August “Summer Swell” By: Rob Waxman STORY BEHIND THE IMAGE I met Rob on the Manhattan Beach Strand at 39th Street, where he was painting Plein-Air amongst the people. My appreciation for the art and artists who commit to their craft is such that I had to stop and introduce myself, inquire about his inspiration and then request permission to feature his art within the Surf Art Calendar community. Fortunately, he agreed to share his “Summer Swell” oil painting, which draws i

July “Salute to Sunset” By: Tony Rogondino STORY BEHIND THE IMAGE Salute to Sunset is a tribute to my country, to my community of friends, to my family and to the beauty of the ocean at sunset. I am truly grateful for moment on this earth and want to wish you a Happy 4th of July! ARTIST BIO While I wouldn’t consider myself an artist, I do like to take pictures of my journey and tell their stories. I consider myself a Luxury Real Estate agent, father, surfer and dedicated pr

June “Rad” By: Jessica Wright STORY BEHIND THE IMAGE From the artist: This piece was created for a surfer who embodies the true South Bay lifestyle. He lived a block from the beach and wanted his art to reflect his passion for the ocean. When he saw the completed piece, he exclaimed, “RAD,” which inspired the painting’s name. This artwork captures both the force and tranquility of a crashing wave. ARTIST BIO As a child, I loved being creative, starting with coloring an

May “Desert Mirage” By: Andrew Schwartze STORY BEHIND THE IMAGE From the artist: Getting perfectly barreled in Abu Dhabi while the sun sets over the Arabian Sea and being caught on the big screen all at the same time was never a dream until recently. Having this all happen at the same time was very META. I didn’t know I dreamt about this happening until it did! The wave pool was like a dream but the people were the real experience. Being able to share this adventure with

April “Beach Abstract” By: Jamie Oxman STORY BEHIND THE IMAGE From the artist: I cannot speak about art without mentioning Claes Oldenburg who said “art can be anything” There is not pretension. It rejects limits and invites freedom. CONNECTION THE ARTIST The Beach Abstract image is one of my favorites from this year’s calendar, because for me, I want to believe it is a beach scene with blue skies, red sun and a left peeling wave with pink white water, while others may

March “Flash Hummingbird” By: Chris Blackadder STORY BEHIND IMAGE - My hummingbird feeder sat with no visitors for almost a year, then one arrived. I asked my youngest son what we should call him and he said FLASH almost immediately. It took a while for him to gain the confidence to visit while I was in door trying to get a photo, but now he comes always and brings friends. Just once he made the mistake of flying inside, then realized his error and promptly left...next

February “Coronado Beach” By: Tamira Imondi STORY BEHIND THE IMAGE From the artist: Inspired by Coronado’s gentle light and endless horizon, this piece captures the stillness between tides, where the ocean meets the shore. Echoes of quiet morning walks, touched by the soft glow of the Hotel del Coronado PERSONAL CONNECTION I felt inspired to share this painting of Coronado because of how it looks towards my home town of Point Loma in the distance. I really enjoy Tamira’s

January “Southern Wind” By: Zen Del Rio STORY BEHIND THE IMAGE Dream scape hand painted ceramic tile splash for the home of Stefan Hurwicz. The colors match his beautiful granite countertops perfectly. PERSONAL CONNECTION This image illustrates the power of our local surf community. I was introduced to Zen through his wife Diana that I surf with regularly, only to realize that I also surfed regularly with Zen, but just didn’t know him personally prior to the introduction. We

December “Mexico” By: Emilie Rogondino STORY BEHIND THE IMAGE The story behind this image is that Emilie was fortunate to travel to a fancy resort outside of Sayulita, Mexico with her friend Gianna and her mom Cheryl. The ultimate girls trip of laying by the pool, exploring the beaches and of course dinner on the sand. PERSONAL CONNECTION This past year has flown by! As my daughter Emilie gets older, I’m finding that she spends more time with her friends and less time w

November “Wilkes” By: Ross Garrett STORY BEHIND THE IMAGE From the artist - This painting is Wilke’s Pass in Fiji painted for his friend Travis McCaw in memory of their trip to Namotu Island 20 years ago. On their trip, the waves were less than epic, but like the best surf trips, the memories they made were off the scale. BIOGRAPHY Ross Garrett lives in Leucadia with his wife Alexis and two boys Henry and Conrad. He has been surfing for 35 years and doing watercolor for about