{{short description|American professional skateboarder (born 1968)}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Andy Howell
| image = [[File:AHimage15.png|left|thumb|200x200px|Art Class]]
| image_size = 210
| caption =
| headercolor = black
| birth_name = David Andrew Howell
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|02|17}}
| occupation = Skateboarder, Artist, Entrepreneur
| years_active = 1984–present
| website = {{URL|https://www.instagram.com/andyhowell43/}}
| textcolor = white
| hometown = [[Virginia Beach, Virginia]], U.S.
}}
'''Andy Howell''' is an American [[artist]],<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Andy Howell (American) |url=https://www.artnet.com/artists/andy-howell/biography |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=artnet |series=Biography |language=English}}</ref> former professional [[skateboarder]],<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=2003 |title=Andy Howell |url=https://kantorgallery.com/portfolio/andy-howell/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204220328/https://kantorgallery.com/portfolio/andy-howell/ |archive-date=4 February 2023 |access-date=4 February 2023 |website=Kantor Gallery}}</ref>, and businessperson.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gleason-Allured |first=Jeb |date=8 September 2017 |title=How

 Shiseido and MatchCo are Disrupting Makeup Personalization |url=https://www.gcimagazine.com/brands-products/color-cosmetics/video/21876711/video-how-shiseido-and-matchco-are-disrupting-makeup-personalization |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204023639/https://www.gcimagazine.com/brands-products/color-cosmetics/video/21876711/video-how-shiseido-and-matchco-are-disrupting-makeup-personalization |archive-date=3 February 2023 |access-date=3 February 2023 |website=Global Cosmetics Industry |type=Video |quote=Andy Howell of MatchCo discusses the possibilities of AI in the personalization of cosmetics.}}</ref>  Howell's [[Style (visual arts)|artistic expression]], [[Guerrilla marketing|marketing strategies]], and [[Skateboarding styles|skateboarding style]] reference the [[graffiti]] and [[Street style|streetstyle culture]] as manifested on the [[East Coast of the United States|US East Coast]] during the mid-1980s through the late 1990s.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=23 May 2006 |title=Andy Howell Book Signing at LA FIDM |url=https://www.malakye.com/news/1388/andy-howell-book-signing-at-la-fidm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204021921/https://www.malakye.com/news/1388/andy-howell-book-signing-at-la-fidm |access-date=3 February 2023 |website=Malakye |quote=Howell has also been recognized by The Wall Street Journal, Transworld Skateboarding, Thrasher and SPIN for his guerrilla marketing tactics. |archive

 -date=3 February 2023}}</ref> Raised in [[Virginia Beach, Virginia|Virginia Beach, VA]], Howell lives on the [[Outer Banks|Outer Banks of North Carolina]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Matt |date=2022-06-22 |title=There Goes the Neighborhood |url=https://issuu.com/outerbanksmilepost/docs/11.2_milepost_fixed_web |access-date=2023-01-28 |work=Outer Banks Milepost |pages=22–27 |issue=2}}</ref>

== HISTORY ==

=== EDUCATION ===
After graduating from High School in 1986, Howell moved to Georgia to attend the [[Art Institute of Atlanta]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Ionescu |first=Luca |last2=Adams |title=Feature Artist_Andy Howell |url=https://issuu.com/refill_library/docs/refill4 |journal=Refill Magazine |location=Australia |issue=4 |pages=98-107 |quote=I went to the Art Institute of Atlanta. It helped me commercially and with my illustration techniques. |via=issuu}}</ref>

=== EARLY SKATEBOARDING ===

==== Backyard Ramps and Vert Skating ====
[[File:AWHimage_5.jpg|right|thumb|142x142px|Driveway Ramp circa '79]]
As a teenager Howell skated backyard ramps which proliferated in Virginia Beach after the decline of commerical interest in skateboarding led to the closure of concrete [[Skatepark|skateparks]] constructed during the '70's, including the three skateparks that existed in the Virgina Beach / Norfolk area—Thunder Bowl, The Concrete Pipeline, and the Skatepark of Norfolk.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Skateboarder Magazine Archives 1964-1979 |url=https://skateboarding.transworld.net/skateboarder-magazine-archives/ |access-date=February 17, 2023 |website=TransWorld Skateboarding}}</ref><ref>Parker, Stacy. “3-Day Jackalope Festival — Featuring Tony Hawk — Kicks off Friday in Virginia Beach.” The Virginian Pilot, 1 June 2023, https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/06/01/3-day-jackalope-festival-featuring-tony-hawk-kicks-off-friday-in-virginia-beach/.</ref>
[[File:Howell_lynn.png|left|thumb|141x141px|Lynnhaven Ramp - Mid-'80s]]
By 1984, following a sweeping crackdown on skateboarding on public property and the construction of backyard ramps, the City of Virginia Beach constructed two municipally operated skate ramps at [[Mount Trashmore Park]] and  Lynnhaven Park. <ref name=":3">“Henry Gutierrez Interview.” Interview by Jim Murphy. Photos by Jim Goodrich and Geoff Graham. ''Juice Magazine Issue #73'', March 1, 2015,https://juicemagazine.com/home/henry-gutierrez/. Accessed 3 February 2021.</ref>

==== Streetstyle ====
Howell cites streetsyle interest as influenced by an extended visit to California at age 15, where he engaged with notable professional streetskaters, such as [[Mark Gonzales]]:
[[File:AHimage_13.jpg|thumb|215x215px|Streetstyle - 198X]]
<blockquote>Gonz and I both stayed at Marty Jiminez’ [sic] house in Huntington Beach while Gonz was living on the living room floor in a wooden box made out of 4x8 sheets of plywood. We skated together every day for a week, and I watched him changing the world of skateboarding in real time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Howell |first=Andy |date=2019 |title=Andy Howell's #MyNewDealStory |url=https://newdealskateboards.com/andy-howell-founder |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209062237/https://newdealskateboards.com/andy-howell-founder |archive-date=February 9, 2023 |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=New Deal Skateboards}}</ref></blockquote>

==== First Sponsors ====
At age 15 Howell joined the 17th Street Surf Shop team in Virginia Beach and became sponsored by [[Santa Cruz Skateboards|Santa Cruz skateboards]], which remained his major sponsor until 1986.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Muck Mouth |title=Muck Mouth x New Deal Interview: Andy Howell |url=https://newdealskateboards.com/andy-howell |access-date=May 23, 2023 |website=New Deal Skateboard Products}}</ref>  Howell remained a member of the 17th Street Surf Shop team after relocating to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the Art institute, where he focused primarily on street skating.<ref>Justin. “Andy Howell #2.” Vert Is Dead, 15 July 2013, <nowiki>http://vertisdead.blogspot.com/2013/07/andy-howell-2.html</nowiki>.</ref>

== CAREER ==

=== PROFESSIONAL SKATEBOARDER ===
Despite no longer sponsored by a board company, Howell achieved notoriety for turning pro in 1987 without the backing of a major sponsor at the National Skateboarding Association (NSA) streetstyle contest held in at the [[Olympic Velodrome (Carson, California)]].<ref>Roberts, Chris, and Robert Bagley, host and co-host. “Andy Howell.” Episode 147, YouTube, 27 May, 2019, <nowiki>https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ00WE9xMuo</nowiki>. Accessed 03 Jul. 2023.</ref> Howell's pro debut garnered the attention of ''Thrasher Magazine'', which published a photo of Howell taken by Editor Kevin Thatcher on the magazine's Table of Contents page of the issue covering the event.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |date=January 1988 |title=Thrasher Magazine - January 1988 |url=https://www.thrashermagazine.com/images/image/Features/2009/1988/8801/800t/8801p2-p3.jpg |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614201034/https://www.thrashermagazine.com/articles/magazine/january-1988/?tmpl=component |archive-date=June 14, 2023 |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=Thrasher Magazine}}</ref>

=== ENTREPRENEUR ===

==== New Deal ====
In 1990 Howell partnered with colleagues Paul Schmitt and Steve Douglas in launching New Deal skateboard products, a company designed to disrupt an industry dominated at the time by a select group of major companies.<ref>Subliminal Projects. "New Deal 1990." ''Subliminal Projects Exhibition Press Release,'' 2019. https://newdealskateboards.com/blog-feed/new-deal-1990. Accessed 7 July 2023.</ref>

As described by artist [[Shepard Fairey]]:
{{Blockquote|text=New Deal was groundbreaking not only because skaters creatively led it, but because Andy Howell’s art and design almost instantly shifted the aesthetics and style of skateboarding from skulls and dragons to graffiti and hip-hop. New Deal was the first company primarily focused on street skating and street culture, and their smart, funny, ads celebrated their role as the “power to the people,” “ear to the street” vanguard of skater-owned-and-run companies.|author=Shepard Fairey|title=}}

==== IMAGEWERKS ====
In the late'90s Howell and a partner launched Imagewerks, an advertising agency developed to assist corporate customers increase their appeal to the youth culture demographic.  Corporate customers of Imageweks included [[Activision]], [[Converse (brand)|Converse]], [[Levi Strauss & Co.|Levi's]], and [[McDonald's]], for whom Imagewerks created a Happy Meal collector set of [[Fingerboard (skateboard)|fingerboard skateboards]] and miniature [[Skateboard ramp|ramps]]; selling 73 million units within 6 weeks of the product launch.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Walker |first=Matt |date=2022 |title=There Goes The Neighborhood |url=https://issuu.com/outerbanksmilepost/docs/11.2_milepost_fixed_web/s/16162925 |journal=Outer Banks Milepost |issue=11.2 |via=issuu}}</ref>

==== MATCHCo ====
During the mid aughts, Howell co-founded, MATCHCo, a cosmetic company designed to introduce [[IPhone]] [[Mobile app]] intended to introduce "AI for beauty."<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |title=bareMinerals launches an app with MatchCo technology |url=https://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/Article/2017/06/26/bareMinerals-launches-an-app-with-MatchCo-technology |access-date=2018-09-17 |work=cosmeticsdesign.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>

By 2017 MATChco was acquired by the Japanese comsetics conglomerate Shiseido.  Shiseido soon rebranded the Matcho technology as MADE-2-FIT, offered by Shiseido subsidiary bareMinerals. In describing the acquisition, Shiseido described MATCHCo as "transformational technology"as an App which "enables precise skin-tone analysis via a set of simple user scans, witht the help of a virtual makeup artist with voice guidance." <ref>{{Cite web |last=Gleason-Allured |first=Jeb |date=8 September 2017 |title=How

 Shiseido and MatchCo are Disrupting Makeup Personalization |url=https://www.gcimagazine.com/brands-products/color-cosmetics/video/21876711/video-how-shiseido-and-matchco-are-disrupting-makeup-personalization |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204023639/https://www.gcimagazine.com/brands-products/color-cosmetics/video/21876711/video-how-shiseido-and-matchco-are-disrupting-makeup-personalization |archive-date=3 February 2023 |access-date=3 February 2023 |website=Global Cosmetics Industry |type=Video |quote=Andy Howell of MatchCo discusses the possibilities of AI in the personalization of cosmetics.}}</ref>

==== Ghost Ship Supply Company ====
Howell's business startup activities have continued into 2023 with the launch of Ghost Ship Supply Co., a consumer products and lifestyle brand headquartered in Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miles |first=Maggie |date=May 24, 2023 |title=Andy Howell Proves You Can Go Home Again |url=https://www.outerbanksvoice.com/2023/05/24/andy-howell-proves-you-can-go-home-again/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=May 25, 2023 |website=The Outer Banks Voice |quote=[Ghost Ship] is a return to the roots of the Outer Banks lifestyle, inspired by the people living here to skate, surf, fish, and make art in all its forms.}}</ref>

=== ARTIST ===
Howell cites his education at the Art Institute of Atlanta as an inspiration for juxtaposing art with commerce and helping him both commercially and in developing his early art techniques.<ref name=":6" />

In 2003 Beverly Hills-based Kantor Gallery described Howell's artistic style  as "transcendental images that are yanked from the experience of his past",  and noted that his work has been appeared in ''Vibe, Rolling Stone, SPIN, Lodown (Berlin), The Source, FACE (UK), Time Out (NYC)'' and ''Slap''. In addition the Kantor Gallery cited Howell's notoriety for having shown his fine art and illustration nationally as well as internationally, in well known galleries such as Alleged Gallery, Modart, Revolucionnes, and Compound Gallery, The Art Institute of Atlanta and San Diego, Art Bar, and Space 1026.<ref name=":7" />

In 2004 Howell's art was selected for inclusion in Toyota Motor Corporation's Scion Art Tour, an effort organized by Toyota to "launch a revolutionary art tour featuring paintings and sculptures created by an unprecedented collective of urban artists."<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |year=2006 |title=Scion Art Tour 2004 -  2005 |url=http://www.scion.com/installation2/artists/howell.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520161659/http://www.scion.com/installation2/artists/howell.html |archive-date=May 20, 2015 |archive-format=html |access-date=February 17, 2023 |website=Scion Art Tour |publisher=Toyota Motor Corporation}}</ref>.

In 2006 Howell's work was featured in an art show sponsored by [[Carhartt]] and hosted by the Galeria-Restaurante NOUVELLE in Malaga, Spain.<ref>"Expocisión En Málaga, España: Andy Howell." ''ARTEINFORMADO'', Ministerio de Cultura Y Deporte, Gobierno de España, 13 December 2006, <nowiki>https://www.arteinformado.com/agenda/f/andy-howell-3514</nowiki>.</ref>

A 2008 retrospective of Howell's work was displayed a the Borges Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina in an exhibition titled "Dr. Lemon Street Art Icons." <ref>"Andy Howell: Al Pintar Predicás Para Los Convertidos." ''Latin Spots Magazine'', https://www.latinspots.com/sp/tendencias/detalle/15501/andy-howell-al-pintar-predics-para-los-convertido<nowiki/>s. Accessed 6 July 2023.</ref>

Howell's art was also featured in the 2019 international art show, ''Ride the Dragon / The Art of Skateboarding'', held in China at [[K11 (Shanghai)|K11 Art Mall (Shanghai)]], an exhibition celebrating the work of skate-artists, including [[Tony Alva]] and [[Steve Caballero]].  The exhibition included skateable scuplture in the form of a dragon-shaped pumptrack, and was inspired by the iconic dragon theme graphic of Caballero's early [[Powell Peralta]] skate decks.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=RIDE THE DRAGON / THE ART OF SKATEBOARDING at K11 Shanghai |url=http://circylar.com/portfolio/ride-the-dragon-k11-shanghai/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614203734/http://circylar.com/portfolio/ride-the-dragon-k11-shanghai/ |archive-date=June 14, 2023 |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=circylar.com |quote=Inspired by one of the most influential skateboarders of all time Steve Caballero and his iconic Dragon board graphics the idea was born by the curator Ju

 ergen Bluemlein to create a skate-able sculpture and giving credit to traditional Chinese culture.}}</ref><ref>"Ride The Dragon Shanghai." ''adhocrates Collective, [https://adhocrates.net/wp/portfolio-item/ride-the-dragon-shanghai-skateable-sculpture-for-vans/. https://adhocrates.net/wp/portfolio-item/ride-the-dragon-shanghai-skateable-sculpture-for-vans/]''[https://adhocrates.net/wp/portfolio-item/ride-the-dragon-shanghai-skateable-sculpture-for-vans/. .]</ref>

A 2012 art show at the [[Museum of Design Atlanta]], ''Skate It or Hang It: The Evolution of Skateboard Art'', brought Howell back to Atlanta in 2012 to exhibit his artwork in the form of skate deck graphics.<ref>Vaught, W. Todd, curator. "''Skate It or Hang It: The Evolution of Skateboard Art''." ''MODA!'', Museum of Design Atlanta, 16 June 2012. https://www.museumofdesign.org/skate-it-or-hang-it.</ref>

Among domestic and international collectors of Howell's work, actress [[Patricia Arquette]] has acknowledged purchasing a 120" x 96" [[triptych]] entitled "Tomorrow Never Comes."<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 8, 2007 |title=Patricia Arquette with "Tomorrow Never Comes" in her house in Malibu |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/andyhowell/1510870146/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614210116/https://www.flickr.com/photos/andyhowell/1510870146/ |archive-date=June 14, 2023 |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=flickr}}</ref>

Howell's most recent international art exhibit premiered in 2023 at the gallery STEINER in Vienna.

=== OTHER ACTIVITIES ===

==== Author ====
Howell published ''Art, Skateboarding, and Life'' a multimedia book and DVD package in 2005.  The limited first edition featured a hand painted cover.  Gingko Press has subsequently re-published the book in hardback and paperback form.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cahill |first=Ted |date=19 June 2006 |title=Read / Culture; Andy Howell: Art, Skateboarding & Life |url=https://coolhunting.com/culture/art-skateboardi/ |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=Cool Hunting}}</ref><ref>Howell, Andy, and Amely Greeven. ''Andy Howell: Art, Skateboarding & Life''. Gingko Press, 2005.</ref>

==== Musician ====
In 1991-1992 Howell helped form a group known as Ma$$ Prophets, a hip-hop collective that ultimately collaborated with  [[Lil Jon]], catching the attention of record-producer and songwriter / musician, [[Dallas Austin]].<ref name=":52">{{Cite web |date=2017 |title=Andy Howell {{!}} 2017 |url=https://48blocks.com/andy-howell-berrics/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214050705/https://48blocks.com/andy-howell-berrics/ |archive-date=February 14, 2023 |access-date=February 14, 2023 |website=48 Blocks}}</ref>

As Howell recalled in a 2008 interview:<blockquote>[The Ma$$ Prophets members] all used to skate together at Piedmont Park in Atlanta on Sundays, and Jon was around that scene because he skated a lot back then. . . . and before we knew it he was sampling beats and scratching “There go the dreadlock man…” into one of our songs. Around that time Dallas (Austin) and I became friends and he brought us into his studio. . . .<ref>Ruano, Luis. "Andy Howell of ARTSPROJEKT." Hypebeast. 17 September 2008, https://hypebeast.com/2008/9/andy-howell-of-artsprojekt.</ref></blockquote>

==== 'Zine Culture ====
In the mid-80's, Howell produced a  titled 'Sic Nature," followed by "Fluid Motion."  <ref>Howell, Andy. Issues of "Sic Nature" 'Zine. Internet Archive Zines Collection.  Archive.org, San Francisco, CA. https://archive.org/search?query=subject%3A%22Sic+Nature%22</ref><ref>Howell, Andy. Issues of ''Fluid Motion'' 'Zine. Internet Archive Zines Collection.  Archive.org, San Francisco, CA. https://archive.org/search?query=subject%3A%22Fluid+Motion%22+AND+%22Andy+Howell%22</ref>

Howell also contributed artwork to other 'zines such as SPEED Zine published in the '80s by renowned skateboarder [[Steve Caballero]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Caballero |first=Steve |date=1985 |title=Cover Drawing By: Andy Howell |url=https://archive.org/details/speed-zine-issue-8-san-jose-ca/page/n2/mode/1up |journal=SPEED Zine |issue=8 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

=== PERSONAL LIFE ===
In 2019, Howell and his family suffered a house fire which resulted in the complete loss of the house and possessions.<ref name=":0" />  {{short description|American professional skateboarder (born 1968)}}
{{db-spam|help=off}}{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Andy Howell
| image = [[File:AHimage15.png|left|thumb|200x200px|Art Class - 197X]]
| image_size = 210
| caption =
| headercolor = black
| birth_name = David Andrew Howell
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|02|17}}
| occupation = Skateboarder, Artist, Entrepreneur
| years_active = 1984–present
| website = {{URL|https://www.instagram.com/andyhowell43/}}
| textcolor = white
| hometown = [[Virginia Beach, Virginia]], U.S.
}}
'''Andy Howell''' is an American [[artist]],<ref name=":4" /> former professional [[skateboarder]],<ref name=":7" />, and businessperson.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gleason-Allured |first=Jeb |date=8 September 2017 |title=How

 Shiseido and MatchCo are Disrupting Makeup Personalization |url=https://www.gcimagazine.com/brands-products/color-cosmetics/video/21876711/video-how-shiseido-and-matchco-are-disrupting-makeup-personalization |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204023639/https://www.gcimagazine.com/brands-products/color-cosmetics/video/21876711/video-how-shiseido-and-matchco-are-disrupting-makeup-personalization |archive-date=3 February 2023 |access-date=3 February 2023 |website=Global Cosmetics Industry |type=Video |quote=Andy Howell of MatchCo discusses the possibilities of AI in the personalization of cosmetics.}}</ref>  Howell's [[Style (visual arts)|artistic expression]], [[Guerrilla marketing|marketing strategies]], and [[Skateboarding styles|skateboarding style]] reference the [[graffiti]] and [[Street style|streetstyle culture]] as manifested on the [[East Coast of the United States|US East Coast]] during the mid-1980s through the late 1990s.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=23 May 2006 |title=Andy Howell Book Signing at LA FIDM |url=https://www.malakye.com/news/1388/andy-howell-book-signing-at-la-fidm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204021921/https://www.malakye.com/news/1388/andy-howell-book-signing-at-la-fidm |access-date=3 February 2023 |website=Malakye |quote=Howell has also been recognized by The Wall Street Journal, Transworld Skateboarding, Thrasher and SPIN for his guerrilla marketing tactics. |archive

 -date=3 February 2023}}</ref> Raised in [[Virginia Beach, Virginia|Virginia Beach, VA]], Howell lives on the [[Outer Banks|Outer Banks of North Carolina]].<ref name=":0" />

== HISTORY ==

=== EDUCATION ===
After graduating from High School in 1986, Howell moved to Georgia to attend the [[Art Institute of Atlanta]].<ref name=":6" />

=== EARLY SKATEBOARDING ===

==== Backyard Ramps and Vert Skating ====
[[File:AWHimage_5.jpg|right|thumb|142x142px|Driveway Ramp circa '79]]
As a teenager Howell skated backyard ramps which proliferated in Virginia Beach after the decline of commerical interest in skateboarding led to the closure of concrete [[Skatepark|skateparks]] constructed during the '70's, including the three skateparks that existed in the Virgina Beach / Norfolk area—Thunder Bowl, The Concrete Pipeline, and the Skatepark of Norfolk.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Skateboarder Magazine Archives 1964-1979 |url=https://skateboarding.transworld.net/skateboarder-magazine-archives/ |access-date=February 17, 2023 |website=TransWorld Skateboarding}}</ref><ref>Parker, Stacy. “3-Day Jackalope Festival — Featuring Tony Hawk — Kicks off Friday in Virginia Beach.” The Virginian Pilot, 1 June 2023, https://www.pilotonline.com/2023/06/01/3-day-jackalope-festival-featuring-tony-hawk-kicks-off-friday-in-virginia-beach/.</ref>
[[File:Howell_lynn.png|left|thumb|141x141px|Lynnhaven Ramp - Mid-'80s]]
By 1984, following a sweeping crackdown on skateboarding on public property and the construction of backyard ramps, the City of Virginia Beach constructed two municipally operated skate ramps at [[Mount Trashmore Park]] and  Lynnhaven Park. <ref name=":3" />

==== Streetstyle ====
Howell cites streetsyle interest as influenced by an extended visit to California at age 15, where he engaged with notable professional streetskaters, such as [[Mark Gonzales]]:
[[File:AHimage_13.jpg|thumb|215x215px|Streetstyle - 198X]]
<blockquote>Gonz and I both stayed at Marty Jiminez’ [sic] house in Huntington Beach while Gonz was living on the living room floor in a wooden box made out of 4x8 sheets of plywood. We skated together every day for a week, and I watched him changing the world of skateboarding in real time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Howell |first=Andy |date=2019 |title=Andy Howell's #MyNewDealStory |url=https://newdealskateboards.com/andy-howell-founder |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209062237/https://newdealskateboards.com/andy-howell-founder |archive-date=February 9, 2023 |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=New Deal Skateboards}}</ref></blockquote>

==== First Sponsors ====
At age 15 Howell joined the 17th Street Surf Shop team in Virginia Beach and became sponsored by [[Santa Cruz Skateboards|Santa Cruz skateboards]], which remained his major sponsor until 1986.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Muck Mouth |title=Muck Mouth x New Deal Interview: Andy Howell |url=https://newdealskateboards.com/andy-howell |access-date=May 23, 2023 |website=New Deal Skateboard Products}}</ref>  Howell remained a member of the 17th Street Surf Shop team after relocating to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the Art institute, where he focused primarily on street skating.<ref>Justin. “Andy Howell #2.” Vert Is Dead, 15 July 2013, <nowiki>http://vertisdead.blogspot.com/2013/07/andy-howell-2.html</nowiki>.</ref>

== CAREER ==

=== PROFESSIONAL SKATEBOARDER ===
Despite no longer sponsored by a board company, Howell achieved notoriety for turning pro in 1987 without the backing of a major sponsor at the National Skateboarding Association (NSA) streetstyle contest held in at the [[Olympic Velodrome (Carson, California)]].<ref>Roberts, Chris, and Robert Bagley, host and co-host. “Andy Howell.” Episode 147, YouTube, 27 May, 2019, <nowiki>https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ00WE9xMuo</nowiki>. Accessed 03 Jul. 2023.</ref> Howell's pro debut garnered the attention of ''Thrasher Magazine'', which published a photo of Howell taken by Editor Kevin Thatcher on the magazine's Table of Contents page of the issue covering the event.<ref name=":9" />

=== ENTREPRENEUR ===

==== New Deal ====
In 1990 Howell partnered with colleagues Paul Schmitt and Steve Douglas in launching New Deal skateboard products, a company designed to disrupt an industry dominated at the time by a select group of major companies.<ref>Subliminal Projects. "New Deal 1990." ''Subliminal Projects Exhibition Press Release,'' 2019. https://newdealskateboards.com/blog-feed/new-deal-1990. Accessed 7 July 2023.</ref>

As described by artist [[Shepard Fairey]]:
{{Blockquote|text=New Deal was groundbreaking not only because skaters creatively led it, but because Andy Howell’s art and design almost instantly shifted the aesthetics and style of skateboarding from skulls and dragons to graffiti and hip-hop. New Deal was the first company primarily focused on street skating and street culture, and their smart, funny, ads celebrated their role as the “power to the people,” “ear to the street” vanguard of skater-owned-and-run companies.|author=Shepard Fairey|title=}}

==== IMAGEWERKS ====
In the late'90s Howell and a partner launched Imagewerks, an advertising agency developed to assist corporate customers increase their appeal to the youth culture demographic.  Corporate customers of Imageweks included [[Activision]], [[Converse (brand)|Converse]], [[Levi Strauss & Co.|Levi's]], and [[McDonald's]], for whom Imagewerks created a Happy Meal collector set of [[Fingerboard (skateboard)|fingerboard skateboards]] and miniature [[Skateboard ramp|ramps]]; selling 73 million units within 6 weeks of the product launch.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Walker |first=Matt |date=2022 |title=There Goes The Neighborhood |url=https://issuu.com/outerbanksmilepost/docs/11.2_milepost_fixed_web/s/16162925 |journal=Outer Banks Milepost |issue=11.2 |via=issuu}}</ref>

==== MATCHCo ====
During the mid aughts, Howell co-founded, MATCHCo, a cosmetic company designed to introduce [[IPhone]] [[Mobile app]] intended to introduce "AI for beauty."<ref name=":1" />

By 2017 MATChco was acquired by the Japanese comsetics conglomerate Shiseido.  Shiseido soon rebranded the Matcho technology as MADE-2-FIT, offered by Shiseido subsidiary bareMinerals. In describing the acquisition, Shiseido described MATCHCo as "transformational technology"as an App which "enables precise skin-tone analysis via a set of simple user scans, witht the help of a virtual makeup artist with voice guidance." <ref>{{Cite web |last=Gleason-Allured |first=Jeb |date=8 September 2017 |title=How

 Shiseido and MatchCo are Disrupting Makeup Personalization |url=https://www.gcimagazine.com/brands-products/color-cosmetics/video/21876711/video-how-shiseido-and-matchco-are-disrupting-makeup-personalization |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204023639/https://www.gcimagazine.com/brands-products/color-cosmetics/video/21876711/video-how-shiseido-and-matchco-are-disrupting-makeup-personalization |archive-date=3 February 2023 |access-date=3 February 2023 |website=Global Cosmetics Industry |type=Video |quote=Andy Howell of MatchCo discusses the possibilities of AI in the personalization of cosmetics.}}</ref>

==== Ghost Ship Supply Company ====
Howell's business startup activities have continued into 2023 with the launch of Ghost Ship Supply Co., a consumer products and lifestyle brand headquartered in Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miles |first=Maggie |date=May 24, 2023 |title=Andy Howell Proves You Can Go Home Again |url=https://www.outerbanksvoice.com/2023/05/24/andy-howell-proves-you-can-go-home-again/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=May 25, 2023 |website=The Outer Banks Voice |quote=[Ghost Ship] is a return to the roots of the Outer Banks lifestyle, inspired by the people living here to skate, surf, fish, and make art in all its forms.}}</ref>

=== ARTIST ===
Howell cites his education at the Art Institute of Atlanta as an inspiration for juxtaposing art with commerce and helping him both commercially and in developing his early art techniques.<ref name=":6" />

In 2003 Beverly Hills-based Kantor Gallery described Howell's artistic style  as "transcendental images that are yanked from the experience of his past",  and noted that his work has been appeared in ''Vibe, Rolling Stone, SPIN, Lodown (Berlin), The Source, FACE (UK), Time Out (NYC)'' and ''Slap''. In addition the Kantor Gallery cited Howell's notoriety for having shown his fine art and illustration nationally as well as internationally, in well known galleries such as Alleged Gallery, Modart, Revolucionnes, and Compound Gallery, The Art Institute of Atlanta and San Diego, Art Bar, and Space 1026.<ref name=":7" />

In 2004 Howell's art was selected for inclusion in Toyota Motor Corporation's Scion Art Tour, an effort organized by Toyota to "launch a revolutionary art tour featuring paintings and sculptures created by an unprecedented collective of urban artists."<ref name=":8" />.

In 2006 Howell's work was featured in an art show sponsored by [[Carhartt]] and hosted by the Galeria-Restaurante NOUVELLE in Malaga, Spain.<ref>"Expocisión En Málaga, España: Andy Howell." ''ARTEINFORMADO'', Ministerio de Cultura Y Deporte, Gobierno de España, 13 December 2006, <nowiki>https://www.arteinformado.com/agenda/f/andy-howell-3514</nowiki>.</ref>

A 2008 retrospective of Howell's work was displayed a the Borges Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina in an exhibition titled "Dr. Lemon Street Art Icons." <ref>"Andy Howell: Al Pintar Predicás Para Los Convertidos." ''Latin Spots Magazine'', https://www.latinspots.com/sp/tendencias/detalle/15501/andy-howell-al-pintar-predics-para-los-convertido<nowiki/>s. Accessed 6 July 2023.</ref>

Howell's art was also featured in the 2019 international art show, ''Ride the Dragon / The Art of Skateboarding'', held in China at [[K11 (Shanghai)|K11 Art Mall (Shanghai)]], an exhibition celebrating the work of skate-artists, including [[Tony Alva]] and [[Steve Caballero]].  The exhibition included skateable scuplture in the form of a dragon-shaped pumptrack, and was inspired by the iconic dragon theme graphic of Caballero's early [[Powell Peralta]] skate decks.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=RIDE THE DRAGON / THE ART OF SKATEBOARDING at K11 Shanghai |url=http://circylar.com/portfolio/ride-the-dragon-k11-shanghai/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614203734/http://circylar.com/portfolio/ride-the-dragon-k11-shanghai/ |archive-date=June 14, 2023 |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=circylar.com |quote=Inspired by one of the most influential skateboarders of all time Steve Caballero and his iconic Dragon board graphics the idea was born by the curator Ju

 ergen Bluemlein to create a skate-able sculpture and giving credit to traditional Chinese culture.}}</ref><ref>"Ride The Dragon Shanghai." ''adhocrates Collective, [https://adhocrates.net/wp/portfolio-item/ride-the-dragon-shanghai-skateable-sculpture-for-vans/. https://adhocrates.net/wp/portfolio-item/ride-the-dragon-shanghai-skateable-sculpture-for-vans/]''[https://adhocrates.net/wp/portfolio-item/ride-the-dragon-shanghai-skateable-sculpture-for-vans/. .]</ref>

A 2012 art show at the [[Museum of Design Atlanta]], ''Skate It or Hang It: The Evolution of Skateboard Art'', brought Howell back to Atlanta in 2012 to exhibit his artwork in the form of skate deck graphics.<ref>Vaught, W. Todd, curator. "''Skate It or Hang It: The Evolution of Skateboard Art''." ''MODA!'', Museum of Design Atlanta, 16 June 2012. https://www.museumofdesign.org/skate-it-or-hang-it.</ref>

Among domestic and international collectors of Howell's work, actress [[Patricia Arquette]] has acknowledged purchasing a 120" x 96" [[triptych]] entitled "Tomorrow Never Comes."<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 8, 2007 |title=Patricia Arquette with "Tomorrow Never Comes" in her house in Malibu |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/andyhowell/1510870146/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614210116/https://www.flickr.com/photos/andyhowell/1510870146/ |archive-date=June 14, 2023 |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=flickr}}</ref>

Howell's most recent international art exhibit premiered in 2023 at the gallery STEINER in Vienna.

=== OTHER ACTIVITIES ===

==== Author ====
Howell published ''Art, Skateboarding, and Life'' a multimedia book and DVD package in 2005.  The limited first edition featured a hand painted cover.  Gingko Press has subsequently re-published the book in hardback and paperback form.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cahill |first=Ted |date=19 June 2006 |title=Read / Culture; Andy Howell: Art, Skateboarding & Life |url=https://coolhunting.com/culture/art-skateboardi/ |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=Cool Hunting}}</ref><ref>Howell, Andy, and Amely Greeven. ''Andy Howell: Art, Skateboarding & Life''. Gingko Press, 2005.</ref>

==== Musician ====
In 1991-1992 Howell helped form a group known as Ma$$ Prophets, a hip-hop collective that ultimately collaborated with  [[Lil Jon]], catching the attention of record-producer and songwriter / musician, [[Dallas Austin]].<ref name=":52" />

As Howell recalled in a 2008 interview:<blockquote>[The Ma$$ Prophets members] all used to skate together at Piedmont Park in Atlanta on Sundays, and Jon was around that scene because he skated a lot back then. . . . and before we knew it he was sampling beats and scratching “There go the dreadlock man…” into one of our songs. Around that time Dallas (Austin) and I became friends and he brought us into his studio. . . .<ref>Ruano, Luis. "Andy Howell of ARTSPROJEKT." Hypebeast. 17 September 2008, https://hypebeast.com/2008/9/andy-howell-of-artsprojekt.</ref></blockquote>

==== 'Zine Culture ====
In the mid-80's, Howell produced a  titled 'Sic Nature," followed by "Fluid Motion."  <ref>Howell, Andy. Issues of "Sic Nature" 'Zine. Internet Archive Zines Collection.  Archive.org, San Francisco, CA. https://archive.org/search?query=subject%3A%22Sic+Nature%22</ref><ref>Howell, Andy. Issues of ''Fluid Motion'' 'Zine. Internet Archive Zines Collection.  Archive.org, San Francisco, CA. https://archive.org/search?query=subject%3A%22Fluid+Motion%22+AND+%22Andy+Howell%22</ref>

Howell also contributed artwork to other 'zines such as SPEED Zine published in the '80s by renowned skateboarder [[Steve Caballero]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Caballero |first=Steve |date=1985 |title=Cover Drawing By: Andy Howell |url=https://archive.org/details/speed-zine-issue-8-san-jose-ca/page/n2/mode/1up |journal=SPEED Zine |issue=8 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>