Meet Jim Callans | Artist & Skatepark Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jim Callans and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jim, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Creativity wasn’t something I chose — it was the environment I grew up in. My mother’s side of the family had a number of artists, so making things, whether that was visual art, assembling models, or building skateboard ramps, felt like a natural endeavor from a very early age. My father’s side were mathematical wizards and scientists, so I think I got a mix of the “no rules” creative mindset along with the pragmatic, analytic headspace. The interplay of these two backgrounds has driven my artwork and career through the years.
I never really thought about being anything other than a creative. I guess it’s just what I am.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My sculpture work lives at the intersection of the geometric and the organic. The forms are structural and considered, but the materials are modest and tactile: recycled chipboard and cardboard, salvaged from the delivery packaging that surrounds all of us in modern life. There’s something important about that, taking the throwaway infrastructure of contemporary consumption and finding beauty in it.
I use algorithmic and parametric scripting to generate cutting and sewing patterns from these reclaimed materials, which I then fold, assemble, and sew together using traditional bookbinding techniques. I sometimes run the work through vintage printing presses, setting metal and wood type by hand to add text and texture. It gives a thoroughly modern object a throwback, tactile quality. The digital logic and the handcrafted are completely dependent on each other.
The genesis of this whole direction is a piece called “Shelter In Place Helmet,” the moment everything clicked into a coherent language for me. The DNA of the work is simple: math and art are not opposites, handcraft still matters in a digital age, and beauty can come from discarded things.
The sculpture practice and my architectural and skatepark design work are the same conversation. Constraints aren’t obstacles, they’re the design. Some of the most creative skateparks in the world are DIY spots built under serious restrictions, and those limitations generate the most inventive results. My sculpture work taught me that, and I carry it everywhere.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First stop is Venice Beach, my hometown. The boardwalk is one of those places that sounds like a cliché until you’re actually standing there and you realize it earns every bit of its reputation. It’s the birthplace of modern skateboarding, a hub of creativity, and full of interesting people to watch. A bike ride down the beach path is non-negotiable. After that, we’re heading up Lincoln Blvd to Mariscos La Playita, a walkup window that most people drive right past. Don’t. The ceviche and burritos are as good as anything in a city that does Mexican food better than almost anywhere.
I also have to pause and acknowledge a place that isn’t there anymore. The Reel Inn at Topanga and PCH was my favorite restaurant for the last 25 years and it burned down in the Palisades fire. That loss still stings, and it’s a reminder to appreciate the places you love while they’re here.
For a hike, I’d take them up Los Leones Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains. It starts with a gorgeous single-track section and if you push up to the Parker Mesa overlook, you get an amazing view of Topanga Beach, the Getty Center, and on a clear day, all the way out to Catalina Island. It’s one of the best views in the city and most people have never heard of it.
Downtown LA is a full day. The walk around Gehry’s Disney Concert Hall alone is worth the trip. It’s one of the great buildings in the city and it hits differently when you care about architecture. Lunch at Grand Central Market, then the afternoon at the Broad, which is my favorite museum in LA. Free admission, world-class contemporary art, and a building that’s a work of art in itself.
And if it’s summer? Dodger Stadium at sunset. Cold drink, good baseball, the whole basin spread out below you in the evening light. There are few things more purely Los Angeles than that.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to recognize two individuals whose support, mentorship, and encouragement have meant the world to me over the years. The first is Penny McElroy, an incredible visual artist and typographer. The second is Raúl Acero, a talented sculptor and musician. Both of these individuals have had an enormously positive influence on my life, and I wouldn’t be who I am without the time I spent with them.

Website: https://jimcallans.com

Image Credits
Jim Callans, Chris Eidem, Mike Chapman