I will be having a solo art show this next month in Seaside, Oregon. Here is the information: Seaside Art Walk

Saturday, May 3rd 5-8 p.m. Sandy Cove Inn 241 Avenue U Seaside, Oregon www.sandycoveinn.biz Hope to see you there.

This is an oil painting I did this past year. It was inspired by a friends cold water surf trips with his zodiac. I took old pieces of wood and glued them together and distressed them a bit.

Don’t miss this epic group art show that will feature original artwork from over 70 prominent surf, hotrod, tiki, and other “outsider” artists.The show opens March 15th, 6 p.m. to midnight at The Light Gallery in Costa Mesa.Some of the artists showing are: The Pizz, R. Kruze, Drew Brophy, John Bell, Candy, Miles Thompson, Damian, BigToe, Mr.G, Doug Dorr, Grimb, Steve Caballero, Ken Ruzic, Dave Lozeau, Bamboo Ben, Chongolio, Brad “TikiShark” Parker, Fudamae, Max Grundy, Aaron Kraten, Squindo, James Mcleod, Keith Ciaramello, The Mysterious 13:11, Dirk Hays, Buddy June, Spencer Reynolds, Scott Aicher, TV-1 and many more talented artists from all over the globe!The Light Gallery440 East 17th StreetCosta Mesa, CA 92627www.thelightgalleries.com

This is a piece that I just finished. It was inspired by this heavy wave somewhere north of San Francisco. I painted it on wood with oils, and carved out certain sections. I have painted a few pictures of this wave in the past, and anticipate making some more in the future. 

I did this painting this past summer for the Cape Kiwanda Longboard Contest here in Oregon. My goal with it was to represent the place and mood of the contest. I wanted to capture the feel of Oregon summer surf. Which can be a bit wind-blown and small, but still fun with the right equipment. The actual painting technique I am playing with can be time consuming, but I like the end result.

This is a little painting that I did a few years ago on vacation. I used to love painting waves that didn’t completely make sense. This is one of those. Where I grew up we would surf a mutant wave. It could come at you from three directions. It was super fun to try airs on. So these memories inspire some of the work that I do today. I liked painting surfers being comfortable with the chaos surrounding them. As I get older, I don’t know if I’m bold enough to do that anymore. 

This is a piece I did a while back. I was inspired by an old image from the 70’s. I think that I am drawn more to older images for inspiration because the surfers are graceful, but look a little less in control of the situation. Life has a lot of unknowns so I feel portraying the surfer as more vulnerable is more honest and interesting to me.I love to paint on old recycled wood. I think that the clean lines I paint sometimes complement the wavy grains of the wood. Sometimes in my paintings the wood is really beat up, and my lines end up being a nice contrast to the damaged areas of the surface I am painting on.

Alaskan Brewing Co. launches Coastal CODE initiative for a healthy Western coastline

JUNEAU, ALASKA (August 13, 2007) — In 2006, poor water quality led to more than 25,000 beach closures or advisories throughout the country, 28 percent more than the previous year. Alaskan Brewing Co. wants to help reverse this alarming trend and is committing 1 percent of proceeds from its newly released Alaskan IPA to improve the health of the Pacific Ocean and coastlines in an initiative called the Coastal CODE (Clean Oceans Depend on Everyone).

This unique initiative has launched www.CoastalCODE.org, which provides insights on ocean preservation; information on volunteer opportunities; ways to donate to the fund; and information about how to apply for Coastal CODE grants for such activities as beach cleanups, water quality improvement and ocean conservation education. 

“Big problems like ocean pollution can feel overwhelming, but if each of us does something small, together we can make a big difference,” said Marcy Larson, co-founder of Alaskan Brewing Co. in Juneau, Alaska. “We’re happy to do our part through the Coastal CODE and participating in beach cleanups. We chose ocean preservation because the ocean is such an important resource to us all.”

The small craft brewery is involving others, calling on ocean-minded organizations to help create the Coastal CODE, which began by surveying more than 500 Pacific Northwesterners about the Pacific Ocean. Nearly 100 percent of respondents said they are concerned about the health of the world’s oceans and more than 50 percent think the condition of the Pacific Ocean and western coastline is poor or at-risk. 

The encouraging news is that 98.4 percent said they are willing to make at least one change to help improve the ocean. The resulting CODE of conduct was written from this unmistakable pattern of survey answers. It reads:

MAKE

Walk, bike or sail to reduce emissions

Advocate for our ocean and coastlines

Volunteer

Eat sustainable seafood

Share your knowledge

In support of the Coastal CODE, Portland artist Spencer Reynolds donated his time and talent to illustrate the CODE’s message. His artwork was printed onto surfboards made from eco-friendly material called “Biofoam.” These limited-edition surfboards will be auctioned to raise money for the Coastal CODE Fund. 

“This CODE has the potential to spread awareness of our ocean’s needs to people who care about this precious resource,” said Mark J. Spalding, president of The Ocean Foundation, a nonprofit group housing and advising the Coastal CODE Fund. “It’s refreshing to see a company take responsibility for the environment. The fact that the Coastal CODE initiative is so creative, fun and engaging is very exciting. This kind of leadership can help turn the tide in ocean conservation.”