French skate artist rallies San Mateo community

While the shop has hosted many shows and events over the years, Motzek and Beaufort teamed up again for a do-it-yourself event that Atlas hasn’t hosted before. On Sunday, April 20, Beaufort, along with Motzek and other members of the skate community will head to a popular skating spot in San Mateo — though not an officially designated skate area — to beautify the area through painting and skating. 

“The goal behind this project is to show that we can involve people that are not really into skateboarding but are into art and merge the art community and the skate community,” Beaufort said. “The artist will make the spot sexier, and the skaters will be able to come and see something more colorful and beautiful.”

The event blends both of the worlds Beaufort inhabits, but it’s also about community, he said. While he is now a full-time artist, he can’t imagine himself painting alone in a studio all day.

“I love bringing people together for something that I love, whether it’s art or skateboarding. You don’t need to be gifted, you don’t need to be the best. You just need to come over. I give you a brush and you just paint with us,” Beaufort said. 

Like Motzek, Beaufort has been immersed in skate culture from an early age. But it wasn’t until he was 27 that he started painting his own work regularly. 

“When you grow up in skateboarding, you love art. I grew up checking the designs behind boards, and I went to art shows all the time, but I didn’t feel the need to express myself until later,” Beaufort said. 

For Motzek, the skate and art world are inseparable. 

“I believe skating is an art form … and there is a total art form in capturing the culture of skateboarding,” Motzek said. 

Community events like the upcoming DIY project are important for the skate community, he added. Advocates have made progress over the years securing more public park access, adequate infrastructure and resources. For instance, Motzek noted the brand-new skate park in South San Francisco’s Centennial Way Park South as a prime example of dedicating resources and implementing feedback from the community, he said. But there is still a long way to go in other spots, including San Mateo. In February, the San Mateo Parks and Recreation Commission discussed what kinds of upgrades should be made to the Shoreview skate park, given a limited budget. While the updates are welcome, Motzek said the city hasn’t allocated skate park funding to the degree it agreed to years ago, and there is still a negative association with skateboarding among some city leaders and influential individuals, he added. 

“We hope there is more of a progressive mentality around nontraditional sports or activities and not rolling out the red carpet for just pickleball,” Motzek said.

He added that community events that improve public spaces can help build stronger support at the grassroots and city level.

The DIY event will take place on Sunday, April 20, in San Mateo.