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!

---

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.

Ready Steady

Red Longboard by Jessica Nichols

Untitled, 2010 by Ryan Tatar

Charlie Galento, Pipeline, Circa 1960s by John Severson for SURFER

The universe is cool

When we got the last Surfrider Foundation mag in the mail, I immediately thought, "How beautiful is this cover?!" When Jay came home, I had my 'Maui Days' original framed and ready to ship to Corduroy. I held the mag next to my print and said, "Jay, see this Surfrider cover? It reminds me of 'Maui Days' and this is kind of how my brain sees things when I paint."

Later, I ripped off the cover of the mag and hung it in my studio for inspiration. Just a few weeks after that, I read on Ryan Tatar's blog that he was the photographer who shot it. That's just more proof that the universe is infinitely cool.

Sole Surfing in Venice!

I am so stoked to be a part of this art show, alongside these skilled artists and photographers. It opens on Thursday, Nov. 6, with a reception that evening and runs until Nov. 20. Please stop by if you are in the area.

TOMS Pop Up Store
1617 Abbot Kinney
Venice, CA 90291

Plus TOMS is only the coolest shoe company ever...for each pair of shoes purchased they donate a pair to a child in need. One for One. Check out their cause here.

If you aren't near Venice, you probably want to take a look at the list of the talented artists whose work will be exhibited.

* Corey Brindley
* Ryan Tatar...the one, the only, of Shakas and Singlefins
* Keiron 'Seamouse' Lewis...of Pinniped
* Liz Cockrum...check out her recent work 'Sirens'
* Cyrus Sutton...filmmaker and photographer extraordinaire
* Meegan Feori...enjoy a cool article about her on COTW
* Ty Williams...with a groovy video about one of his shows


Thank you Ryan and Garett.

Shakas and Seppos this Saturday!

Saturday, Sept. 13, 7:00pm
Surfindian ~ 4658 Mission Blvd., Pacific Beach, CA

I really wish I could go to Cyrus and Ryan's show this Saturday. If you're local, hook it up and enjoy for all of us who will be there in spirit!

I asked Ryan a few questions to get a better idea of the show...

How did the collaboration with you and Cyrus come together for this show?

Cyrus approached me with the idea. He wanted to have a local artist contribute at the show and we had already been talking about some future projects together. His photographs were taken on location in Australia, while the ones I'm exhibiting were taken in Southern California. The idea would be, to somewhat parallel the film, which is about two different cultures within the surfing community. Also, the Surfindian space has a lot of wall to fill.

How did you choose which prints to show at Surfindian?

I'm trying to paint a picture with the collective of photographs on display. I'm just an average guy who likes to travel and surf more than anything. I find it very spiritual. I like to surf alone and take a break from society and immerse myself in the ocean. I've lived and traveled all over the world, and I've always found it difficult to put into words my experiences when talking to non-surfers. The photography is a way of showing people what it's like to be a surfer... the beautiful and majestic things you see, on just any given day, on your way to the ocean.

I have also been preparing for many months for a solo show in Long Beach at Shelter Surf Shop which is coming up on the 27th. I had too much work for that one show, and it works out perfectly that I can split it up and have a different exhibit at each venue. Both exhibits tell the same story, but are different chapters.

How long will your show be up?

About 3 weeks.

What are you going to wear to the show?

Whatever t-shirt is on top in my drawer.



Under the Sun trailer
Reception at 7:00pm, Film begins at 8:00pm

UPDATE: Ryan's photos from the show available here. I already picked out my favorites.

Surf Fridays!

Belinda Baggs, toes on the nose!
I saved this from Longboard Magazine, April 2003

In my last house, which I lived in with 2 other girls, I hung surf photos in my bathroom. I had a photo of Belinda Baggs riding toes on the nose in a short suit. I loved that photo because she looked graceful and inspiring. I would daydream, "Someday I'll ride like Belinda..." She's an Aussie, and her nickname is Bindy.

Belinda Baggs was born and raised in the working class neighborhoods of Newcastle, Australia. The only daughter of a surf-obsessed father, she says “she doesn’t remember back to when she learnt to ride waves just that it feels like she has always known how.”

At the age of 16 Bindy started competing in the Australian longboard circuit. In the years 2000 and 2002 she took first place, along with an assortment of final placings in the World longboard titles. Feeling constrained with the ‘high performance’ approach she was introduced to traditional ‘log’ riding by Malibu stylist and boyfriend Dane Peterson. To Bindy this was a breath of fresh air that opened up a whole new world to her. She became disinterested in contest surfing and dedicated her life to traveling the world in search of perfect point surf. She is also a women's surf ambassador for Patagonia.

Belinda and her dad, rinsing off
Photo Belinda Baggs collection

This is really fitting, since it's Father's Day this weekend. From Patagonia's blog, The Cleanest Line:

My dad is my hero! He is one of those people that can do everything: build a house, fix a car, glass a board, charge the biggest wave and love his family. His name is Phil but his mates call him Digby. He was born and bread in Newcastle, Australia and at 55 years old still lives there now. I am lucky enough to share with him his greatest passion: surfing. He started surfing on a '60s log, cut it down in the late '60s, rode a stubby through the '70s, lost his marbles on a mid-length during the '80s, and has found solitude once again on a 9’6” longboard.

Ever since I was a kid I would go to the beach everyday with Dad; that’s what we did and still do together. If the waves were too big, I would sit on the shore and watch him until one day I got sick of watching and made an oath to surf with him no matter what! I knew I would be safe even in the most challenging situations because dad was there. He has taught me almost everything I know and inspires me to love life everyday.

This video below, captures perfectly the essence of the photo hanging in my old bathroom.



Another cool video can be found on surf photographer Ryan Tatar's blog, Shakas and Singlefins (I love his photos and his blog). Belinda Baggs can be spotted at the 1:24 mark. Looks like a beautiful film.

---

Tonight am headed to Serena Mitnik-Miller's art show at Mollusk Surf Shop. I am really excited about this. Will post about it next Friday.

---

I keep listening to this song.

---

Happy Father's Day to all you awesome Dads out there (I love you Dad!). Wishes for a happy weekend to everyone!