Art on wheels

In the meeting room on the first floor, Michelle Yamamoto “lassos” kids back to their stations in an effort to keep her “skateboard art” class on schedule.

Working over the course of three Saturday sessions, the class allowed students to design a skateboard deck— from a blank deck and pencil sketch—to a working board complete with art and wheels.

During the final class, Yamamoto helped finish the boards with grip-tape and varnish before handing them off to Jacob Weill, who showed students how to attach wheels and trucks. Weill was recruited by his wife Mary Pastrana, the programming director for The Dalles-Wasco County Library. Weill said he had skated enough to learn the basics. “Enough to sprain an ankle trying flip tricks,” Weill said.

Yamamoto, a former competitive skateboarder who now teaches art privately and at Hood River’s Wildwood Academy, said the uniqueness of “skateboard art” gets kids involved, whether or not they’re particularly interested in skateboarding.

Inspiration for students’ boards included movies and TV shows, bands, pets, family members and bees.

Ekylah Sutton-Lott said she has always liked bees and that her hive-and-garden themed board was not the first piece of her art they had inspired.

“They’re actually really interesting,” said Xander Neely as he buzzed between working on his deck and trading snacks with big-brother Westley.

Yamamoto once again herded Xander back to his station and asked him to focus so he could be sure his board would be ready for finishing next week. He gets back to work painting the faces of characters from the manga “Inuyasha” as a few classmates start brainstorming some new and exotic “Hot Cheetos” flavors.

Student Braulio Robledo took to the internet on the first day of class to find inspiration for his board and was happy with the finished product.

“I can’t wait for people to walk up and ask where I got my board so I can say ‘I made it,’” Robledo said.

Yamamoto said kids should be exposed to art and that creativity “can save some people.” She said art gives kids an opportunity to feel pride and ownership.

Before sending students out with their boards, Yamamoto talked to the class about skateboard safety and etiquette. “That’s an important piece of this whole thing,” she said. Yamamoto told students about a friend who died on the day of his high school graduation when he was hit by a truck while skating in Hood River.

Yamamoto asked students to “skate responsibly” and told them to make sure they could “pump” and “carve” confidently on flat ground before skating on slopes.