2022 Surf Art Calendar
April
“Beachwood Whale”
By: Pablo Lentini
STORY BEHIND THE IMAGE
Stepping into the lobby of The Cape, a Thompson Hotel, in Cabo San Lucas Mexico guests and residents are greeted by a magnificent grey whale sculpted from hundreds of individual pieces of driftwood salvaged from the beaches of Los Cabos after Hurricane Odile in 2014 that was collected and constructed by Pablo Lentini.
This unique piece of art was designed by Marcos Castro, a Mexican artist who uses symbolic elements found in local cultures to inspire and create his artworks. He also draws inspiration from nature, as evidenced in this captivating sculpture at the entrance to the hotel. Twice awarded with the Young Creators FONCA scholarships, Marcos has participated in various exhibitions and artist residencies including working with the Arróniz Gallery in Mexico City. This gallery focuses on creating opportunities for artists in Mexico and Latin America and exchanging pieces with other galleries worldwide to spread their culture and work.
PERSONAL CONNECTION
Surfing is such a big part of my life and I’m so appreciative of this. The friendships, the travel, the health benefits, the life experiences and this story is another example of it. In July of 2021 I met my good friend Ryan Osborne and his family in Mexico for a quick weekend surf trip to San Jose Del Cabo. After one of the best days of surfing I can remember having in the last five years, I happen spark up a conversation with the artist and local surfer Pablo Lentini, where we were parked next to each other on the sand at the top of the point at Nine Palms, a popular surf break only accessed via a long dirt road on the East Cape of Cabo. The conversation starts out in broken Spanish where we talk about how great the surf was, the European Championship soccer game being played that day between Italy & England, connecting that both of us have Italian roots and then he drops the bomb on me about La Ballena (the Beachwood Whale) at the Thompson Hotel that he worked on. I tell him about the Surf Art calendar and he tells me about the other work he’s involved with, both agreeing that I would be able to share his talents in this year’s calendar.
There are many things that excite me about this sculpture, but here are few… One, it was constructed with wood collected from the beaches of Cabo using completely sustainable materials that washed up on the shore. Two, the size of the sculpture is massive and true to life. Three, the passion Pablo has for his wood working and other designs he’s created for Acre Baja resort are impressive. Four, where it sits at the famous surf spot Monuments, overlooking the Sea of Cortez where grey whales migrate every year is connective. Five, this is another example of how alternate materials besides photography and paintings are used for Surf Art inspiration.
Please give Pablo a follow on Instagram to see more of his musings: instagram.com/pablogolentini
Me surfing The Rock
