Louisville artist Jeremy Vessels turns recycled skateboards into sculpture, wall art, and functional furniture. After 40 years on a board, he opens up about trauma, PTSD, and why skateboarding saved his life. Jeremy Vessels started skating in 1985 after watching neighborhood kids launch over a parked car on a homemade ramp. Four decades later, he’s a full-time artist whose skateboard art has been shown at the KMAC Museum (Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft) and in a Chelsea gallery in New York City. In this Hidden In Plain Sight interview, Jeremy talks about: 🛹 Growing up in the Louisville and Midwest skate scene of the ’80s and ’90s 🎨 How skateboarding, art, martial arts, and music became coping mechanisms for childhood trauma and PTSD 🪵 Discovering skateboard art and furniture, and quitting his job to make it full time 📐 His flaring technique: stacking, pressing, and cutting skateboard veneers at compound miter angles to reveal more than the classic “skate stripe” 🪑 The influence of Charles and Ray Eames and molded plywood design 🏛️ Going from flea-market booths to museum and gallery walls 💬 Why the skate park should welcome everyone, and why failing over and over is the secret to success The skateboard has never turned its back on him, Jeremy says. And if you can fall down, get up, and keep going, you can own everything. Whether you’re a skater, an artist, a maker, or anyone who’s been told to keep the 9-to-5, this one’s for you. CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open 0:25 Meet Jeremy Vessels 0:58 How it started: the hill and the launch ramp 2:36 Mr. T, mohawks, and discovering punk rock 5:44 The Midwest skate scene and pro demos in Louisville 8:28 Finding something worth fighting for 9:54 “How rad do you want to be?” 11:04 A torture device that gives you freedom 11:39 Skateboarding has no boundaries 12:47 Watching skateboarding shape American culture 14:24 Skateboarding and the Olympics 15:00 PTSD and coping through art 17:40 Never, ever giving up 18:30 Freaks, outcasts, and an all-inclusive skate park 20:39 Why skaters become entrepreneurs 22:02 Charles and Ray Eames and molded plywood 23:32 Outgrowing his early work 23:53 Colored pencil, ink, and drawing roots 24:40 Discovering recycled skateboard art 27:51 Quitting the job and selling skateboard earrings 29:23 The KMAC Museum and a New York gallery show 31:30 Beyond the skate stripe 33:07 The flaring technique and compound miter cuts 34:29 “My art is whatever I make it” 35:22 Be rad or be a tool 36:26 Want to vs. have to: advice for young artists 👍 If this story hit home, like, subscribe, and turn on notifications. New Hidden In Plain Sight episodes every other Tuesday. 💬 What keeps you getting back up? Tell us in the comments. #SkateboardArt #RecycledSkateboards #JeremyVessels #LouisvilleArtist #ArtistInterview #Skateboarding #Upcycling #HiddenInPlainSight