Artist Profile : Keegan Callahan
Olive is doing something new this year and splitting up the graphic design work among up and coming local artist. That way we help the local art community and get people stoked on unique one of a kind boards. In a continuing effort to give props to these artist, we will be posting artist profiles every month or so.
This month Keegan Callahan
Name : Keegan Callahan
Age: 24
From: Norbeece(Northern British Columbia) originally, but I spent 4 years in Calgary before I moved out to Edmonton.
Currently Reside : Edmonton Alberta
How long have you been skateboarding: Since grade 5, coming up on 14 years.
How did you get into skateboarding? : My older brother Luke had gotten into it when he was 10 and had been trying to get me to start. To spite him for some reason I refused for two years and finally ended up cracking and got my first board when I was 10.
What got you interested in design / art : I was always into making things as a kid, I always had to have some kind of project on the go. When we really got into skating, filming, and making videos all of my creative energy went into that. By the time I was 18 I pretty much wasn’t doing anything that wasn’t skate related. I was working on a skate video parody called “Our Shit Dope Volume 3″ with Dustin Koop. I was waiting for a knee surgery and couldn’t skate and Koop was full time at ACAD. The combination of seeing the things he was doing at school, working with him on the video all the time and realizing that I wasn’t going to be able to skate forever opened my eyes to the whole design world. A few months later I moved to Edmonton and started a 3 year design program at Grant MacEwan.
How did you come up with the idea for a board about Ginger kids? : I think it was watching the Rad Factory Tour video, in which you guys would have been in close contact with park groms on a daily basis, as well as the ginger hair stylings of Mr. Loates and Mr. Oberg.
What kind of artwork do you like to do / favorite medium: Lately I’m getting into animation, which was one of the things I played around with before I started at school. Everything I do seems to pass through the computer at some point. I very rarely paint or make things entirely by hand anymore. I like 3D modeling and exploring the possibilities of that medium in non traditional ways, for example you wouldn’t expect that people would use a lot of 3D modeling elements for print materials but you can achieve some amazing results.
Shout outs and portfolio info: Skate world props go out to everyone behind a lense, Dave Bloom, Jeff Thorburn, James Berry, Brock Mitchell, Rob Thorpe, Ian Snow, Liam Mitchell, Nick Zinger, Nate Matthews, as well as all the hook ups, ruins up north, Taylor at Adio, and everyone at The Source. Design props, I bow before Dustin Koop, Nate Matthews and Kelsey Norman. Thank you for the positive influenence. Everyone that’s ever given me work, thanks a million. The ender ender goes to my family and my muse Brittany. The folio’s not up yet but its coming soon at, keegancallahan.com
