Surf Fridays!

Happy Surf Fridays!

I think you'll recognize Fort Point pretty easily...The surfers under the Golden Gate Bridge were fantastic today. It was raining and we couldn't get enough of watching them.

It was a special day for me, as it was my birthday! I took the day off and my husband Jay and his sister Melissa and I ate lunch at Outerlands Cafe. Oh man, that place is one of my all time favorites. We stopped by Mollusk and the General Store and Trouble Coffee (try the Dirty Chai) before coming to this magical surf spot under the bridge.

Much love and happiness for you. Heading to Santa Cruz for a rainy and fun weekend... PLuv

Seamouse in Bondi

Tamarama Beach

Keiron Lewis captured this beauty after a bodysurfing sesh - just a 5 minute walk from his home in Bondi.

Hi Keiron, I was wondering what took you to Oz from England and how long you think you and your wife will live there.

After getting married my wife and I wanted to travel and live somewhere different before settling down into the big mortgage and starting our family. The UK is really suffering at the moment so it seemed like the ideal time.

I've just been sponsored by an Australian Company so we can stay here now until August 2014. I've no idea if we'll stay that long but at the moment we couldn't be happier.

Is there anything that amazes/surprises you about Australia that you were not expecting?

We are lucky enough to see whales swim past our apartment from our window. Even though I've seen quite a few now it's still amazing every time.

I bet you get to surf a lot more often?

Yeah, loads more! I get in most mornings before the crowds hit. Back in the UK my local was very fickle with wind and tide and the crew there have to know it well to surf as much as they do. Here it's almost on tap and I found it really hard to adjust to that. I still put my wetsuit on as fast as possible as if the waves could die off at any second.

And what do you miss most from home in England, besides family and friends?

Being an ex colony Australia is still pretty english and you can get hold of Heinz beans, Twinings Earl Grey, etc with ease.

In the winter though I really missed a proper Sunday roast and I know my wife misses UK fashion. It sounds awful but I do get cravings for Marks and Spencer sandwiches!



I wonder if some of your wetsuited character drawings will change at all from living in Oz.

Yeah, I've already found myself doodling them in shorties and board shorts as well as still suited up and lost on a sun drenched beaches. The winter here is longer than you'd think though and although they'd be summer suits back in england the fullsuit is still worn by most Aussies.

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Thank you Keiron! It sure sounds like you are doing great.

Please check out Seamouse's drawings and music loves on his blog, Pinniped. He's also involved in designing T-Shirts for Rake, Almond and keep your eye out for the upcoming T's he'll have with Wellen.

Surf Fridays!

Have you seen the film Monsterboards?

It was in the short selections at this year's New York Surf Film Festival. Director Matthew McGregor-Mento filmed Eef - "a surfer in Holland who makes and rides wooden surfboards with painted monsters on them in the freezing and junky surf of his home".

The film about Eef made me smile so much, I thought it would be fun to ask him a few questions.

Eef, do you remember some of the first monsters you ever drew?

The first monsters I did were the shadow monsters when I lived in Amsterdam. I lived in a trailer for awhile and I painted them on the outside on both sides next to my door. Pretty dark stuff now that I think about it. I did some of them with spray paint in hallways and on the streets as well. So the monsters and me go way back.

When my wife and I started a little painting/art workspace we combined my monsters with her happy and colourful style which resulted in the monsters and angel shrine which is in our little girl's bedroom at the moment. She opens the doors of it when she goes to bed. I made lots of little guardian-monster paintings as well - the idea is that you can hang 'em in your house and they will keep the really scary monsters out.

As a lover of monsters, how does your family celebrate Halloween (is it celebrated in Holland)?

Halloween is not as big here as it in the U.S. - we don't really celebrate it but we have quite a lot of monsters around the house year round.

Did you get to surf today? What monster board did you choose?

I didn't get to surf today! It's more of a weekend thing for me at the moment. I work in Amsterdam which takes some time to get to and back and I come back it's time for dinner, and after that the girls are going to bed (they are 4 and 2 years old). So if it's slightly looking possible I go to the beach early on Saturday or Sunday morning so I'll be back in time to go do something with Belinda and the kids. I have mostly bodysurfed the last year or so. I try to go year round.

A new trick I have to be less afraid of sharks is to imagine them with rubber teeth. What do you think of that?

It's a fantastic idea!!! I heard that Cyrus is singing a song about it in his new film. I did see the movie but missed that completely so thanks a lot for reminding me. I got to meet Cyrus at the NYSFF, he is such a nice guy.

I don't know why I'm so afraid of sharks, it's quite embarrassing and I hope the rubber teeth thing helps.

That's exactly where I got the idea about the rubber teeth - from Cyrus' movie, Stoked and Broke. How did the making of the movie Monsterboards come about?

I got in touch with Matt McGregor-Mento via email when I found some pictures online of the paipo boards he made. I was making them too, so we emailed and kept in touch. Matt is the nicest guy you'll ever meet and is SO stoked. And he likes strange boards just like me.

One day he emailed that he wanted to make a short movie about me, my art and the little waves here in Holland and that he wanted to submit it to the NYSFF. So he sent a camera over and I shot some footage. Matt is working as a creative director so he got together a team of great guys that did the editing, the animation and all that. I was blown away by how great it looked.

Still a little weird that it was about me though, I'm not a very skilled surfer you know. Everything over 3 feet is HUGE and scary in my world.

I got to meet Matt in real life when we went over to New York for the film festival. We got to stay with him and his wife and they were so much like us! Too bad they live so far away...

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Thank you Eef! You really made my day. For more on what Eef is up to and the monsters he draws, check out Monstercult.

CocoBohemia

CocoBohemia is where I keep an online gallery of my artwork. I think it's kind of a fun place.

Surf Fridays!

Ryan Burch stoked and sliding

Cyrus Sutton and his leading lady, Anastasia Van Windergen

Jay and I are happy to finally meet Ryan Tatar!
Photo taken by Joanie Celi

When I saw that Stoked and Broke was coming to San Francisco, of course I bought tickets right away. Jay and I had so much fun watching the movie, if you haven't seen it yet, it's the kind of surf movie that makes you smile the whole time. I love what Cyrus does, creatively. - and he's a fabulous surfer, too! Just an A+ guy in all that he does. Great film shorts shown ahead of the main attraction, too - including the now famous tarp surfing film.

Cyrus was a gracious host and showered the audience with t-shirts, and we were treated to music by Anastasia and then The Blank Tapes, both of whose music appears in the film. We ran into Thomas Campbell and got to meet Ryan Tatar for the first time. Nice to have you in Northern California, Ryan!

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We also recently saw Patrick Trefz's film, Idiosyncrasies, at the Pedro Point Firehouse in Pacifica. They were serving tamales and beer there, yum! While the crowd was noshing, they showed some footage from the 40s and 50s of surfing all along the California coast. That was super cool to see. They showed scenes of people surfing Linda Mar with no wetsuits. I don't think they stayed out as long in those days.

Bill Mulcoy somewhere in Mexico
shot by Patrick Trefz

Idiosyncrasies is a cool film. I liked learning more about Andrew Kidman but my favorite part of the movie was about Harbor Bill and his son Josh Mulcoy. Josh was there as a special guest, along with Patrick to answer questions once the movie ended. If you haven't seen the film and would like a better description, Rebecca Godson does a great job reviewing it.

Cruising Lake Tahoe

This could be you

We recently returned from a long weekend in Lake Tahoe, CA. Crisp and in the 30s at night, warming up to 70 during the day. The lake was the calmest I'd ever seen. In 3 days we went sailing, kayaking, and stand up paddle boarding. I was in heaven. Oh yes, I did fall off of my paddleboard once when a tiny wake came through from a nearby speedboat. That 53 degree water was very refreshing! I think I'm generally a little off balance now that my belly is a lot bigger.

Isn't it amazing that there's something about nature that rights your mind and calms every cell in your body? I just have to remember it's always there for us.

Pelican Point

On a recent Friday evening, we spontaneously went over the hill and took a walk at Pelican Point, followed by dinner at Sushi Main Street. Their Half Moon Bay roll has artichoke hearts, avocado and radish sprouts.

Here is another photo that Jay took after Devo and I climbed down from the rock.

Surf Fridays!

The interview I did with Cher Pendarvis is in print!

Kurungabaa is a fantastic magazine out of Australia. This is a beautiful issue which also features an interview with Derek Hynd, thought provoking prose, poetry and eye catching artwork. The magazine is doing a second printing, so if you wanted to order but didn't, now is your chance.

Also, thank you so much for the heartfelt well wishes...I'm 20 weeks along (half-way there) as of today and feeling really good.

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll catch you back here sooner than last time.

Surf Fridays!

photo by Jay Watson

Happy Surf Fridays! This is me last Sunday at the Santa Cruz Harbor, doing some stand up paddling. It's such a fun activitity on a flat day, not to mention a great workout. Cruising around the mile-long harbor, we saw sea lions, funny names on boats, a furry and polka-dotted baby seagull with her mother, cormorants, sailors, kayakers, man...just a lot of beautiful things in an afternoon.

I was a little nervous to post this photo because of my big red belly. Have I been eating a lot of pizza? Yes and no. I am excited and ready to tell you that Jay and I are having a baby! I'm just about 4 months along and I feel great.

I hope you are all feeling great today too. Tomorrow I'm doing a beach clean up at Gray Whale Cove, hosted by the Surfrider Foundation. On the way home, I'm going to drive on Skyline and look for wild blackberry bushes!

Lots of love to you...JW

A Glimpse of My Studio

This is where I get my work done. I like it here.

Surf Fridays!

I met Ashley Moffat through blogging, about two years ago. I'll never forget that her "About Me" explained that she likes anything that starts with an 's' - surfing, sunshine, soulmates, smiling, skateboarding, suntans...and simplicity. What's not to like about this girl, I remember thinking...

I knew from reading Ashley's blog, that she lives in Hawaii with her husband Luke, and their two little girls, Velzy and Ivy. The other day, I came across a photo of Ashley surfing while 6 months pregnant. I was truly blown away.

Not only was the photograph beautiful in every way, but it struck me deeply that with all of the surfing related blogs and magazines I have enjoyed in the last several years, I have never seen a photo of a pregnant woman surfing.


Ashley Moffat riding her Bing
all photos by Mark Lee


Ashley, what brought you to live in Hawaii?

I moved to Hawaii when i was 17, in 2000 to attend BYU - Hawaii. It's in a small town on the Eastside of Oahu, just 10 minutes away from the North Shore. I don't know why more surfers don't go to school there, it was so fun. I fell in love with Hawaii and a boy from here and the rest is history.

Have you ever gotten "island fever"?

Nope. Well, I do really miss my family who are all in California. But as far as "AH, get me off this rock!!!" no. I love it here - all I need is sunshine and water. And the occasional shave ice.

What are your top 3 best things about living in Hawaii?

1. living "the simple life"
2. warm water year round
3. the fact that riding in the back of trucks is still legal here
4. and mango season.



When and where did you learn to surf?

First time I went surfing was at Doheny on a friend's soft top. At the end of my first wave I didn't know what to do so I jumped off- belly flopped right onto a rock that hit my stomach and left a bruise. I was really proud of that bruise. I think I was maybe 10?

What is your favorite beach in Southern California and your favorite in Hawaii?

In California, Churches is my favorite place to surf and I grew up going to Crescent Bay in Laguna so that is my favorite place to have a beach day.

In Hawaii my favorite place to surf is Chun's Reef. And of course V-Land is super fun - but the crowds there can be a tad intense for me in my old age. :)

Can you share what is in your quiver?

We - Luke and I - share most of the boards. Usually when we go surf we have the girls with us, so we trade off riding whatever we brought that day. We have: two Dano logs - a 9'6" noseglider and 9'1" old pleasure; An 8'11" Bing silverspoon; 5'10" Junod pumpkin seed; A 5'10" Mitsven fish; A 5'5" Pavel creek fish, and a 5'11' Campbell Bros bonzer.

Luke just brought the Campbell Bros and Pavel back from California. The Pavel is a gift for me after this little one is born - I can't wait to ride it this winter!

What is currently your favorite board?

My personal favorite is the Junod. It's magic - it catches waves like a dream and is oh-so-much fun to ride. When it's small, I love the Dano old pleasure.




Did you surf while pregnant with your last 2 girls?

I surfed when I was pregnant with Velzy up until 4 1/2 months. When I was pregnant with Ivy we were living in Virginia (we lived there for 2 years) and I surfed on a few trips to California but nothing regular.

Does surfing while you're 6 mos pregnant feel very different than surfing while not pregnant?

Yeah, for sure. The first few months it just feels like you have a really full bladder and it is tad uncomfortable. Now (I am almost 30 weeks) it's like laying on a ball and paddling is not a ton of fun. Knee paddling is nice though.

I think the whole pregnant surfing thing is pretty funny and honestly, sometimes I feel weird going out- but it's so hard to watch people surf and not be in the water! Also, I have to say I am super lucky to be able to still surf and have healthy pregnancies.



Have Velzy and Ivy gotten on a surfboard yet?

They will come on little rides on our back but have not taken to surfing on their own too much. Most importantly, they both really love the water. If you ask Velzy (4) if she surfs she says "I am a body surfer" and she is a pretty good. I love it. Ivy (3) is crazy. She's getting into boogie boarding - she gets tossed around in little shore break but always comes up smiling and goes out for more. It's pretty funny to watch.

I really hope that they want to surf when they grow up, because it will be so fun as a family to surf together. BUT, I don't want to be one of those parents who pushes their kids into it and then they don't like it. So all in due time...

What is the most favorite or memorable surf session you've ever had?

There is a spot on the North Shore called Kamasugis. Luke and I don't surf it all that often but when it's good it is a really fun left and right so we get to share waves - he goes left (he's goofy) and I go right (I'm regular). We have had some good times out there.

Also, anytime I am in the water with family - especially my brothers and dad - we laugh a lot and it's so fun.

Thank you so much, Ashley - you are definitely an inspiration! May you enjoy the rest of your pregnancy and being in the water as much as you can. I also want to thank Mark Lee for sharing his beautiful photos and tell you a little more about him...

Mark Holladay Lee is a photographer on the North Shore of Oahu who specializes in unique water photography from surfing to weddings, and basically just having fun in the water.

Mark has been in Hawaii since 1996 but inbetween, spent a couple of years in New York working with a fashion photographer, and a couple of years in California as well. His inspiration comes from surf and fashion and he'd rather spend more time in the water than out. A fascinating little tidbit - a long time ago, Mark used to manage the famous Long Board Grotto! (Where Surfy Surfy is now).

When it came time to photograph Ashley, Mark told me, "I have photographed quite a few underwater maternity sessions here in Hawaii, and was so excited when Ashley told me she wanted to get some shots of her surfing. It is not very often that I come across such a graceful surfer that can still paddle while being 6 months pregnant. I would have to say as a surfer I am a little jealous - I wish my mom would have taken me surfing."



Happy Surf Fridays and Happy Aloha Fridays to everyone in Hawaii!


update: check out this beautiful momma surfing while 5 months pregnant!

Photos from the Rainbowlogical Show

ESPN reviewed the Rainbowlogical show. How cool is that!? Jon Coen writes a great blog for ESPN, revolving around the surf community.


Since I couldn't be there for opening night, I loved seeing the photos. You can check them out here by clicking on Current Show, and using the grey scroll bar underneath to slide through.


All of the work from the show is in Corduroy's online shop. It's great to see all of the colors together, and here is the link to my violet pieces, which are all monotypes.


Early Hawaii


Plaza Mexico 1953

Surf Fridays!

Contest 66 by Norm Daniels

Blue Green Surf Girl by David Lloyd

After the Storm, San Onofre by Larry Iwerks


Liquid Jollies by Spencer Reynolds

Heading Home by Ron Croci

Hang Ten by Vincenzo Ganadu

Descent Into the Abyss by Ken Auster

Blue Lip by Wade Koniakowsky

Secret Spot #2 by Victor Kerpel

These are my favorite paintings from The Art of Surfing 2008 - Longboard Magazine. The mag folded the next year, but their art issues were so cool because they dedicated tons of pages to it.

Rainbowlogical at Corduroy

Rainbowlogical. Opening tomorrow night at Corduroy Surf Boutique & Gallery in Portland, Maine. There will be a variety of colorful things to eat and drink and a collection of new works from 7 amazing artists that span all the colors of the rainbow.

I wish I could be there in person - such a unique concept - each artist gets a color of the rainbow. I am representing the color violet. It was an exciting challenge as I don't typically use violet in my work. But I like how it all came out. Pictures to come and thanks to Tyler and Corduroy for including me in this rad show. I'm stoked to be in the company of these artists. Check them out and the colors they represent:

Nick Z - Red
Brandon McLean - Orange
Linda Meyers - Yellow
Katrine Hildebrandt - Green
John Fellows - Blue
Mark Warren Jacques - Indigo
Jamie Watson - Violet


Rainbows are freakin' cool.

Fans of Cher Pendarvis - Place Your Orders!

Cher

The great news is that the interview I did with Cher Pendarvis last year has been picked up by a very fine Australian publication called Kurungabaa: a journal of literature, history and stories from the sea.

This new issue is full of words, art, and images from emerging artist around the world, and includes a DVD of three Australian short films.

The cutoff date is to place your order is July 10th. It is a not-for-profit publication that only prints as many as are pre-ordered.

last issue of Kurungabaa

A little shout out to Rebecca Olive, whom many of you know from the surf blogging community. She is a writer for Kurungabaa and a dynamo of a woman who wants more women represented in Australian surf culture - and thus chose the Cher Pendarvis piece for the magazine. Thank you, Bec.

To order, go here now. I'd better place my order, too! Gosh it would be great if some U.S. surf shops stocked up on a few...

Surf Fridays!

Summer is here. Let's say you want to do something different. Something wild and beautiful. How about a road trip to Big Sur, California?


There is so much beauty in Big Sur, it is nearly overwhelming, in a good way. Do you like the sound of staying in a rustic (yet spotless) cabin along the Big Sur river? Ripplewood is where Jay and I stay every time. We recently took Jay's parents here too, and they loved it.


Andrew Molera (Big Sur Rivermouth) is no secret spot. It's a nice point/beach break and it takes a mile to hike in with your surfboard. This helps keep the crowds away.

A generous local showed us how to avoid making that mile hike for a 6 inch wave. Simply turn off the Highway onto Coast Road. You'll need to go pretty slowly as this dirt road has got a lot of huge bumps and holes in it.


Once you get up there, it will look just like this. This is your perch spot with a view to the south.


And from the same spot is the view of Andrew Molera. (There is a campground here, too). This is when you'll need to take out your binoculars.


With binoculars, you'll get a much better view than this. But you can tell that you'd be able to get a pretty good idea of what's going on that day so you can decide on whether to make the hike in or not.

Happy surfing and happy summer adventures to you!

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I am super excited because a high school swimming pool near my house opens to the public next Monday and I can work on my paddle fitness during my lunch break. I love swimming so much! I also love shave ice and have serious cravings every summer - can you believe they don't have any around where I live? I am seriously considering getting a shave ice machine. But first, I'll need to spend about a week in Hawaii, learning how to make the best ones from a local who will let me apprentice, and then I can surf in Waikiki every morning and afternoon as my reward. That's what I told Jay this morning. He laughed but somewhere inside, he knows I am serious.

Lots of love...JW