Inside the Vans Pro Bowl: Interview with Artist Travis Millard

For the 2015 Vans US Open of Surfing, Rich Jacobs, Jay Howell, and Nathaniel Russell returned once again, working side by side with newcomers Travis Millard and Sasha Barr to create a truly unique and vibrant art piece inside the entire Van Doren Invitational bowl.  For this year’s bowl, Nathaniel Russell dreamed up a beautifully imaginary world of small headed giants who eat, drink and make music.  The striking and iconic works and abstractions of Rich Jacobs flowed from transition into the vert wall.  The illustrative and humorous talents of Travis Millard took shape in the form of a jawless skeleton falling to the enormous comic portrait of the fanged lawman. The wild, offbeat line up featuring 42 characters from artist/animator Jay Howell stretched from the extension wall to extension, facing some menacing psychedelic goat heads.  Opposite, designer Sasha Barr’s cube laden piece provided a graphic contrast with a methodical and optically stimulating scene featuring various objects from an eight ball to ladders and eyeballs. 

Name / Location?

Travis Millard / Los Angeles, CA

What’s your background as an artist?

I come from a printmaking background, so that informs my working process. Zine-making, short comics, illustration, some sk8 grafixxx, been able to design some records for a few of my favorite bands. Mostly things that keep me hunched over a desk under a lamp for long periods of time. It all comes back to drawing somehow.  

How did you get involved in the 2015 Vans US Open of Surfing?

I’m not sure how it happened exactly, but I’ll just say the Bowl Trolls shined a light upon me and I was called up. 

What was it like working inside the bowl? How did you approach it? What were the challenges?

It was so much bigger than I imagined, and hot as hell in the afternoon sun. I just tried to work larger than I thought I could, and take moments to step back and see it from further away. It helped to tape some chalk to a long stick and sketch it out with big stokes. Never really messed with spray paint before, using different tips and drawing that way, but I just embraced it and took a risk. There’s something energizing about working out of your comfort zone and kinda going for broke. 

You created some colorful pieces including the skeleton and a portrait of a fanged lawman – What trick or tricks are you hoping to see on them during the Skate contest? 

Just something stanky will make me happy.

Favorite moments from this year inside the bowl? 

It was like one long burning favorite moment that extended a whole week. 

How was it working with all these different artists from various backgrounds?  

It was hugely inspiring to work alongside these guys and see how they all approached it uniquely. Everyone came to it with a little something different, and as a rookie in there I was kinda looking to see how they were each handling it. Ultimately you just have to work it out, but it really helped to watch how the dudes took to it and reacted to what I was doing. 

Last words?

I would just like to thank everyone who helped us out so much along the way; Eladio Correa, Joey daRoza, Jun & Moé, Erik Caruso, and Michael Hsiung.. and just a big thank you to Vans for letting us come out there and paint that giant bowl!  Shred the gnarpuppy.

Text and photographs by Michael C. Hsiung.  Additional photographs provided by Amanda Rae Stephens.