For the next Paint and Clay Project I have a bit of a back story to tell. The project was to paint a surfboard for Susan Lee….This project was completed last week as part of her presentation for upcoming fashion trends (as she works in concept development for a major company). Well, since her work is pretty stellar, I felt I had a big order on my hands, which is the most exciting kind of project to work on! The explaining I have to do is in part because this is not the first surfboard I have painted, hence the reason she asked me to do this, and each board has been painted at different periods in our adventures……so here goes the story…..
The first board I ever painted was done in Clemson, South Carolina, right on the ocean right?? NOT. Roger and I met in Clemson during graduate school, and I knew nothing about surfing, but I did grow up on a lake and knew a lot about an unspoken love for being around water. Roger had just moved there from a 10 year stint in Santa Cruz, an area that actually IS known for it’s proximity to the ocean. So, what happens when you take a Midwestern girl who grew up on a lake, and a surfing California boy and throw them into the South? Well, (naturally) they find the ocean. We would drive 4 hours to Charleston on the weekends just to be near the water. Roger’s long-board had been through the ringer, so we came up with the grand idea to paint the backside. Below is the result. This board is still in existence, although with many years under it’s resin, has been since repaired several times, so the painting is a bit beat up now.
The next board was painted somewhere in between our adventures in Portland, OR, and Incline Village, NV. Again, we gravitated towards the ocean, and believe me when I tell you, NOTHING compares to the beauty of the Pacific Northwest Coastline. These were some frigid waters, but the majestic nature of the cliffs and the hikes to actually get to the water were something else. After Portland it was off to Lake Tahoe where we were fortunate enough to live 5 minutes from the lake. Although Lake Tahoe does not provide much in the way of waves, it did fulfill our longing for the aquatic, and snowy mountains in the winter. Not much surfing was done on these waters, but we spent many a sunny day on our friend’s sailboat, or rock jumping (no, not the extreme version…our version…literally jumping from rock to rock to find the highest one to jump off of). And this water sparkles, I mean, there are literally gold flecks floating around in the crystal clear blue water. MAGIC I TELL YOU!
Still with me?? I really want to share these moments, because as I was digging up the photos I was laughing so hard, and thinking, “man, life is short” and so much happens that we sometimes forget those moments. These boards are projects, but also symbolize moments in a story. Hopefully they will help you understand a bit more about Paint + Clay!
