Street Decks

DeLeva starts with used, street wise, wooden plank, skateboard decks. He is am absolutely inspired by their random scrapes, stickers, gouges and scrawling’s. From there Don paints into the surface and finds hidden images thoughts and scenes.

DeLeva tries to capture the essence of how skaters interact with their environment. The streets become a canvas and a journal of sorts, where each trick and scrape tells a story. The act of skating is more than just a sport; it’s a form of expression and a way to channel emotions. Don’s approach is to acknowledge this interaction with the urban landscape and the present moment as it adds a rich layer to the narrative of skating. Think of them as “wooden diaries”?

Medium: wood skateboard deck, with mixed media.

Most of DeLeva’s decks are hand-painted using high-quality oil paints, which ensures a refined and lasting finish. When Don first started, he experimented with permanent markers, acrylics, enamel, and spray paints. Due to the nature of these materials, the decks may not be as archival as his fine art oil paintings. Some of these early pieces feature sticker graphics, tar, and old varnish beneath the layers of oil paint. Don DeLeva has made every effort to prevent issues like yellowing, peeling, flaking, and deterioration, but given their unique composition, they may change over time. This is reflected in the pricing. Despite these challenges, Don truly enjoys creating these decks and is proud of the artistic journey they represent.

If you know of any skate shops that have garbage bound decks in the Seattle area, send DeLeva an email, ddeleva1 at Gmail.

ddeleva1at Gmail.

These decks are so radical!