DeKALB – For Ariel Ries, the connection between skateboards and art is natural.

“Since the beginning of skateboard time, the art has been such a big influence. People will always remember the first graphic on their board,” said Ries, owner of Smalltown Skate Shop. “Skateboarding itself is an artistic expression. A lot of artists are skateboarders, and vice versa.”

What started as a skateboard-themed art show six years ago has grown into the annual Skateboard Inspired Art Show, which brings dozens of artists and hundreds of visitors on the last Thursday of February to the shop at 229 E. Lincoln Highway in downtown DeKalb.