We don’t collect shit at AZPX. No re-issues on the wall, hell we barely kept a deck from our past runs over the course of 16+ years. The biggest collection is my son’s used boards I have saved over the course of his childhood, which I do not have that many since we usually pass our used boards onto someone else. I do however, have saved some choice items that have crossed my path on this skateboard adventure. One such item which I regard as probably my most treasured piece of skateboarding is an actual photograph printed on photo paper in a Tempe darkroom, processed and taken by Gavin Troy.
Sure, just the content of the photo alone is epic: Tony Fucking Hawk at Del Mar Skate Ranch on his first pro model. The photo is insane. Not only well composed, in focus and proper exposure, you can see the DMSR tile in the background along with Tony’s shadow. You can clearly see the Del Mar sticker covering the head of the Hawk and the Thrasher sticker on his helmet as he descends into the bowl. Not sure if this is a Cabellerial or a Lien Air.
Beside the epicness of the photo itself is that it came to me directly from the artist himself, Gavin Troy which is why it’s deemed priceless to me. A prolific artist in his own right, Gavin excelled not only at skateboarding (sponsored by G&S, Gullwing) but pretty much anything he did. I was lucky enough to find myself in art classes with him at ASU and even roomed with him for a short while in Downtown Phoenix. He gave me this photo one day and I have always had in my possession since about 1988. It’s moved with me a lot, now battered and a little dirty but still this image speaks volumes and reminds me of Gavin’s pure joy of skateboarding that has stayed with me ever since. Gavin now resides in Tucson with his son making amazing art, check him out sometime on Instagram @gavinhughtroy
Gavin had a part in this classic video:
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