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.
The Shop
Related Posts
-
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE IN THE WAY: A LIST OF ICONIC SKATE VIDEO PEDESTRIANS
Whether mildly famous, drunk, or boiling over, these pedestrians left their mark in the skate videosphere forever.
-
WHAT WENT DOWN AT OSKI’S NEW CONTEST IN MALMO, SWEDEN
Some highlights from Oskar Rozenberg's jam style contest that looks more like a hectic block party.
-
LEARNING 540S WITH ZION WRIGHT AND JAKE KEENAN
Watch our friend Jake try to learn his dream trick from a master.
-
CHECKING OUT RELICS FROM THE SKATEBOARDING HALL OF FAME ARCHIVE
We took a glimpse at some of the rare skate goods that are not yet viewable to the public.
-
“PARTS” WITH LUCAS PUIG
We hit up France's smoothest export to see what he's watching when he isn't surfing, parenting, or synchronized skating with planes.
-
GETTING KICKED OUT OF MIDTOWN WITH CHRISTIAN HENRY & NAQUAN
We took advantage of quarantine to try and hit some Midtown spots that we thoughts were tourist and security-free...
-
A QUICK LOOK INSIDE BRIAN ANDERSON’S FIRST ART SHOW
“Fathers Afloat” explores Brian’s family background and features artwork from both his father and grandfather.
-
SECRET HOBBIES WITH ELI REED
Enjoy episode 2 of our new series that finds out what things skaters secretly fan out on (besides kickflips and pants).
Comments
Popular
-
KEITH HUFNAGEL ON THE FUTURE OF HUF
We heard a rumor that HUF was going out of business, so we talked with boss man himself to find out.
-
THE RETURN OF LURKNYC
"I think people really appreciate the documentary style filming, like getting the random shit, more than just skating."
-
50 THINGS TO DO IN SKATEBOARDING BEFORE YOU QUIT
From dropping in on vert to packing 12 deep in a minivan and going on a road trip, this list covers the essentials.
-
THE THIRD ANNUAL 999 CHALLENGE IS HERE
Think you have what it takes to win $999? Sign up, and let's get ready to rumble!
-
FROM PRO SKATER TO POSTAL WORKER: LIFE AFTER SKATEBOARDING
We met up with Joey Brezinski to see how the second chapter of his career is coming along.
October 27, 2019 6:39 pm
I went to AIB and had Joan as a drawing teacher! She gave me 2 of his first zoo york decks. Such a cool lady.
March 19, 2022 5:20 pm
anyway tom you got it right like https://skateboardwarriors.com/best-clear-coat-for-skateboards/
October 31, 2019 6:32 pm
Eli’s mom is a Tom Kacere fan, eh?