We don’t often have the chance to see into pro skaters’ family lives. Besides the familiar story of pros leaving home in their teens or growing up in rough situations, disconnected from their families, a lot of pros just don’t want to publicly share their families. (Trust us, we’ve tried.)
So we were excited when Eli offered to let us tag along with him and his mom for a day and ask them questions about their mother-son dynamic (including her reaction to Eli skating the Playboy mansion).
Eli’s mom, Joan Ryan, is an accomplished artist and teacher at the Art Institute of Boston. She’s made graphics for Eli’s former clothing brand and his current board brand Becky, and they’ve collaborated on legit paintings and artwork as well.
We stopped by Eli’s place in Manhattan and then to see some of Joan’s artwork at the Townley Gallery in Tribeca. It’s one thing to see a pro produce boards with scantily clad women on them, but finding out that his mom paints some of those pin-up graphics is way more interesting.
Related Posts
-
HOW TO FIX A CRACK WITH FRED GALL….KIND OF
Uncle Freddy teaches you how to bondo a crack.... kind of.
-
MUCKING AROUND MANCHESTER WITH HARRY LINTELL
Skating and meeting random drunkards in a city that was built centuries before America was even a thought in anyone’s mind.
-
FINGERBOARDERS NOW HAVE THEIR OWN EPICLY LATER’D (SORTA)
The true story of fingerboarding's hip-hop and party-loving pro is finally here.
-
HANGING OUT WITH… BRYAN HERMAN
We got in touch with Bryan at the last minute and drove 100 miles to Hesperia, CA with no real plan.
-
PREMIERE: MIKE MAG’S “BURDEN OF DREAMS”
Ever wondered what kind of skate spots you'd find along the Amazon River?
-
THE EARTHERS EP. 5 – SKATING DITCHES IN NEW MEXICO
Jake and some friends are out in New Mexico, driving around exploring the nooks and crannies of the desert.
-
WHAT IF HE NEVER BECAME A SKATEBOARDER: BRAYDON SZAFRANSKI
Braydon Szafranski following in his father's footsteps
-
TAYLOR NAWROCKI GOES BACK TO THE FUTURE TO SKATE SELF-LACING SHOES
We went Marty McFly with it and tried skating in Nike's newest self-lacing shoes.
October 24, 2019 3:42 am
Flush
October 24, 2019 10:29 am
he walks around the city in pajamas? New York is weird.
October 24, 2019 8:31 pm
You know, I found that very enjoyable, and even grounding somehow. It’s rad that Eli has such a healthy means of communication and collaboration with his mom. Cool dude, and cool mom.
October 25, 2019 7:53 am
Nice