Watch Worldwide Starting Today: "Art and Life: The Story of Jim Phillips"

If you've ever seen a skateboard deck, a rock poster, or a piece of street art that made your heart race, you've likely encountered Jim Phillips’ work—whether you knew his name or not. This award-winning film peels back the layers of the man whose art defined a generation of skate, surf, and music culture.

Directed by John Edward Makens, Art and Life was over a decade in the making, premiering at major festivals like Santa Barbara and winning accolades at Cannes World Film Festival and the Los Angeles Documentary Festival.

Featuring rare access to Phillips’ personal archives and intimate interviews, the film is now streaming on Apple TV, Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, Kanopy, and Vimeo on Demand.

From the surf breaks of Santa Cruz to skate shops around the globe, Jim Phillips’ art has long defined the look and feel of underground culture. As art director for Santa Cruz Skateboards, he created some of the most iconic deck graphics in history, including the legendary Screaming Hand.

His journey was anything but straightforward. Behind the bold colors and chaotic energy was a man carrying the weight of creative pressure. When Phillips Studios closed its doors, Jim reinvented himself as a freelance artist—reviving his career with rock posters and collectible prints that earned him renewed respect in both the fine art and music worlds.

For Phillips, drawing was more than a profession—it was a refuge and his identity. “Art is the only thing I’ve known how to do; draw and surf. Your profession becomes integral in who you are, I can’t stop. It’s such a hgh art, it makes you high, draws you in and makes you focus. It’s an amazing medium for self-improvement. This job is the best and the worst, agony and ecstacy.”

That quiet time gave birth to a career that reshaped visual culture—one drawing at a time.

For filmmaker John Edward Makens, the connection to Jim’s art began early. “Growing up in the ‘80s I was constantly surrounded by the art of Jim Phillips,” Makens says. “From my very first skateboard to my old skate-magazine collection, Jim’s art wasn’t just illustrations to me. They were memories. They were emotions. They were inspirations.”

The idea for the film took root in 2011, when Makens and his team packed into a van and drove to Santa Cruz. They camped in Jim’s driveway for three weeks and started filming. Over the next 12 years, the project evolved into a 90-minute documentary crafted from hundreds of hours of raw footage.

Makens explains. “The challenge was in honoring the massive volume of artwork Jim has created over his lifetime—while still telling the human story underneath. My deepest gratitude goes out to Jim and Dolly for their generosity and trust in me.”

Along with a 70-theater North American run, Art and Life has been featured at major film festivals including:

• Los Angeles Documentary Festival (2023)
  Audience Award – Best Human Interest Film
• Santa Barbara International Film Festival (2024)
  World Premiere
• Cannes World Film Festival
  Best Documentary Feature (Award)
• New York International Film Awards (NYIFA)
  Finalist / Best Documentary Feature
• San Francisco Documentary Festival (2024)
  Featured Film
• Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival (2024)