Growing up in College Station, Texas, I got into skateboarding around 1984 and 85 when I was 13 - 14. My first real board was a Santa Cruz Special Edition which was red with yellow details. The breakout fractures in this season are inspired by Texas Pro Jeff Phillips' board. Blazing Wheels takes its name from Thrasher Magazine's Skate Rock Volume 2 which came out in 1984 and I got on cassette at the time. This is my love note to 80's skateboard graphics and you can see lots of references - Hosoi type, JFA paisley, overall Jim Phillips look. By the time this season came out in 2004 I was still going deep into vector only work but was beginning to get tired of its limitations.