CCS x Lukas Kubeja

CCS sits down with Lukas Kubeja for the launch of the CCS Out for Delivery Collection. Shop the collection here

What's your name and how old are you?

My name is Lúkas Kubeja and I’m 24.

Where are you from?

I’m from Tacoma, Washington originally but I moved to Portland, Oregon when I was maybe 14. I did some years in NYC but I claim Portland as my home, my whole family is here. Plus it’s summertime so Portland is in its best form. 

4 part question:

Is this your first time doing graphics for CCS?

Yeah, this is my first time doing graphics for CCS.

Who or how did you get roped into painting the Mailbox on Fire?

(CCS designer) James Fink approached me about doing the graphic originally. The creative team at CCS had already developed the idea for the mailbox burning as a nod to CCS’ mail order origins. They sent me a Ted Walsh reference which definitely helped me understand more of the direction they were going for. He seems to draw from a lot of the early to mid 20th century American realist painters that I do so I felt confident that I could execute. I had a lot of liberty in terms of composition and mood so that made it easy to take their idea and transform it into something that was truer to my sensibilities. 

Are you stoked on how the board came out and the printing?

Yeah, for certain. I love how the texture of the linen came out in the print. That’s exactly how I imagined it. 

How many years have you been painting?

I painted a little in high school but I mostly just drew. I’ve only been painting consistently for a little over a year I think. 

Oils are notoriously difficult - Did you go to school to learn to paint? 

I only took one year of art class in high school. I’ve learned basically all that I know about painting, drawing, and art just from looking at artworks and researching on the internet. It’s a lot of trial and error at first. The nice thing about oils is that they take a long time to dry, so you can just wipe it off if it looks bad. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wiped away near finished paintings. It’s all a part of the process. 

Do you skate? 

Yeah, I’ve skated my whole life. I was hoping to be good by now. 

How'd you get into skateboarding?

My oldest brother was doing it and so I started. It’s a classic story.

What was your first set-up?

Well, I had a Toys-R-Us board at first but I’m not gonna count that as a first setup. I had a 7.75 PJ Ladd deck with silver trucks and bright green pig wheels. I wish I kept it. 

When you were a kid, did you see a CCS catalog? If so, what do you recall about it (covers, gear, etc...)?

I used to get the CCS catalogs sent to my house all the time. I mostly just remember buying an element flat bar out of the back. I learned to boardslide on a stack of pressure treated 2x6’s in my alley, so it was a big moment to have a flat bar.

Who are some of your favorite skaters?

My friends get me more excited about skating than anybody else. Aside from them, probably just Aidan Gillespie. I hope to meet him one day. 

What's your current set-up?

My set-up has been the same forever. Blue Eagle, Ace trucks, Formula fours

Who are some of your favorite artists?

A couple of my favorite artists that come to mind are Richard Billingham, Kate Sherman, Robby Muller A.S.C.

What's your current set up in the studio, IE where do you paint?

I paint in a shed in my backyard. It’s not very glamorous but I feel super lucky to have it. Also, if somebody in the world wants to help me make more art, I really need some climate control there. It also floods a lot so all winter I paint in rubber boots and insulated carhartt bibs.

Anything else we should know about you? Like what you do? How do you take your coffee? What is the name of your pet?

I don’t think so.