in pen.

instagram.com/colby_phillips1

Mixed media on paper 20”x31.5”

The first of Jim’s designs I remember was the Santa Cruz slanted strip logo; whenever I think of my early years of skating that logo is burned into my brain, clean and simple. In the 80’s every Phillips graphic design was epic and it made trips to the skate shop like a trip to an art gallery... with stickers! I decided to make an actual hand drawn; hand printed big ass sticker pack as a tribute, because I think the Screaming Hand design originally first made its way around the world as a sticker. I’m mostly known for my crappy rock posters for small or no label punk bands and I don’t take art direction worth a damn. I love pen and ink; there’s just something about the black line on white paper that I love.

facebook.com/paulimagine

Ink on paper 18” x 24”

As a kid I would draw anything and everything that I thought looked cool and what’s cooler than a blue hand emoting rage? Jim’s illustration style and technique choices were what always stood out most to me and I remember attempting to draw the Screaming Hand at a young age. Observing his work is what led to my obsession and love for illustration and why I am so honored to now be illustrating for the very same Santa Cruz Skateboards brand that Jim helped create. For my piece in the show, critters, creatures and ghouls come together to form the Screaming Hand. Ink on 18” x 24” 100 LB/260 GSM Bristol Smooth paper.

pitchgrim.com

Acrylic on paper 8.5” x 11”

I always thought Santa Cruz graphics were real solid, I didn’t know who drew what or how they happened, then I got to work with Jim and he drew my graphics! Loved his work, and when the book “Surf Skate & Rock Art of Jim Phillips” came out and I got to see the scope and quality of his work that has gone on for decades, I was blown away that he inked so many amazing pieces. I’ve always loved those locked up lettering graphics and solidly lined illustrations, but I’m just not that great at them, and I feel like Jim is a master at those kind of things, so I never felt directly inspired, just in awe.

instagram.com/oscarputdowntheknife

Lettering enamel on glass 14” x 19”

The Phillips Corey O’Brien Reaper deck; that board to this day is completely unbeatable. I remember seeing it and wishing every deck in the shop could look as wicked. I chose to mix iconography from the Hindu goddess Kali with the infamous Screaming Hand to reference the god-like status of the Hand in skateboarding. Like it or not, that graphic is a deity amongst skateboard art. It’s as recognizable to a skater as the Guadalupe virgin is to a Catholic. As much as it is branded Santa Cruz, its primary achievement is best known for promoting and reflecting the creativity and energy that skateboarding gives to all of us. I chose to do the piece in 1 shot enamel and gold leaf in reverse on glass because it’s the media I enjoy most and I always say, “Get your point across with gold!”

instagram.com/coolhandken

Oil on canvas 12” x 16”

I moved to Santa Cruz at age 19 and discovered Jim Phillips’ genius. I submitted artwork to NHS, Jim caught wind of me and we soon set to work compiling “Roadrash” skate comix. I had my mentor... and I was like a sponge. I saw in his style an ability to create volume and mass with his clever use of black and white inks. Negative and positive spaces...pioneering shading techniques...just amazing stuff. He is smart as a whip, endlessly funny, patient, caring and generous. They broke the mold with Jim. I have always heard a scream emanating from that mouth....and I thought who better to wear the hand but Bruce Lee? In my later painting studies, I traveled to India and studied the way they used vibrant blues and violets to depict their deities. It was kismet.

justinforbes.weebly.com

Acrylic on wood 45” x 16”

The first Roskopp board in ‘85 was so powerful and then the more graphics I began to see, I just realized that Jim’s mind was kind of un-hinged and had far less boundaries than most artists. So I would pretty much say his art generally seemed way beyond and not even influential to me, because I have never seen myself as having those kind of chops. I am just playing in my little artistic sandbox. Phillips is just a straight gnar burglar. I thought about doing some kind of interpretation of the Screaming Hand. Then I figured everyone else would be going down that road. So I got literal with it, and just spelled that shit out, and then cut it out. I think it’s kinda funny, and making myself laugh with art is a big aim in what I do a lot of the time.

trimyourlifeaway.com

Mixed media on panel 24” x 24”

I really liked how Jim Phillips played with the screens on purpose to get different colors and stuff. The Hosoi Madonna air deck and the Kendall Pumpkin with the green and black grid hands- so much of everything he has done I like. I can’t collect the stuff but I wish that I could. I don’t see my art in the same realm as his but I have a great appreciation and felt honored to be asked. His stuff would be on the top of the most liked boards, as far as in order of art on boards. Mostly I do shit cause it makes me happy. I’ve made money as a pro skateboarder for a pretty lengthy time and I am fortunate to still be a part of it, in the sense that I am allowed to kinda fuck off as an artist.

krookedskateboarding.com

Acrylic on black canvas 27” x 15”

Same year I got into skateboarding, 1989, I was aware of the Screaming Hand (and by extension Jim Phillips’ artwork). Pretty sure my brother and my friend Rolf both had the shirt, I felt like it was everywhere and I instantly recognized it as iconic; it seemed to embody all that was skateboarding artwork! We’ve seen about every possible rendition of the Screaming Hand over the years except where the hand came screaming from. My piece leaves a lot to be imagined as far as the human being this arm was attached to, but it does at least give a little love to the stump left in the wake. I usually work with a pen and paper, the end result is almost always a skateboard. That’s really all I’m interested in, applying my art to skateboards.

instagram.com/toddbratrud

Acrylic on wood 7” x 26.5”

I am not sure about how to answer this in less than 100 words but I was pretty young when I first became aware of Jim Phillips and he’s amazing. He’s super nice. My piece is on wood, that I kicked off some nice furniture during an adult temper tantrum that I immediately regretted because wood chips landed in and on my snacks; chips ‘n dip. I chose wood also because I can’t make decisions farther than I can reach and I went with it. Hand banana influence because Lee Charron asked if I wanted to be in the show and then I saw that everyone was in it and I never wanna be left out. I got respect for wack M.C.’s vibe, water base paint because care bear hooked me up with the materials, also its hand banana from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Watsonville.

instagram.com/jason_jessee

Indigo ink on cotton 21” x 21”

I visited a shop in the ‘80’s with my parents. It was full of Jim’s art, and I was so impressed with his work. There were decks for Hosoi and Jason Jessee, but the Roskopp Face and Screaming Hand made an unforgettable impression on my mind. As I recall now, that was my first encounter with American art as well as the skateboarding subculture. I was hooked. I first came up with the idea to create this as a “gift”. I don’t own a PC, so I created this all by hand, without using any digital product or software. It’s color, “ai” in Japanese, or indigo, was hand-dyed using the traditional Japanese method. The material of this bandana is 100% cotton. The white sections were made by discharge dying, or “bassen” in Japanese. The printed section of thick color was made with indigo ink, a mixture of indigo pigment and glue.

facebook.com/makoto.yamaki

Acrylic on panel 11” x 14”

I would hang out at my neighbor’s house and stare at the graphics on his skateboard. The bold, iconic art featured a target with a monstrous arm breaking out of the center and pointing to slimy, dripping letters. This image captivated me... I could just imagine what horrible thing was behind that crumbling target. With each new Roskopp deck, more of the monster was seen until... BOOM!!! His WHOLE FACE covered the entire deck! That face is burnt into my subconscious mind forever. I don’t think I would have started drawing without this inspiration, so I owe him a great debt. Jim’s art always has a narrative, which is sadly missing from modern skateboard art. I wanted to tell a story in my piece and if you look closely you will see the bones of the victims that wandered too close to the Screaming Hand tree!

crabscrambly.com

Mixed media on panel 12” x 12”

First time I saw Jim’s artwork was in an old Thrasher Magazine this kid gave me in junior high. And there I saw SLIME, TEETH! MOVING STRANGE GLOBS OF RIPPING GNAR BEASTS BUSTING THROUGH THE BOARD ITSELF! I basically saw everything I loved in just a thumb nail size ad. Jim Phillips became my hero in a matter of seconds. I did my version as a nod to the base level energy of the original version. The blue screaming hand is simple, direct and perfect. The most iconic skateboard design, possibly ever. Old school simple and direct, make something in relation to the very thing that got me so excited way back when. A decayed screamer. This painting was done with acrylic paint, airbrush and ink all applied with a fancy brush from France.

theartofskinner.com

Ink on paper 18” x 21”

I followed Santa Cruz Skateboards as a kid in the mid 80’s, due to the graphics. Jason’s, Dressen’s, O’Brien’s and the Tom Knox graphics were the best. Everything Jim produced seemed to go together so well, from the ‘Sun God’ graphic to the Santa Monica Airlines boards. Bullet Wheels to OJ and Slime Balls- It was all on point. When the original ‘Screaming Hand’ graphic was released, obviously there was no internet or cell phone in daily life at that time. My piece is a response to how popular skateboarding has become, coupled with the already popular smart phone and social media lifestyle. For better, or for worse. This piece is ink on paper dated from 1930, appropriate in an increasingly paperless world. This paper made it almost 100 years to be in this show. I don’t know if a digital file will have that type of resilience.

benhortonart.com

Ink on paper 12” x 18”

Growing up in the ‘80’s , Jim’s work was part of a holy trinity of skateboard art (Phillips, VCJ, Pushead) that is so engrained it’s beyond influence and part of every aspiring skateboard artists core DNA. While I knew at age four all I wanted to do was draw, it was Jim’s work that made me realize what I wanted to draw art for skateboards. Approaching this show, I did not want to stray far from the classic Phillips style. I ended up mashing the Roskopp face into the Screaming Hand for a true Jim-enstein. Rather than go the fine art route, I did it the same way I would a skateboard job. Inked on paper and colored in the computer, then printed on a shiny paper for that 90’s slick bottom feel.

instagram.com/ayejayart

Screenprint on paper 24” x 30”

When I was invited to be part of the anniversary show I was so honored that I couldn’t turn it down. The Screaming Hand graphic is one of the most iconic graphics in skateboarding and it meant a lot to me growing up. Some of the very first graphics that made me really take notice in 1984 were the Slasher and Corey O’Brien reaper. If it weren’t for those graphics, I may not have pursued a career in art. After some sketching, I finally settled on the screaming glider plane concept--it pays homage to an icon that has made such an impact on my life while simultaneously reflecting my style. I use a lot of aviation imagery in the Benny Gold brand, which all goes back to the Stay Gold glider that started me on this journey.

bennygold.com

Ink/pencil on paper 15” x 12”

As a little kid in the 70’s, I saw the Road Rider and OJ logos and then the Independent logo, but I didn’t know who the artist behind the art was. It wasn’t until 2003 when I went to gallery in Santa Cruz that I saw a bunch of original black out lines of logos and the board graphics Jim Phillips did. I was really blown away by his talent, looking at the little details and how strong the impact and longevity these graphics have had. I like to rework original skate graphics into a 1940’s American traditional tattoo style simplified out lines. Skulls with flipped hats has become one of my trademarks and I had drawn this piece up two years ago. Its Sharpie Pen and Pencil on textured paper. It’s the Screaming Hand meets a Suicidal/ Venice Gangster.

instagram.com/ericdressen

Spray paint on panel 16” x 16”

It was 1985-86, The Sports Loft in Los Altos, CA., and the smell of surf wax mixed with the imagery of Jim Phillips and Santa Cruz skateboards. My first board was the Roskopp 2, an aqua board with pink arms and a neon yellow target, Independent Trucks and Slime Ball Wheels. Phillips’ art was just amazing at 8 years old when I first saw it. It is now even more amazing to me as I understand the insane amount of brushwork and detail that went into his designs. The list of artists involved in this show all rely on insane Jim like detail. I thought I would go the other way, hoping to stand out, as well as put a different spin on the much loved Screaming Hand. Simple and clean with a nod to Bauhaus and nice big chunk of Screaming Hand Blue. All spray paint.

benraney.blogspot.com

Acrylic on canvas 10” x 10”

I worked at NHS in the 70’s and remember when Jim brought in pencil sketches and Jay Shuirman and Rich Novak would go over the designs. It was in the early days when artists worked with ink, stats and ruby film overlays. Watching Jim’s sketches go from ink finals to skate graphics on decks, stickers and t-shirts highly influenced and inspired my career path. I wanted to create a female version of the Screaming Hand. Skateboard graphics are mostly designed by dudes and being one of the few females in the skateboarding industry doing graphics, I wanted it to have a bit of attitude. I actually was going to a middle finger bird, but choose to do something a bit calmer. I hand drew and then scanned my drawing into the computer and reworked it in illustrator, then output it to museum-quality canvas on a wood frame.

maximumimpactdesign.com

Mixed media on wood 26” x 32”

First time I say Jim’s art I was in the 7th grade, this kid had a Roskopp deck and the art burned into my brain. He also had Slime Ball Wheels and that combo was just so striking. That art was a game changer, a face melter. My version of Jim’s Screaming Hand had to be barfing something. I’ve done a shitload of pizza punk junk over the last few years so could be what better than that, right? I also wanted to give it the “Blacklight Rebellion” treatment and make a custom built frame, a frame I would want to hang in my own house.

facebook.com/dirtydonnyart

Acrylic on skateboard 9” x 22”

Jim Phillips’ early work was in the Santa Cruz Skateboards ads. I think the Road Rider logo was one of my first favorite things in skateboarding. It symbolized freedom and open road, that anything is possible! Then it was the Indy logo. So balanced and menacing and dynamic. Skateboarding was no longer a son of surfing, it was skating period. Jim really helped put skateboarding on its own path. The Screaming Hand is super iconic and I just wanted to add some good old fashioned fun to it all. I thought it would be funny to do a screaming butt. And a broken board would symbolize the true do or die, till death attitude. It’s coffee stained and dripped with some vibrant acrylic, original dead Hand blue to give it the totally ‘80s feel. I’m glad I got a chance to be a part of the action.

blacklabelskates.com

Spray paint and house paint on canvas 36” x 36”

Definitely a super iconic image right out the gate and realized as time went on, Jim Phillips made a big impact in the skate scene. He’s a boss. When I was growing up I was hyped on graffiti, but couldn’t do it very good, so my homie Steve showed me stencils. After that I painted every shirt, board, and human that I could get my hands on. Since I can’t get enough of the 80’s and felt skateboarding graphics were the best then, so I chose to use neon colors and drip it out. I chose to make a stencil and spray paint the Screaming Hand on a house painted canvas because 99% of my art is stenciled.

mousemovement.com

Laser engraving on wood 13.5” x 16”

The first piece of artwork I remember was a Santa Cruz Skateboards ad; it was an illustration of a skateboarding dog front side carving a bank. I thought the detail was insane and Jim really made the dog seem like it was hauling ass! I owe a lot to Jim for helping with my art career, he taught me so many things in those early years. I see everything in a different way now, shadows, highlights, negative and positive space balance. For my piece, I wanted to do a different view than you would normally see; my idea was to give it the effect of a spider crawling towards you. I drew the hand in Photoshop, then had the artwork laser etched in an old redwood plank, and then made a frame out of the same wood. I really like how organic it looks.

creativevigilante.com

Ink on paper 13” x 16”

I think the first of his graphics I saw was the original Rob Roskopp deck with the blue arm coming out of the target. I loved the drawing style and the bright colors. The print quality on the Santa Cruz decks was really tight too. Over the years I rode lots of decks with Jim’s graphics: the Roskopp Street, the Slasher, the Kendall graffiti deck, the O’Brien with the reaper. So many awesome boards. Wish I still had them. I traced the Screaming Hand and just altered it on the fly. I inked it with Sharpie markers on Canson drawing paper. It’s part of a series I call “Modern Hieroglyphics” based on traditional tattoo flash. My aesthetic is mostly black and white, due in no small part to my color blindness.

mikegiant.com

Acrylic on canvas 11” x 14”

I discovered Jim Phillips in Junior High as I buried myself in the skateboard culture of the mid 1980’s. Santa Cruz made great quality boards, and Jim’s artwork made them look cool as fuck. I studied his line quality and powerful use of color. He is one of the biggest influences on the way I draw, then and now. I wanted to create a piece that embodied Jim’s influence on my artwork. It is an original creation crammed deep with screaming hands. The “hand bunny” is something I’ve been drawing since the 90’s, and this version is homage to one of the most iconic symbols in skateboard culture. My preferred mediums are pen and paper, and acrylic on wood.

sillypinkbunnies.com

Acrylic on wood mounted on metal 22” x 22”

I was in high school in the early/mid ‘80’s and I saw the original Slasher somewhere, probably in a skate magazine. I drew it on my denim covered 3 ring binder and the rest is history. I must have drawn it on a dozen other kid’s binders; I charged them $5 each to do it... I probably owe Jim a few bucks for helping start my professional art career. We have all drawn the Screaming Hand at some point. Well, now imagine that the guy who created this iconic image was going to set eyes on your version... No pressure, right? Drawing is special because that is when the magic is initially captured, but the painting is where all the magic is revealed in it full glory. I knew I had to do something that is totally my style and as original as possible and the SKULL HAND was born.

humantree.com

Ink on paper 17.5” x 17.5”

Jim Phillips as an artist didn’t hit my radar until 1984. I’m unsure if Jim made the Malba Crash Test graphic that I was so obsessed with. I assume he did. In the summer of that year, at a backyard ramp, I saw a neon green Rob Roskopp. The simple iconic monster arm bursting through the target with that electric color was so rad. That day I became a fan. Jim continued to impress with graphics like Keith Meek’s Slasher, the Grosso’s Demon, and many more. He’s a master that will always inspire me. My own version of the Screaming Hand was an attempt to be as unabashedly aggressive and absurd as the original, as well as add my own take on a broader story. It was an honor to be able to pay tribute to Jim and to show my work alongside such an accomplished group of artists.

intsgram.com/plural

Pen/ink/gouache on paper 19.5” x 13”

The graphics that consistently stymied me were the works of Jim Phillips—not only for his incredibly detailed illustration work but the way he achieved an even denser degree of detail via the color separations. The Grosso “Toy Box,” in particular, was the one I could never quite wrap my head around, and, quite honestly, I still can’t to this day. Every time I came up with what I thought to be a “clever” take-off on the Screaming Hand, I’d then find out it had already been done, so a short trip to the bottom of the barrel later, hoping to go where no one would really want to go, this was the result. A rotten fruit of artistic frustration done in pen and ink with a touch of gouache on 1-ply Bristol paper.

twitter.com/seancliver

Acrylic on panel 25” x 37”

In the 80’s, I was really into goofy, gross-out art. Anything that your parents didn’t want you to have - Mad Magazine, Garbage Pail Kids, Madballs, Wacky Packages... and Santa Cruz Skateboards, Slimeballs, Screaming Hand, the Roskopp stuff, etc... Jim’s stuff was some of the first commercial art that felt like it was made for my tastes. The cartoon gore and pulpy humor has inspired me for 30+ years. So... everyone just walks around, accepting that there’s this hand – a screaming, severed, bright blue hand flying through the air – and there’s no backstory anywhere. Where’s the rest of this blue whoever/whatever that it needed to be cut from? I wanted to add to the story. It’s something that’s been in my head forever.

tylermoonemanuel.com

Acrylic and ink on panel 10” x 30”

It was the Roskopp 1 board that I saw in ‘85. I could almost hear the dynamic parts of the drawing, the slimy lettering stretching and squeaking and the shattering of the bulls eye. It’s Phillips’ line work and ultimately his hand that makes his work unduplicated. The weight and the depth he creates with his lines along with his color palette have created the imagery that has melted all of our minds since our childhood. I wanted to create my own take on what the rest of the character the Hand belonged to would look like. I made him in an action shot with vines coming out of the screaming hands and the character has my attempt at Phillips’ signature muscle shading. I constructed a wooden panel and used acrylic and ink.

bigfootone.com

Mixed media on panel 12” x 12”

I think it was the Street Creep Skull deck that stuck in my mind the most. I was flipping through some skateboard magazines at my friend’s house a long time ago, and I thought that Jim’s work was outstanding and imaginative. It was easy to read and yet it was complex. I like his use of line and ink. I was born in Belarus in the ‘80s. My art reflects my childhood and the surroundings I grew up in, being fascinated by my native country’s past, I like to create haunted and surreal images of war, religion, broken dreams and an uncertain future. I came over to Skinner’s art studio to paint and practice my skills and ended up painting a Hand for this show! It was done with acrylics on wood panel.

facebook.com/bouzikov

Ink on paper 17” x 13”

When I was 14, seeing Jim Phillips’ graphics was a pivotal part of my life. It made me realize, from that point on, I was a skateboarder. (That, as well as seeing an Eric Dressen demo in my hometown in 1988). The Roskopp Face or the Screaming Hand were the first pieces that made me aware of Jim’s work. They were so iconic and seemed to perfectly represent skateboarding of that era. I wanted the Hand to look like it had been dipped in toxic waste for 30 years and mutate and have eyeballs growing out of it everywhere. The majority of the work I do for skateboards is pen drawing and then colored afterwards. I always use the same pens that I buy in Japan because they have this really opaque quality. I like raw, sketchy looking graphics that don’t look too considered.

instagram.com/heroinskateboarding

Mixed media on paper 29” x 27”

I remember the Keith Meek Slasher graphic caught my eye because it reminded me of the Ed Roth monsters I loved so much as a kid. I always liked the Santa Cruz decks. Phillips’ line work was amazing. I would marvel over his perfect strokes and shading; and the details. The more you looked at one of his graphics, the more stuff you noticed in the background. If you don’t know what a Hand of Glory is, Google it. The first time I saw one was on the cover of the Flesh Eaters 1981 record “A Minute To Pray A Second To Die”. It’s a powerful image that’s always stuck with me; both mysterious and creepy at the same time. For this piece I combined two already powerful images that I hoped would result in an equally powerful hybrid.

johnmunnerlyn.com

Mixed media on paper 16.25” x 20.75”

Growing up in Santa Cruz, I would go to a shop in town called Bill’s Wheels and just stare at all the boards I would lust after. I grew up in an artistic family, my mom owned a small gallery and I would be constantly drawing under foot while she worked or taught painting. My dream was to draw skateboard art so I would trace over Jim’s graphics trying to incorporate his style into my own, how he would shade or light a character or scene. I was hooked. Every school day I draw on a lunch bag for my son, Bishop. Using only a Bic pen, sharpie and white colored pencil, I post them in the morning on my Instagram [@sc_goon](http://instagram.com/sc_goon). For this exhibition I thought “why not do an oversized lunch bag” and incorporate one of my favorite movies “The Shining”. Two great tastes that are great together.

lucasmusgrave.com

Mixed media on canvas 36” x 36”

At 9 or 10 years old, it was the Natas Panther board that it struck a cord in my head and ‘till this day is still one of my favorite graphics ever. I started to see all the classics like the Screaming Hand and all the Santa Cruz Skateboards then it clicked; “Holy shit this guy Jim Phillips is responsible for all these boards!” If skateboarding was a Mafia Family, Jim would be the godfather of graphics. The piece I did is an art style representative of two realities- life and the afterlife. You have the classic Screaming Hand in blue with a retro color gradient, then you have the juxtaposition of outer space and the skeleton of the hand. I wanted to mix the likeness of Jim’s work and my work at the same time. My mediums of choice are acrylic, water color, spray paint and graphic design.

bbbastidas.com

Ink on paper 12” x 8.25”

I got my first proper pro board Christmas ‘91, a Santa Cruz - Ross Goodman, with a grey wood stain. I had been obsessed with the graphic for months, always going into the skate shop to stare at how awesome it was. I loved the eerie colors and the strength of the line work and I was excited to see the top graphic of a skeleton pushing open the lid of a coffin to reveal the Santa Cruz Skateboards text. For this project I just wanted to make something that was very close to the original Screaming Hand, but with my own twist and gore. And it’s the closest way to ever get to collaborate with Jim Phillips himself. I usually work in pen and ink and a lot of my work is black and white and mainly pretty dark in subject matter.

funeralfrench.com

Wood burn on wood 16” x 34”

I have always been interested in symmetry, detail and vibrant colors which is something I feel Jim has truly mastered as an artist. I remember seeing the Natas Panther and the Jesse Neptune graphics when I first started skateboarding. Jim Phillips is more than just another skate deck artist, he really meshed fine art with graphic design to create a unique and original identity for a leading skate brand. I chose to wood burn my piece on an old skate deck canvas. I ran a skate deck horizontally down a table saw and glued the strips to a piece of shaped birch. I chose wood burning to create a raw monochromatic look, with tree roots growing from the hands to represent the history behind the Screaming Hand. I like utilizing recycled materials for a canvas, while using a combination of wood burning with watercolor.

nickgastonartwork.com

Ink on bristol board 18” x 12”

I don’t recall the exact moment. Maybe it was a Santa Cruz Skateboards ad in Thrasher, a Slimeballs sticker on a classmate’s notebook or neighborhood kid’s Roskopp skateboard. Back then cartoons, sci-fi and video games were early inspirations and then in my teens skateboard graphics, comic books and rock n’ roll album art. I do remember drawing the Screaming Hand and Grosso Demon graphic on my school book covers, much to my teacher’s dismay. Thirty years ago the Screaming Hand image was created by Jim Phillips and it was forever burned into my young brain. Using my hand as a model, I crafted my own version... beaten, bleeding, scarred and gnarled, yet unrelenting. For this piece, I chose to leave it black and white. It was drawn with a brush and India ink on Bristol board, left in a raw but bold state.

brianromero.com

Spray paint on panel 26” x 26”

As a kid, Santa Cruz Skateboards in ‘85 was the shit!! Phillips’ work was a huge piece of the puzzle. Thinking the gods rode and made these things....not realizing the scope of work and talent that went into the process and not realizing how big of a visual impact it was all having on me. I would dream as a little turd about ‘possibly being a pro. I remember thinking of what my graphic would be......it was a mix mash of Phillips artwork.....all based on the SPIDEY graphic! That board was my all-time favorite graphic from my little grommet shit-hood! Phillips rules. I’m honored to be in this mix. For my piece, I just cut the stencil and started painting. I constantly feel like I’m falling in some sort of shit hole or fucking up somehow, so maybe that’s where it came from?

losthighway66.com

Cut Rob Roskopp 1 skateboard 21” x 16”

I would say that Jim Phillips is one of the reasons I started skating in early 80’s. I saw some skateboard mail order ads in back of a BMX mag. The ad had all these small board photos with shapes and graphics. The Rob 1, the Slasher, all those heavy early graphics just drew me in. Nothing else had that kind of attitude. I had to get a skateboard! Once I got my first board, I literally sold all my BMX bikes the next day. For my piece, I just wanted to see the Screaming Hand move. The entire sculpture, tongue and fingers move if you turn a skateboard wheel on the backside of the piece. And what better thing to make it out of then a skateboard, wheel, and a truck.

widmannco.com

Mixed media on paper 19.5” x 26”

I’m not so sure I was influenced by Phillips Artwork at all. I did this art piece in question of why is the Hand Screaming??? Isn’t the Hand aware that “Silence is Golden”...

instagram.com/mrolson

Lettering enamel on steel 12” x 24”

Working with Jim Phillips’ artwork while at NHS has been a true honor. His work has left a lasting impression amongst the skateboard and creative communities. With an automotive background combined with street influences as the foundation of my style, I stuck with a traditional pinstripe layout. This panel is done in House of Kolor on steel.

instagram.com/k_haupt

Ink on paper 21.25” x 17.25”

In 1984, I scored the Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp monster deck... the first one of the series. I loved that graphic and I loved how it was solid blue dipped. The line work was just perfect. I learned later it was Jim’s art and I became a fan. My favorite skate graphic artist for sure. My first thought was to depict the Screaming Hand in my own line style (a lot sloppier than Mr. Phillips’ line) and belonging to one of my characters — in a medium I use a lot; pen & ink.

theartdump.com

Ink on paper 8” x 10”

remember seeing an ad for Rob Roskopp’s street model when I was 12 and I had to have one. It was the first good deck that I bought, mowing lawns to save up the cash. The purchase was exclusively based on the graphic (nothing against Roskopp). I still have the deck and it remains a favorite. I almost didn’t want to participate in the show because there’s no way to make a better Screaming Hand graphic than the original. However, I just tried to put my spin on it. I used ink and paper because I imagine that’s how the first version came to life.

msieben.com

Acrylic on panel 8.5” x 10”

In a Skateboarder Magazine in the late 70’s, I saw the Santa Cruz and Independent logos, but I didn’t actually know who designed and drew them. But it was Jim’s stuff in the 80’s and his cartoony styled graphics that really grabbed my attention, from the first Rob Roskopp graphic to the Screaming Hand. You know my history with Dragons and Powell- Peralta so it was only natural to create the Screamin’ Dragon Claw. Skateboards are a wood base, so I used a wood panel to do my design and ink and acrylic to apply as a medium since it’s one of my favorites to work with. My daily sketches and ideas are the seedbed of my work and I derive a lot of my imagery from car- toons, hotrod and pop culture - but try to combine and transcend these sources into something colorful, witty and pleasing to the eye.

instagram.com/steviecab

Oil on canvas 30” x 40”

My best friend had one of the Rob Roskopp boards when I first got into skating. I just remember how detailed it was. I didn’t really know anything about art at the time (still don’t), but knew it was something special. I choose to do a neoclassical oil painting for this project. I just figured more people would focus on the Screaming Hand so I thought it would be interesting to include Jim Sr. himself into the painting. It is based off the famous painting by Jacques-Louis Davis of 1801 called “Napoleon Crossing the alps” (the first Versailles version). It seemed perfect because it included a strong portrait and the hand as a central part of the painting. My favorite styles of paintings to work on are “realism”, mostly inspired by Renaissance and the old masters style.

jasoncarnold.com

Jim Phillips

Jim Phillips, Sr. is a graphic artist best known for his surf and skateboard art. Born in 1944 in San Jose, CA, he has lived most of his life in Santa Cruz, California.

Phillips was Art Director at NHS in the 1970s and ‘80s where he created thousands of decks, t-shirts, stickers, product illustrations and advertisements. Jim currently continues producing art with an exclusive connection to NHS, creating limited edition decks and other special projects in the surf and skateboard industry.

His first published work was in the Spring 1962 issue of Surfer Quarterly. His “Woody” illustrations were the winner of a surf car cartoon contest held by the magazine, and his surf art appeared in many surfing publications throughout the 1960s.

His earliest jobs were in various surf shops that were manufacturing surfboards; much of that work was applying art and designs to surfboards. In 1965 and ’66, Jim studied fine art at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA.

See more of Jim Phillips graphic designs at jimphillips.com

History Of The Hand

I’m often asked where I got the idea for the Screaming Hand... like I had a store where I could get images. Sometimes an idea just pops in my mind, and I’ve trained myself to be receptive. Scream- ing Hand dates back to high school where I liked to spend my time drawing epic surfing and skate- board pictures and give them to my friends.

In typical surf scenes, I would draw a big wave and a goofy surfer with sight gags like circling shark fins or a clenched hand sticking out of the water like a drowning guy. That intrigued me after I saw a drowned guy at the beach, snot coming out of his nose after some men tried to revive him, the first dead person I ever saw. Stuck in my mind, I drew the clenched hand on my book covers and notepads.

Fast forward, and NHS is forming a wheel line and asked for a logo for Speed Wheels Santa Cruz. As I sat at my drawing table and clenched my left hand, I penciled a sketch, thinking about how powerful the hand is, how artists have used it in ges- tures to express emotion. Then I thought about it being even more expressive if it had a mouth right on the palm, and how much more if it was screaming! I got pretty worked up and knew my drawing would make a cool logo, though it took some time to talk the manager into it. We made stickers and T-shirts, and soon the Screaming Hand proved itself as a powerful icon that certainly earned its own way.

-Jim Phillips

Created in 1985 by illustrator Jim Phillips, the hand served as an overall brand image for the entire Speed Wheels line, which included Slimeballs, Bullets, and OJs. With a blood-stained compound fracture, flapping tendons and misplaced mouth piece. This aggro amputee became one of the most recognizable skate logos of all time.

Thrasher Magazine May 2002

Screaming Hand Logo sketch • 1985
Black keyline art • Screaming Hand Logo
with Tendons • 1986
Color mock for printer
with Artist notes • 1986
Black key line art for OJ T-shirt • 1987
Black Key line art for Slimeball wheel • 1987
Eric Dressen "Bad as Hell"
OJ ad proof Thrasher 1988
Mickie Alba "Say it Loud"
Bullet ad proof Thrasher 1988
Speed Wheels team "2nd coming"
Ad proof Thrasher 1988

Audio Tour

Jim Phillips

History Of The Hand

#screaminghandartshow   #yearofthehand
santacruzskateboards.com