Phil, most people know you first as a rider. How did you get into making art on the side?

I have always drawn or created something since I was a kid, but started to take art more seriously when I began going to school for graphic design. Before that I had just made scrapbooks full of stories, poems, ideas, drawings, anything really.

Wanting to take that to the digital realm made me want to go to school for it. When you are paying for your own college courses it’s hard to not take it a little more serious.

Do you see your art as an extension of your riding — or more as a fun outlet away from the snowboard?

I think it is more of an outlet away from riding for me. Everything I do is pretty inspired by skating or snowboarding, but it’s definitely more of a way for me to sit down, calm the nerves, and enjoy a different process that is more of an extension of my brain than my physical capabilities. It’s a little bit more relaxing and meditative than throwing your body through the air, for sure.

When Lib Tech asked you to create the artwork for the new Skate Banana, what was your first reaction?

I was super surprised. I had done other graphics for Lib but the Skate Banana is one of the biggest boards in the line so it’s pretty incredible to have done it knowing thousands of people will be on it.

How did you come up with the idea for the design — what sparked it?

I’m pretty sure this direction came about originally for the Off-Ramp, thinking originally of painting a skateboard with something totally different and using that for a base. Pete Saari and Annette (Lib Art Director) really liked the idea and we decided to follow through with it using a banana instead of some other art.

Walk us through how you actually made the design.

I took an old skateboard and drew a banana on it with some oil pastels, then skated a flat bar to make the sideways marks. It was only a couple hours start to finish but I probably re-drew the banana and skated it 4 or 5 times until I liked how the marks looked. It was hard not to overly mark it up, I had to do really short boardslides and really aim where I was going while sliding.

Did you treat it more like a “serious project” or more like “having fun and seeing where it goes”?

It was a total shot in the dark, I had no idea how it would look or if Lib would even like it at the end. I was at a skatepark with a bunch of people just giggling to myself doing these terrible boardslides but trying to get each mark in the right spot, probably looking like an idiot from an outside perspective. It was hilarious to me, and probably confusing for anyone watching. Totally unserious.

You’re not just the man behind the art idea — you’re also a rider on the team. How was it working with the Lib Tech crew to translate your idea onto the board?

It’s amazing. Annette is so talented at what she does and has been the art director for so long, she can take any piece of art and tune it up so well. I’ve learned so much from her over the years. We talked about this for maybe a week and then I went for it one afternoon and it was finished. Every time I get to work with her and Pete directly I get super excited.

Lib Tech’s printing process is pretty unique in the snowboard world — water-based, no toxic inks, zero hazardous waste. How does it feel knowing your design comes to life in such an eco-friendly way?

It gives you a really good peace of mind. It’s a totally different process than printing most other graphics I have done elsewhere, and Tim F tunes up the colors so nicely from where it starts, you can see the care that is put into each graphic. It’s not just take the file and print it like it’s a t-shirt, they really go the extra mile to make it look perfect and also make sure they can follow sustainable practices.

As someone who spends so much time in the mountains, how does it feel knowing your board and your art are made with the environment in mind?

It’s nice. It’s almost like composting a banana, you try your best to give back to the world and with everyone doing little things here and there we can accomplish a lot together. Mervin does a lot more than one person could ever do, but each step starts with one person caring.

What’s the one thing you hope people feel when they see or ride the Skate Banana with your design?

The Skate Banana is such a fun board, and the graphic was so fun to make, I hope anyone that rides on it remembers not to take snowboarding too seriously and have a lot of fun with it. That’s where the best riding and best ideas come from, just enjoy your time on it and be a goofball.

If you had to sum up this project in just three words, which would you pick?

I put the skateboard up at an art show not too long ago and it stemmed a really hilarious inside joke between some friends, so I’m going to say “that’s all banana.”