In this ‘Subjective’ interview we chat with Dane Nomellini, a Seattle based artist, designer and co-owner of Pearl.

Thanks for being down to dig into some of your art & skate history Dane! Let's jump into it with some basic info about you. Where did you grow up? 

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

What was it like growing up in the bay?

My youth was spent in Sunol, CA, a small east bay town. We lived 2 miles up a canyon road. A lot of time spent outdoors, hiking around, riding bikes, swimming at the community pool etc. Pleasanton, where I spent my teenage years, is a more traditional mid-size suburban city. It has one of the oldest street style skateparks in the Bay Area, FGO (flat ground only).

Word, I’ve seen footage of that one somewhere. How did you get into skating? 

Skateboards were always around as a kid. My dad got me a Santa Cruz board when I was like 3 or 4, and my neighbor had a few banana boards that we used to roll down this grass hill on. He had two boards, one was blue and had Alf on it, that was the one I always claimed. I started getting more into the culture in middle school. The skatepark in Pleasanton was at a sports park where I played baseball. I would bring my board with me to baseball practice so I could skate after, eventually I quit baseball and skating took over. 

Same dude, I dabbled in baseball myself a little bit before skating took hold in middle school. What were the early skate days like once you knew it was your shit?

I moved to Pleasanton in like ’96-'97, I started to meet other skaters in town. Everyone would hang out at the skatepark. That’s where I learned to skate and made all of my friends. We would meet at the park, either skate there all day or go skate spots around the city. When people started to drive, we would venture out to other cities and skate spots all around the Bay Area. On the weekends, we would take the BART train to SF. That was when skating really evolved for me. We would skate all the famous spots, go to FTC, meet skaters from other areas, it was the best. 

Crazy era to be skating in that zone, so many good skaters. How did you get started creating art? 

I was always into drawing as a kid. 

What kinda art were you gravitating towards at first? And how did your art evolve over time?

I used to draw comic book characters and stuff like that. As I went into high school, I took art and photography classes. In my free time, I liked to draw skate photos and hip hop album covers. There was a handful of years that I wasn’t really doing much besides skating and partying.  I moved to SF in my early 20’s and I started getting into tattoos, and that sparked my interest in drawing again.

When I moved to Seattle in 2015, I submitted a portfolio for a 2 year graphic design program. After a failed attempt, I got in. I graduated in 2018. Going to school was a big shift for me because up until then I was doing everything by hand. The portfolio I submitted was all drawings and paintings. When I went to school I learned computer programs and started thinking more in terms of design, I began to understand what type of work I wanted to do. 

I bet that formal education really helps with learning the ins and outs of the programs. I need to go back to school haha. Back in the day, did it feel like there was a path into art or skating for you? Or were even thinking about that shit?

I really only cared about skating, so when I wasn’t skating the next best thing was drawing a skate photo or something. I was fully checked out for most of high school and years after. I think skating had to run its course before I realized that I wanted to do something else with myself. 

I feel that. Did you know anyone growing up who "made it" in skating or art of any kind from your zone?

I didn’t know him but the pro skater from our area was Corey Duffel. But San Francisco wasn’t that far away, and the skaters there were doing the type of skating I was into, so that's what I looked up to. I didn’t really know any artists until I moved to SF. Later, I found out Jay Howell is from Pleasanton. 

Definitely a lot of inspiration in the greater bay area. Who were your favorite artists growing up?

The artist I knew about was Evan Hecox. I did a report on him in high school. I think more so I was into skate brands. I liked everything coming out of SF at the time…FTC, Western Edition, Aesthetics. 

Fuck, Aesthetics was so sick. We used to watch the shit out of that video when I was a kid. Besides that stuff coming out of SF, how does skating in general influence your style and direction as an artist? 

It’s evolved in a similar way. I think your taste refines and you just want to do what looks and feels good.

You've worked with a ton of skate brands and shops like Thrasher, Girl, Atlas, 35th, Lakai, to name a few. How did you get your foot in the door in the skate industry?

When I was in design school, I was working at 35th North Skateshop and made a lot of graphics for them. Through that, led me to a job at Thrasher and opened up a lot of other opportunities.

I didn’t know you had a job at Thrasher, that’s dope. I like to imagine a young skater/artist reading this and I try to ask questions that might help them find a path in skating. So once you had your foot in the door with skate industry folks, what did the next step look like?

I’ve made a lot of connections over the years so the work tends to come from the community that I’ve been a part of for most of my life. 

That makes sense. You also do work outside of skating, yeah?

I do a lot of different types of projects. I like to mix it up and work with different types of people. 

Mandatory to keep things fresh. What are you up to currently? What does it look like day to day?

I'm currently on contract with REI helping them out with graphics. It was a busy year with projects, so its been good getting to work with one brand and hone in. Been going into the office a few days a week, which is new for me. I like being around other designers and seeing how a high functioning brand operates is pretty inspiring. 

In my spare time I'm working on Pearl and helping my wife out with her yoga business, Mother Yoga Seattle. 

No skating as of recently, its winter and my knee has been bugging me. I'll take a yoga class a few days a week to keep active but otherwise enjoying the cold months inside my apartment; hanging out with my wife and cat. 

Love it. I’ve been following Pearl since your guys first launched, can you share a bit about it and how it started?

Griffin Gass and I had been talking about starting something for a few years. We would link up at a coffee shop and talk about this brand we wanted to create. Once we discovered the name it started to come together. Our friend Andrew Nedimyer got involved and that really helped get it off the ground. It took a little over a year to launch it and now we are in our 2nd year of operation.

I know a lot of talented people and have been able to tag my friends in to help with graphics, skating, photography, videos, music, etc. I think that's the part that I’m most excited about, is building this sort of community around pearl to do creative work. 

We are currently stocked at 35th North, Atlas, FTC, Labor, Uprise, Blue Flowers, Coureur Goods, and By and By. Thanks to the shops who are supporting the brand.

I’ve been enjoying everything you guys have done so far. Clean aesthetics, good product imagery, and the product speaks for itself. How is it running the brand?

It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and the timing felt right. It has its challenges but is also really rewarding getting to see it take shape. We’ve gotten some good feedback from the shops that are carrying it and seeing people wearing and supporting it is motivation to keep it going. 

What’s next for Pearl?

We have just released Winter ’24 collection. It’s in shops and online now. Putting together Summer '25 currently.

Right now the focus is building out the brand, collaborating with friends, creating inspiring content, deepening our understanding of what we want this brand to represent and how we can execute that. 

Hell yeah, I’m hyped to see it. Give us a few of your favorite projects you have worked on so far?

All the pearl stuff. That’s been my favorite project because it’s 100% our creation. enjoypearl.com

Also, the work I’ve done for my wife’s yoga business, Mother Yoga Seattle. 

I really liked this capsule I worked on with Atlas. Shoutout to Ryen Motzek for being a solid art director.

A project I worked on with Nin Truong for HUF Japan.

Branding for Griffin’s Lakai shoe “The Terrace”

35th North

Girl Skateboards Capsule

Man, I’m such a fan, I love all of those choices! What is some shit you’re not a fan of in the current art and design world?

If I want to be unhappy, I’ll just scroll on my phone for 15 minutes and get in a bad mood. I can get on my soapbox and express my distaste for the current state of (insert topic). However, I prefer to just look to what I’ve always liked for inspiration. 

We’re all probably better off adopting that mindset. Inspiration > . How can skaters make a lane in art in 2024?

It takes time to develop a craft so be patient and keep making stuff. Hopefully you are enjoying the process.

Simple, but there’s a lot there. Any other advice for young skaters / artists that you wish someone told you as a kid?

Everyone is different, you gotta do what’s right for you. 

Well said. Anything I missed? Shout outs?

Shout out to all of my friends and family, people who support me, businesses and brands who have let me contribute. Special thanks to Tony Croghan and the 35th North crew.  

Shout out to Tony! Thanks again Dane, super grateful to have you be a part of the interview.

Thank you for having me do this and sorry it took so long. 

You can follow Dane on IG @danenomellini and see the latest from Pearl at https://enjoypearl.com/.