Hey there, my birth name is Emma Grace and my clown name is Beaky Beakers but as an artist I work under my moniker P.Haps.
I grew up in the Shoals area (North AL) but I always knew I wanted to live at the beach. When I was 18 I drove down with my few possessions and my chihuahua Rudee by my side, and started out for the life I always knew I was meant for. I didn't know anyone or anything about the area, but I knew it felt right so I just went with it.
I truly love living here and most everything about coastal life in general. I think it's the only place in Alabama where I would really be happy living, so I feel lucky to be here. I travel internationally for long periods every winter, so it still feels fresh and exciting even though I've called this place home for nearly a decade now.
I love to skate!
My partner, Jason, loved skateboarding as a teenager but then stopped for about 20 years as life took him in other directions. When the lock down began last March, we started getting creative with ways to stay active and get outside everyday. We had to close our business, Yum Arts Collective, and were so unsure of what was to come. It was just such a dark time and we knew we needed to find daily activities to keep our spirits up and stay healthy.
Skateboarding became the perfect escape for us. I had never tried it, so it was fun for me to learn the basics as he rediscovered his childhood love for it. Jason busted out his old 80s Powell Peralta and let me ride his longboard. We were both having so much fun, it wasn't long til we got totally hooked and got a bunch of boards. Now we keep boards in our vehicle at all times and make a point of it to go skating everyday. We're building a mini half pipe in our backyard right now and I hope I'm brave enough to drop in by the time we get done with it.
Once I started skating, painting boards was the next natural progression and happened very quickly. I've made a living as a professional artist for the past 6 years, so I'm always eager to try new avenues in art.
The first thing I do is sand down the boards to get a nice smooth surface so I can make tiny, intricate details. Then I use acrylic paint markers to paint the board, always totally freehand. My work (and life) is very intuitive. I usually start with a very loose idea and just let my intuition guide me through the painting. I never know how its going to turn out, which can be exciting but also scary at times.
I spend anywhere from 12-18 hours on each board. So far I haven't made any prints, each board is totally unique and one-of-a-kind.
After I'm finished with the painting, I spend a few days applying 10-12 layers of clear coat to protect the artwork.
I charge $300-$600 for a skateboard and $400-$700 for a longboard, depending on the level of intricacy and detail. Surfboards and Snowboards start at $1,000- please contact me for more info.
You can email me at YumArtsAndCo@gmail.com to inquire about ordering your own custom deck.
Or follow my socials @YumArtsCollective + @artofhaps
