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2011-08-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

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Westside Artwalk Ventura :: July 23-24 :: I'm Live Painting!

2011-07-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend is the first Westside Artwalk for Ventura! I was invited to come do some live painting down at the Art Museum of Ventura County. I'll be outside in the courtyard working on my Fish Outta Water Project on Saturday 1-7 and Sunday 12-5. Come stop by and bring me cold beer.

Addmission to the museum is FREE both days and Saturday night from 7-9pm there will be live music and a wine/beer bar. There's a ton of art happenings going on this weekend so come support the artists of Ventura!

Visit www.westsideartwalk.org for more info.

Art Show: Summer Aloha Reception, July 8th, Kauai

2011-07-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

- Click for larger image -

WHAT: Hawaiian Salt, Summer Aloha Reception

"Please join us for our Summer Artist Reception on the beautiful south shore of Kaua'i. Hawaiian Salt is an artist collective featuring one of a kind t-shirts and apparel, hand printed in small batches, locally designed and produced jewelry by some of Hawaii's finest jewelry artisans; and fine art featuring the amazing surf and ocean inspired art of Wade Koniakowsky, Troy Carney, Glenn Gavett, Erik Abel, Drew Brophy, Ron Croci and David Pu'u."

WHERE: Hawaiian Salt, Kukui'ula Village, 2829 Ala kalanilaumaka St, Kauai, HI.

WHEN: Artist Reception, Friday, July 8th, 5-9pm. Pupus, live music and an hourly raffle with proceeds going to support the arts program at Koloa Elementary School.

Here's a peek at the new work that just shipped off to the show. 5 new originals with a colorful wave style I've been playing with as well as 2 new, 10"x8" digital prints on card stock, hand signed, in several different color ways, 25 of each design. Contact the gallery if you are interested in any of these pieces. Phone: 808.742.6030

“Sun Lines” $350   Acrylic & mixed media on wood, rounded corners, black edges
   12"x21"
   Erik Abel, 2011

“Swell Angle 1” $350
   Acrylic & mixed media on wood, rounded corners, black edges
   10"x28"
   Erik Abel, 2011

“Swell Angle 2” $125
   Acrylic & mixed media on wood, rounded corners, black edges
   7.5"x7.5"
   Erik Abel, 2011

Various Digital Prints, hand signed, 10"x8"
All $10 Each, Fits any standard 8x10 frame.

Print detail

Art Show: Splash! Opening Reception Friday, July 1st

2011-06-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

- Click to make bigger -

This is gonna be a good one... Lots of oceany paintings, sculptures and surfboards. I've got a brand spankin' new piece in the show that I'm pretty fond of... don't really want to let it go, but if you want it, you can have it I guess. I also got to paint up a tasty little 5'8" White Diamond from local surfboard shaping wizard Robert Weiner (2011 Shaper of the Year). Haven't painted a surfboard in quite some time, and this one came out pretty rad! They'll both be on display at the Museum of Ventura County from July 2nd - September 18 2011 along with a ton of other art from local arteeests.

Opening Reception is this Friday, July 1st 5:30-8:30pm. It's $5 to come hang out and it all goes to the museum. It's also First Friday Artwalk in Ventura, so get outside, drink and be merry... and stop by the show to say Hi.

"Splash!"
Museum of Ventura County
100 East Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001

"Summer Swell Angle" and "Rock Walk"

Words of Wisdom:

2011-06-13T19:20:00.000-07:00

"Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle." -Abraham Lincoln

Ventura Surf Brewery Opening

2011-06-08T23:08:00.000-07:00

If you're in the Ventura area this week/weekend, be sure to stop by the new Ventura's Surf Brewery for their Grand Opening. They've got some deliciousness on tap! A few local artists and myself have a few paintings hanging around the place.

Here's the details...

Maui & Sons Graphics

2011-06-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

Last summer, iconic surf brand Maui and Sons contacted me about doing some graphics for an upcoming line, here's the results...

The Fish Outta Water Project

2011-06-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

An idea has been brewing in my head for awhile, but I didn't quite have the right vision for how the fish needed to look or how they were going to be made. I attempted a few "Fish Outta Water" pieces years ago but they just didn't cut it. The lack of vision also had something to do with me being a Fish Outta Water myself.

It took a trip to the Sydney Art Museum to inspire a flurry of sketches and ideas that eventually turned into the fish you see above. I walked into a room full of Aboriginal art that stopped me in my tracks. Couldn't take my eyes off these giant, painted wood carvings that towered in the center of the room. There were about 25 of them, big, tall vertical things carved out of round timbers. Completely abstract. I was staring in awe. I wanted to take them all home with me. The entire rest of my trip in OZ I filled pages and pages with sketches inspird by these carved wood shapes. It wasn't until I got back home and got back into the art groove that these sketches started to make sense. Fish started to emerge from the designs I was making and then it all started to come together, as it usually does after getting a hefty dose of inspiration. I finally got around to creating some of the first fish and am loving them. Cutting out, sanding and designing the surfboard-esque shapes has a satisfaction all in it's own. Lot's to explore here, it will be interesting to see where these go.

These fish, along with dozens, maybe even hundreds of others, will be made out of found/reclaimed wood and placed around the Ventura area and beyond over the next few months. Hillsides, beaches, parks, rooftops, hanging from trees... all sorts of random locations.

The premise of The Fish Outta Water Project is that most people eventually wake up and find themselves in situations that are totally uncharacteristic of who they truly are and where they would rather be in life. Just as a fish out of the water is out of place, people are often out of place in their lives. We've all been there. Those times when you do things that are not "you" or working that job that doesn't offer any stimulation besides the piece of paper you get at the end of the week with that little dollar sign on it next to your name. Getting stuck in a rut/situation without seeing a way to get out of it. Fish need water to be alive. People need passion to be alive. Any passion. Something to lose sleep over, something that puts a smile on your face when you open your eyes in the morning. The Fish Outta Water Project is ultimately a reminder to never stop searching for that drive and passion in life. A reminder that we are supposed to enjoy this ride. If we aren't continuously working towards the goal of being able to do exactly what we want to do in life, then what's the point? The only way to fail is to give up on the dreams.

So if you find one of my Fish Outta Water, and you want it, take it. It's yours on the condition I get an email with who you are what what you're passionate about.

It took a few years of wandering the earth and sea for me to gain a clearer vision of who I am and what I want in life. The marine layer continues to clear the farther I go in the right direction... or what I feel is the right direction. As a Fish Outta Water, I feel like I've finally made it back to the waters edge, my fins can feel the wet sand and I can taste the salt in the air... and just over the rocks, the waves are absolutely pumping!!!

1st Friday Art Walk at the WAV: My 1st Open Studio!

2011-06-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

WHAT: 1st Friday Art Walk. This will be my first open studio for Art Walk.

WHERE: The WAV Art Compound, 175 S. Ventura Ave, Ventura, CA. My Studio is #P313... 3rd floor.

WHEN: Friday, June 3rd, 5pm-9ish

WHY: So you can mosey up my studio, sip on some wine and check out some new projects I've got in the works, see where it all goes down, we can shoot the shit if you want too. Also, you'll be able to check out a bunch of other artists studios as well as a new art show at the WAV gallery space. Good stuff.

Hope to see you Manana!

Humble Inspiration

2011-05-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

Pic: Michelle Rozzen

It's random emails like this that just blow me away and make my day...

"Hi. You don't know me and I didn't know you until I read a interview from you in the surfer magazine Tide. You inspire me to do my own thing. I really admire you. You do with your life what you want to do. It's fantastic. Last night I wrote down what I want from my life because of you. You showed me with your interview that everything is possible. I live in Switzerland (Europe). but I don't like it here because we havent a ocean. I cant go surf whenever I want to go. I would like to live in the tropics. So maybe I must just be courageous and move into the world. change my place to live. And if my friends say to me, you're crazy I think at your words: "Expect the best, plan for the worst, fuck what others think and do your own thing!"

I hope, you understood my English because I'm not very good in that. All what I wanted to say was, that you inspire me to do my own thing. to make that my dream comes true.

Thanks :-)

Wish you all the best and just the best waves in the world.

-F.G.

Words of Wisdom:

2011-05-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

"There's nothing like biting off more than you can chew, and then chewing anyway." - Mark Burnett

"There are no easy methods of learning difficult things; the method is to close your door, give out that you are not at home, and work." - Joseph de Maistre

You said it Mr. Maistre... Please don't call me, don't ask me to come play, don't invite me out for dinner(Feel free to drop off cookies though!)... locking myself in the studio/dungeon for a while and making shit happen. Big things in the works. Lot's of wood bein' cut. Paint being painted. Lines drawn. Music listened. Graphics Designed. Midnight oil burned. See you in a whiles crocodiles... I'll pop my head out when it's safe again.

The Great Outdoors: Yosemite

2011-05-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

Quick shot up to the amazing Yosemite valley last weekend to celebrate Marc's 40th birthday... couldn't have asked for better weather. Camp'n, raft'n, BBQ'n, drink'n, hike'n, hot tub'n, laugh'n and pet'n the dog. Good stuff...

Upper Yosemite Falls and Half Dome

Kates Moss

Stella

Amber looking for a bed

Can you see it?

Half of a Dome

Art Show: "G40" Washington DC, May 20th

2011-05-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

Art Whino Gallery is throwing a HUGELY SUPER MASSIVE art event in Washington DC this Friday, "G40", Over 200 artists in a giant 4 story warehouse.

"Art Whino returns in 2011 for the second edition of G40. The first G40 art summit in 2010 compounded artistically explosive cultures from all over the world and brought them to the DC metro area. By bringing all of these cultures from throughout the world to one place it allowed the visitor to be fully immersed in over 2000 works by 500 artists organized by floors corresponding to their cultural hubs.

This year G40 explores not cultures but the genres which are on the forefront of creative transitions and growing in large scale with hundreds of thousands of fans throughout the world. Some of these genres include Customized collectibles, Skateboard Art, Stencil, Wheat Paste and 3D Installations.

The G40 Art Summit is a unprecedented experience in the art world with its scale and caliber of artists from around the world. This year the summit comes to the city next to the U street corridor taking over an entire 25,000 sqft building and showcasing art on all of it 4 floors. From over twenty artists showcasing 16’ Murals to traditionally displayed artwork the summit will definitely have sensory overload requiring multiple trips to take in all the treats for the eyes."

Get more info here... http://www.artwhino.com/_webapp_3886764/2011_G40

I'll have an entire room at the show filled with my art and this new piece "Gypsy Rocks", made up of 32 individual 11"x11" panels, fun... spread the word!

Art Show: The New Wave @ Green Flash Gallery - May 14th, Cardiff, CA

2011-05-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

Come join me for a fun night down in Cardiff by the Sea at the Greenflash Art Gallery for "The New Wave". There's gonna be some great art on the walls by some great artists: Scotty Carter, Ned Evans, Erik Abel, Seitaku Aoyama, Tom Viega, Ash Francomb, Matt Beard, Takahiro Hida, Heather Brown, Mark Saracusa. This Saturday, May 14th 5-9pm. www.greenflashartshop.com

My new log

2011-04-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

Summer time in Ventura is on it's way, so I picked up this used and a little abused Dan Taylor 10' long wave eating machine... no ripple is safe... beware!

Mind is blown...

2011-04-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

This little gem just might be the most amazing form of creative expression any of us will ever see in our lives... my hat is off to this man and my mind is completely blown from trying to comprehend how much time and energy went into making this... devote the next 10 minutes of your life to watching this...

BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Ventura Newness

2011-03-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

New home. New bed. New roommates. New studio. New route to the beach. New ideas. New opportunities.

Words of Wisdom:

2011-03-22T22:42:00.000-07:00

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." -Lin Yutang

I'm OPEN for business & plantin' roots... can you help?

2011-03-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

Hello family, friends, acquaintances and complete strangers!

Spring is about to to be sprung, love is in the air... and the strawberries are big and juicy! I hope 2011 is exceeding your expectations. It's exceeding mine... not expecting anything definitely helps!

Sooo... I've decided to hang up my vagabonding hat for a while, say farewell to my beloved, care-free, nomadic lifestyle and nestle into a nice condo in downtown Ventura, California for a year. Gettin' all responsible. (I know, I know... It's hard for me to believe too) But I had a good run over the last 2.5 years. The world is an amazing place full of some amazing people... there's still way too much to see and experience and a million more great friends to meet. We'll see how long I last before my feet start itching for the open road again.

In the meantime, ABEL ARTS WOULD LIKE YOUR HELP. It's time I buckle down and get to work... seriously. WORK. Lots of it. Artsy projects. Graphic designy projects. Top Secret projects. Anywhere in the world. It's all fair game... and I'm steppin' up my game. I've currently got some exciting projects in the fire and a few more goodies on the horizon, but I'm always on the market for more.

If you could do me a big favor and keep your ears and eyes peeled, chances are you, your company, your friend or crazy Uncle are in need of rock solid graphic design and/or some funky unique artwork for the house or office ... if so, be a match-maker and send them my way! Much appreciated! And networking will continue to live on!

Abel Arts does it all... Art, Design, Illustration...

Logos, Brochures, Catalogs, Illustration, Company Branding/Identity, Apparel Graphics, Book Covers, Magazine Layout, Murals, Custom Original Art, Public Art, Web Design, Web Graphics, Posters, Album Artwork, Artwork Licensing, Product Package Design, Product Design, Vehicle Wrap Design, Finger Paintings... you name it, I can do it or know somebody who can.

I get by with a little help from my friends... and on rare occasions... a cape.

Cheers,

Erik Abel

I'm not flattered...

2011-03-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

Click image to make bigger

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery right? That's BS. Imitation is the most sincere form of someone lacking creativity looking for an easy way out. Copying something for personal use is one thing... but copying artwork for a commercial project from the artwork of another commercial project, that's downright shameful.

A little while back, artist/designer pal Tom Veiga sent me the image he found of the poster on the right asking if I gave permission for the artist to copy the painting I did for International Surfing Day (on the left). Of course I knew nothing about it. There is no way to contact the artist or the person/company who produced this event or poster. I've tried. Google has finally failed me.

There's a reward for whoever can find the rip-off artist and their contact info. What's the reward? A little drawing or print or something... or maybe just a big high five and a solid hug. Cool?

Dear Australia...

2011-02-27T23:26:00.000-08:00

Dear Australia,

I've never met someone who has spent time with you and doesn't love you. You're big, you're warm and you only have 20 million people or so... and they have funny accents that make me laugh. And kangaroos hop around everywhere. Still never managed to get the one picture I wanted... me boxing one with big red gloves on. Maybe next time.... if your peeps will let me back in, I seemed to have overstayed my welcome by a bit. Doooh!

12 Apostles, South Coast

I've still got a lot of exploring to do with you but managed to make it to your West and South coasts this time around. I made a conscious effort NOT get myself stuck in Byron Bay this time and got to see some other shweeeet places. After leaving the crew in Sydney and watching NYE fireworks on the harbor, I hung with the Newports in Melbourne. Great city. Fun and lots going on but a bit far from the waves. And the weather needs to make up it's mind.

West Oz

Then I decided to head out to the wild wet to meet up with my long lost Kiwi friend Nic in Margaret River, hadn't seen her in over 10 years... crazy. The West is pretty laid back, has beautiful beaches and the waves fucking pump! I'm surprised more people don't live there. Plus it's a real short hop to Indo. I had a blast. Can't wait to get back there.

Echidna

Your people remind me of the Kiwi's. They seem really united and they have pride in that. For example, during your big floods in Queensland, when downtown Brisbane was under water, there was nobody stealing anything. It was weird. Look at New Orleans during the same situation. Looting left and right. Fights. Stupid gang shit. Rapes in the shelters. Disgusting and shameful stuff. I cant even imagine what would happen if LA flooded... it would be full on anarchy.

Watching your politicians on the news was a breath of fresh air. They actually sound like they have brains, they don't skirt questions, they're accessible. You almost want to believe what they say... it's great!

I love: Meat Pies, Eating your Kangaroos, the fact that the West coast blows offshore most of the year, listening to Aussie girls talk. Bare-Boobied beaches.

I don't love: All the fucking shark attacks, deadly spiders, deadly snakes and the most persistant annoying flies on the planet. The outrageous price of alcohol.

Until we meet again... mate!

Cheers,

Margs

Curl Curl

Margs Pumping!

Curiosity of Cyclone Bianca

Ready to hunt fishies

Dinner

Nic... about to make me late for my bus!

Not a bad place to climb around. James with his life in my hands.

Swedish ~~Meatball~~ Eyeball

Swedes+Beer+Plastic cow=This

The one that make have killed Mr. Irwin... not sure.

Gnarabup Sunset

Scoring on a short stop in Fiji

2011-02-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

After getting deported from Oz and the bullshit mission getting back to Fiji... once I stepped off the plane, felt the hot humid air, had a whiff of that sweet island smell, and heard the dudes jamming island tunes in the immigration line, everything was good again. Not sure I could have asked for a better last few days of this 4 month journey.

Stayed up waaay too late drinking Fiji Gold and playing pool with Che and crew that night, woke up the next morning, had a giant breaky at Cardos and hopped on a few skis out to score head high Restaurants and then over to pumping overhead rights at Swimming Pools with a handful of guys out. Guys were saying they haven't seen it that good. Fiji is magical. Kicking myself for not having my camera this day.... damnit. Wore the wrong shirt in the water and my nipples got rubbed raw. Scabby nipple tips are not fun.

The Comp

Wilkes going nuts across the channel

Hit it hard in Nadi Town that night and hopped on the boat early to head out to a local comp at Namotu Lefts. Thanks to Uri and Adrenaline crew for one hell of a day! It was the best I had seen it. Some good ones coming in but still turned a bit fat after the drop. I filled in for Che in the comp (His eyeballs were absolutely fried from the previous day, everybody's were... had to be something in the water) and ended up making the Semi Finals. We decided to bail on it and head over to Restaurants to get a few... best call ever. Restaurants was head high and perfect. Such an amazing wave. Long, fast, hollow. It keeps growing bigger as it rolls down the reef. What more do you want in a wave? Maybe a reverse version of it. Yeah, that would pretty much be all... Restaurants as a Right. Heaven. Ended my last session in Fiji with a nice little one, a few good whacks off the top and tucked into a cozy little tube that just barely let me out. Cold beers back on the boat. Life can be a dream.

Back at Cardos for beers and a big feed and that's where we met Dr. Bones. This old hippie guy pops out of nowhere and next thing we know he's sitting with us slamming beers like they're water and talking about the 13 crystal skulls of the Mayans, portals on mystic mountain tops, energy crystals, Indian priests, and the end of the world in 2012, and also something that's gonna go down this March 20th... "You thought the quake in Christchurch was bad...". He's been living in Puerto Escondido for 15 years eating peyote or something and healing injured surfers. Now he's starting a (witch?) doctor clinic on an island in Fiji. The guy is a trip. The weird part about Dr. Bones showing up was he just happened to have a box of some crazy Chinese eye medicine that he dropped in our sunburned eyes. Stuff worked. We were all sitting there screaming with tears rolling down our face... it stung like hell but worked. Trippy... man.

Dr. Bones doing some painful voodoo on Che

That was it. Easy flight home. Now I'm sitting here at home in Uggs, fuzzy pants and jacket and a beanie on one of the coldest days of the year... sunburned, jet lagged and completely stoked!!

Special thanks to Che, Cardo, Teh, Chloe and the Adrenaline crew for taking real good care of me! I'm in debt to you.

The Bowels of Travel

2011-02-23T16:08:00.001-08:00

Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose... and get deported.

Most times things go as planned. Smooth, short layovers. Planes and busses are on time. A new security line opens up and you get to bypass 40 people fumbling to get the change out of their pockets. Plenty of time for an over priced beer as you gaze out the window and see your boards being delicately loaded on the plane. Sexy girl with great convo sitting next to you. Traveling is awesome!

But sometimes the evil travel monster bites off your wang, chews it up and spews it all over the rest of your day... or two... or three... or in my case 3 years.

Here's the last 48 hours...

Leave Nic and Jim's place in Margaret River. On way to bus stop, Nic and I decide to go for one last quick beer. Little Creatures Ale Yum! Bus ticket says 4:50pm departure. One quick beer turns into two quick beers. Get to bus stop at 4:48pm. No bus. Call bus Co... Bus left at 4:30pm. WTF?? But my ticket says...???
Have to drive to Bussleton bus stop to try and catch bus. Turn 40 minute drive into 25 minute drive. Interception!
4 hr bus ride to Perth airport. 3 hours early for redeye at midnight:30. Check in, find out flight has magically changed to 11pm. Good thing I was early. WTF??? Kill time with beer. Watch news of Christchurch getting rocked and worry about friends. Sad. Plane on time. One-two winks of sleep on plane. Wonder why they dont just make the seats fixed in the laid back position, which is about a 1 inch difference from the upright position. Idiots. Somebody close to me, maybe even right next to me, is farting the whole way and for once its not me. Gross. Babies... Crying. Arrive in Melbourne at 5am. Drag boards to international terminal. Go through customs and immigration... All clear. Life is good... I'll be in Fiji by 3pm drinking an ice-cold Fiji Gold under a palm tree on the beach... Bitch! Haha not so fast son. Where's da plane, da plane? Missing. 8:40am flight turns into 11am turns into 12:30 turns into 3pm turns into 6pm turns into 8pm flight. Each delay everybody gets free meal and drink vouchers... Including alcohol. Not bad. Smash beers. Wander the airport. Flirt with cute girls with dumb looking boyfriends. Jam guitar. Sleep on floor. "Can I have your attention... We need 13 volunteers to give up their seats... Full ticket refund... We'll get you on a flight tonight to Fiji but have to fly you out of Brisbane." Lucky number 13. Fuck. OK. Count me in. Just get me the hell out of this airport. 12 hours in terminal=Feverish. The 13 reFijis are escorted out of international terminal to domestic terminal. Go through customs and immigration again.... Same airport. Lots of arguing between airline guys and customs guys. Cutting it close to get on flight to Brisbane. Everybody gets passports back but me. Shit. They're all waiting on me. And my boards are not in the reFiji luggage pile. WTF?? Immigration head lady pulls me aside and let's me have it. I'm an illegal alien and have been for about 60 days. WTF?? Plane is gonna leave without us. Get banned from entering Australia for 3 years. I will be Escorted to the international terminal when I land in Brisbane and kicked the fuck out :( Ooopsy daisy. Should've looked into my visa situation from last year. My boards show up. Scramble to check-in all 13 reFijis and blaze thru security. I'm the last person on the plane. They've been waiting. Scowls from everybody as I pass. Think I heard one hiss. Meal/drink vouchers get me a few more beers on plane. Unreal sunset out window. Get a wink. Brisbane landing. Get shuffled out to private shuttle to international terminal. Immigration officer and airline rep in tow. $50 bucks for boards. Not bad. Lots of meal/beer vouchers. Two nights, two redeyes... It must be Christmas. I stink. I'm tired. I'm buzzed. Wave goodbye to Customs as I go through, immigration sits me down for another spanking. Supposedly I can appeal the 3 year ban and try to apply for another visa. Sweet. Pad Thai, more beers, fun chat with cute English birds, tight polkadot tights driving me crazy on one of'em. Plane delayed an hour. Haha! Going delirious. Board plane... Oh god here we go, sexy Asian Canadian sitting next to me... I just want to sleep. She just wants to drink and talk. Smash more beers... Have a good laugh. Pass out while she's still talking. Land in Fiji! Find out flight home has been magically moved up 1 day. WTF?? All good. Big Fishermans Breakfast at Cardos on the harbor. Wash off stank. Sleep like baby. Surf pumping Restaurants and Swimming Pools tomorrow. All worth it.

New Art from the road...

2011-01-31T21:20:00.000-08:00

Here's a new painting for the friends I'm staying with in Margaret River.

Western Australia Update

2011-01-29T00:56:00.000-08:00

Spending 4 days on a train chugging across the Outback from Melbourne to Perth, on the longest straightest portion of railroad on earth sounded like fun, fun like sailing back to New Zealand from Tonga. I'm sure I would have met some random desert folk and seen some cool shit but the damn thing was all sold out... the cheap seats at least. And I didnt think the next-up private cabin option was worth the $1024. So I took a 4 hour flight to Perth... which ended up being a drain... Drink til 3:00am... drive to airport at 4:30am...wait in wrong line for 30 minutes... sweat all alcohol out from sun beaming through window... wait in another line for 30 minutes... surfboards too long... by about 2 inches.. get denied.. no refund... no credit... raise hell... get nowhere.. buy another flight with Quantas.. nice people... free surfboards. Jet Star Airlines can kiss my white ass!!!

Thank you to the Newports and the lovely Miss Jemma for housing me for a few weeks in Melboune. As well as Eddie and crew for the meeeean shrimp on the barbi and poker night... and for the 4:30am airport run... you're an absolute hero!

A few days in Perth wis zee German girl and then we hopped on a bus to Margaret River and I've been parked up here ever since, housesitting for some friends. It's a little tiny town where you can just hideaway and surf good waves all day long if the wind doesnt get to it. Seems like there's always some size somewhere around here. We had a nice swell these last few days.(See pictures above) On days like this you just have to pick a spot and surf or you'll end up driving around all day wanting to see what another spot is doing.. and another... and another, there's a million, at least. I ended up surfing the right in the first few pics. Got my ass handed to me a few times, it was a tricky wave and crowded as hell, some filthy barrels though... and finally got to give my 6'6" a go! Smoooooth like butta!

And playing guitar is becoming an absolute obsession. I just can't get enough. Been on a dirty-drinking-song kick as of late. Inspiration curtisy of John Valby. Look him up. He's pretty rude. I like it. Trying to be a well rounded player here... gotta have a few raunchy songs under the belt, they all have their time and place... like at weddings or childrens birthdays or what have you. Geeze.. gonna have a few weddings to go to this summer... I'm either getting old or my buddies have all gone at got themselves whipped! Waahhpssshhhhh! You know who you are gentlemen! I'll be sorry to see you go.

Over and out.

Happy New Year from New South Wales!

2010-12-31T17:02:00.000-08:00

Sydney Harbor Bridge Blowing up!

Already 2011?? WTF? Time is getting rather slippery these days isn't it? Yikes! Well, the end of the world as we know it is supposed to happen sometime next year so I encourage everyone to quit their jobs, sell their house/children, book a flight to the place you've always wanted to go... and go!

The city of Sydney put on a pretty damn good display of fire power last night. Burnt the bridge literally. If you ever find yourself in Oz for the new year make sure to find a nice spot on the harbor and prepare to be Oooed and Aaaahhhed. A few stiff Vodka drinks will help too. Always does.

Happy Two Thousand E11even everybody!! I'm off to do some very serious and important research in the art of hammock snoozing...

The Magical Birdcage Sessions

2010-12-16T20:46:00.000-08:00

Magic Perfection

This little adventure absolutely made my Fiji trip...

Since we had been stuck in the harbor waiting on a new transmission for Nola, we had been hiring a local guy to take us out to Cloudbreak to surf whenever there were waves, but always never got out there early enough and had to leave early so the capt. could get back to his island before dark. One drunken night in Nadi Town, Panapa and I decided we'd get dropped off at the judging tower that stands over the shallow reef at Cloudbreak and spend the night on it to get the most out of the swell coming that night. We ended up leaving the club at 5 AM when our local buddy Che decided to get himself kicked out for grabbing a full pitcher of Malibu and Pinapple juice from behind the bar and drinking it. This was after he secretly puked on the floor by the pool tables from skulling too many rum and cokes. Nice Che... Good times.

By 8am we had our gear on the long boat and were ready to roll. Sam joined us for the day. Che didnt seem to be able to make it out of bed and missed the boat... and the best waves we had surfed all trip.

Nothing more to ask for

Got out to the reef and it was pumping! Well overhead sets, offshore, awesome! Plenty of people out. Several boats parked up. Got some unreal waves. It was time for Sam and the boat to leave so we had them take us over the reef to the tower to see if it was even in good enough shape to sleep in. It was... just barely though. The thing was absolutely COVERED in bird shit. Over inch deep in places. Many birds lived in it... hence our nickname: The Birdcage. It smelled pretty bad, kinda like... birdshit, but it had a floor and a roof and it was overlooking one of the most insane Lefts in the world, so we decided to grab our gear and the dingy (with a powerful 2.5 HP engine!) and call it home for the next 24 hours. We set up tarps to block the sun and wind and I kicked myself when P pulled out his hammock... I left mine on Nola... idiot! We took a little rest and had some $1 Curry Roti's and watched the place just start firing! Everybody had since left, we were just laughing our asses off, jumping around squawking like the birds. This is what we came for.

Striking Gold

So as we geared up a lone Tavarua boat pulled up with a few guys on it. These guys had the place absolutely wired with style. A few of them turned out to work for the camp and could tell they had been surfing this place for a long time. I cant imagine what it would be like to have had this wave all to yourself for the last 25 years!!! For those who don't know... Tavarua Island/Surf Resort has had exclusive rights to surfing Cloudbreak for the last few decades. And just a few months ago the Fijian Govn't lifted the rights allowing anybody to come surf it. First of all, I think it's 100% BULLSHIT to be able to have exclusive rights to ride a wave that was formed in the ocean several hundred miles away. CROCK OF SHIT! But the Tavarua crew had it. And that's part of the reason people paid unbelievable amounts of mula to stay there and surf it's waves. But now they don't... and that's why we were there, camping in a little, rickety, stinky shack a few feet above the water about to score our brains out. : )

View from the Birdcage

This evening session was magical. The sun was low in the sky turning the waves yellow gold green and the light offshores were sending golden spray into the sky. Dropping into giant outside bombs all the way down the reef. Some unreal ones. Kicking myself for not bringing my 6'6" step-up board out there with us. Got big, nice, round, fast barrels. Sitting there soaking it all in.... humbling giddyness. A handfull of guys just scoring.

Then the Tavarua boys left leaving P and I all by ourselves... hooting as we waved goodbye to the last of the crowd! Sky and clouds turning mystical colors. Sun setting with sets stacking up, surfing with just one buddy at pumping Cloudbreak. Just as I was pondering whether or not there are much better moments in life... big wide one came in and as I grabbed the rail on a late drop I saw this was going to be the best wave of my time in Fiji... big bottom turn, gouge one off the top, driving down the line, grab rail, hand into the liquid to stall, colors and the water texture are still vivid in my mind, amazing vision, lip goes over, time slows, air pressure changes, the ultimate experience, my happy place, looking down the line another long section about to throw, drive into it... deep, had brief thought of not making it... then saw the light. Came blasting out on the shoulder in front of the Birdcage, pink and orange water and sky, Tavarua island in the background, orange sun, warm air, brain set to "STOKED". P was on the inside hooting. I was hooting. That was it. Pure Euphoria. One of those moments in surfing that will stay with me my entire life. A collection of elements and timing that amounts to absolute magic. This is what I came for... and this is what I'll be after as long as I live. Those few seconds of absolute bliss. I could leave Fiji a happy man. But there was still the next morning!

Birdcage Sunrise

We climbed back up into the Birdcage and have tuna on crackers with more Roti's. And watched the sunset as giant sets steamrolled down the reef, the dawn patrol looked liked it was going to be all time! We had the best view in the house. The birds were all coming back to roost after their day fishing at sea... they were pissed we had taken over their house. It was a long damn night. At high tide the waves would break and hit the bottom of the floor, I thought I was gonna take one in the face any minute. There were thunder storms and a few sprinkles, the birds were squawking all night. The smell was horrible, you couldnt hide from it. The dawn finally broke and greeted us with another pumping morning at Cloudbreak. Not a breath of wind. Killer sunrise. Clean double overhead sets. Grubbed a pineapple and Roti and got out there. Not much more to say about this magical session other than that it was... magical. Late dropping big heaving waves on my 6'2". Adrenal gland at full tilt. Beautiful morning sun lit waves. Big healthy waves. Big healthy barrels. Arms like noodles. Good shit!

Dawn Patrol with Birdcage

P and I had it to ourselves for about an hour before another boat showed up. And after 3.5 hours we had our fill. Back for a snooze in the Birdcage only to hear a Ski from Tavarua pull up to the tower with a few boards on the back and a camera in our face. He kept driving around the tower taking pictures of us and then says, "Just so you know, I'll be showing these to the Fijian Govn't to let them decide if this is OK or not... just so you know." And i thought, "Well FUCK YOU too asshole!" I asked why, and if what we were doing was illegal and he said, "Oh yeah... I know a lot of people who would not be OK with this." and he took off, and went surfing.

Black Magic

This made me think we might have been the first ones to camp on the tower. But I can't believe that. But I guess we could have been realizing the place was open to the public now. (I'll just go ahead and claim it here then: First to camp out in the Cloudbreak judge tower... P and I, all time sessions.) I thought the guy really handled the situation wrong... which really got under my skin. He could have just told us we were trespassing and told us to leave. We would have graciously apologized, thanked him for the epic waves and closed up shop. But taking pictures and a Govn't threat? What a dick! We're just a couple of surfers looking to get some good waves and happened to be camping out among piles off bird shit on some collapsing tower in the middle of the ocean a mile from the nearest land of any kind. Give us a little credit for trying. A little later we watched as Mr. Photo was rushed back to Tavarua island on a boat after puncturing a lung either on his board or the reef. Wonder how he's doing.

I can understand why the Tavarua crew might be a little bitter about all these new people coming to surf "their waves", but deep down do they really think they have the right to "own" a wave that breaks in the ocean??? I have trouble believing they do. My advice to them, is to appreciate the private access and the mind blowing empty waves they have had over the last several decades, suck it up and deal with it like every surf camp in the world that has access to the same waves as the general public do. You have had your time with it... now you're gonna have to learn to share... I know, life just isn't fair sometimes. And if you don't want people living on that tower, either blow it up or simply put a "No Trespassing" sign on it. It's that easy. Or build a floating surf camp out there and rake it in.

It was soon time for us to meet our boat guy to take us back to Nola. We packed up the gear into the dingy and tried to start the engine but it didn't work so we drifted over the reef waiting for our ride. Sun shining, waves pumping, each of us with a grin reaching ear to ear.... Those were The Magical Birdcage Sessions.

Fiji Times

2010-12-16T17:49:00.000-08:00

Arrive in Nadi early AM. Abdule holding a sign with my name scribbled on it. Abdule insists on showing me disgusting pictures on his phone in route to Marina where Sam and Simon are waiting for me on Mothership Nola. XXX rated porn of him screwing the biggest most rancid woman I have ever seen. It's way to early for this shit. Hop on Nola and head straight to check surf at Cloudbreak. Blown out and small. Head to Musket Cove for the night. Drink beer. Sail North up the Yasawa Island group over next several days. Awesome anchorages. Aqua blue waters. Catch lots of fresh fresh. Eat good. Read lots of books. "Slash" is pretty entertaining. Rekindle love for Guns and Roses. Refreshing thunder storms almost every night. Easy living. Love sailing. Love boat life. Guitar lessons going reasonable well. Must be careful to avoid driving rest of crew nuts with beer fueled guitar playing attempts.

Nola somewhere in the Yasawas

Finally get first surf off Namotu. Small but good to be paddling around. Get smashed in Denarau Harbor. Waaaay too many beers and tequila shots at the Hard Rock. Waitresses pour fake tequila shots for themselves... shame shame. Simon heads back to NZ with drunken tattoo of "I Love Nola" on chest drawn by his loving son. Wongie and I head out to surf. Anchor off Namotu. Rise early and head to Cloudbreak. Sip coffee as we pull up to glassy overhead sets reeling down the reef. Giggle like little girls as we anchor. 19 guys out.... 10 guys out... 5 guys out... Wongie and I are left alone. WTF? Giggle like even littler girls as we get wind-free lefts at world class break to ourselves. Loving life. Surfed out.

Wongie with a nice Wahoo... packed out the freezer with this one!

Head back to Denarau Harbor. Afternoon squall comes in. 15 knots winds... 25 knots.... 32 knots. Cold rain pelting skin. Get into harbor. Me behind the wheel, Wongie on Anchor. Face Nola into wind and slow to drop anchor. Put engine in neutral. Start swinging to side in the wind... try to go into gear again to straighten out... SHIT! Gears not engaging. Getting blown sideways. 2 boats behind us about to get smashed by our steel hull. "Wongie it's not going into Gear!!!" "WHAT???" Wongie runs into cockpit to make sure I'm not just an idiot, I run up to bow and drop anchor. Circus sideshow. Shallow mud is holding... thank you! thank you! thank you! Another few seconds and we would have been explaining to boat owners why their boat is sitting at the bottom of Denarau Harbor. Storm clears. Nola is sitting pretty.

Uuuug ug ug ug ug. Nola tied down for Cyclone.

Mechanic says our Velvet Drive transmission is fucked. Might have another available somewhere in Fiji. Not the case. Has to be shipped from NZ. Takes it out. Tows us into a slip. Stuck in gross harbor for weeks. Get very feverish. Drink lots of beer. Lose mind. Practice guitar. Decide to sand and paint Nolas rust spots on deck. Use multiple "Rust and Stain Remover", "Magic-Turn-Rust-Into-Primer" and "Road Paint" products all together. Add a few blue racing stripes. Looks good. Job well done. She looks like a new boat! Rains that night. Rust stains come back as gross purple color. And several gummy spots that dont dry. Damn it. LESSON LEARNED: Always do a small test area before mixing several weird chemicals together. Sorry Nola.

Panapa, Jo and Arunny fly in from NZ for 3 weeks to join us on Nola. Many false hopes of new tranny getting installed the next Monday... next Wednesday... Friday.. Monday.... entire crew losing minds. Alcohol. Cyclone supposed to hit. Lots of wind and rain. Shit weather. Doesn't hit Fiji. Hire village boat to take us out to find waves as much as possible. Score really good ones. See: "The Magical Birdcage Sessions" post above.

Finally get new drive installed! Start up engine... still no worky. WTF? Throttle cable was frayed and had finally snapped.... weeks in harbor and many thousands of dollars did not need to be spent on new drive after all.... just a new $5 throttle cable. Bad mechanic... bad! Lots of explaining to do to mechanic boss man. LESSON LEARNED: Troubleshoot several reasons why something might not be working.

Spend last few days sailing around. Surfing. Drinking. Eating. Laughing. Get into slip in Vudi Point and pack down Nola for the Cyclone season. Panapa and I left alone to drink Ouzo and play chess. Leave early am. P's boardbag slides into harbor just before leaving in taxi. Laughing. P's goes off to meet locals and hopefully ended up in some strange village getting loaded off Kava all night. I board plane for Sydney! Bye bye.

New Commission

2010-10-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

Untitled, 12.5" x 12.5", Acrylic and Mixed on Panel, Erik Abel 2010

FLUIR Magazine Feature :: Oct 2010 Issue

2010-10-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Just got a hefty envelope in the mail today and it turned out to be a few copies of this months issue of FLUIR, a top Brazilian surf rag. I was asked to contribute a few images for this issues artist section. Stoked...

A worthy way to die...

2010-10-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

As a surfer, hearing about a deadly shark attack (Last week on the Central Coast) strikes a certain chord in my soul. No surfer alive hasn't been spooked at the thought of being fish food at one time or another.

During my years exploring the Oregon coast, I came to the conclusion that being attacked by a shark is a worthy way to die. Maybe it was just a way to reassure myself on those freezing, grey, murky days when I was wishing there was just one other person in the line-up to give me at least a 50% chance of not being dinner for Jaws. Or maybe I was on to something. Being eaten by one of natures most evolved and powerful predators should be an honor. Sure, you'd probably shit your wetsuit, scream like a 10 year old girl and go into shock before you knew what happened, but it sure beats having some knucklehead swerve into you head-on while he's sending some lame text to his girlfriend. Or having a bus run you over while enjoying a stroll with your morning coffee. Or even getting hit in the head by your board and drowning.

I'd rather come face to face with Mr. White and go down fighting in a pool of my own blood than die in some drunken trip down a stairwell any day. It's the ultimate way to go for someone who uses the ocean to fulfill their passion. I think it's a fair trade. There's nothing wrong with dying while doing what you love. The lifestyle of surfing is worth the risk... it's worth dying for. So when I hear of a surfer dying in a shark attack, I think they should be honored as a sacrifice to the surf gods.

The Dark Side of The Lens

2010-10-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

Whoa! Amazing visuals and inspiring words...

Words of Wisdom:

2010-10-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." -Mark Twain

Sailing Fiji, Vanuatu and into the unknown

2010-10-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

Plans made. Flight purchased. Butterflies in the stomach. Excitement in the air. I'm off to join the Nola for another South Pacific surfing/sailing voyage! Length of journey and final destination unknown. The feeling I have right now is as good as it gets... this is what gets me amped, this shit right here, making big life-altering decisions in the blink of an eye, just going for it! Life is getting shorter every day, gotta take advantage of the time left.

A tattoo on my shin says: Abenteuerlust, which, in German, means spirit of adventure, similar to the more common term: Wanderlust, the urge or desire to wander.

This ideology has got it's roots firmly planted in my mind. I have trouble staying in any one place for long periods of time. Unsettled restlessness. My soul needs to see new things, meet new people, just experience newness... and there's a calling for me to be somewhere other than the place I ever am, but at the same time I crave security, organization and a place to call home where I can put down roots. I enjoy feeling settled... for a while, then I get the itch. There's always an internal conflict going on. It's a vicious but enlightening cycle of madness. The little Devil on one shoulder is yelling at me, saying screw it and go, move, travel, seek, explore, fly by the seat of your pants and create the adventure of your life and never look back. The little Angel on the other is whispering things about keeping momentum in my career, planning ahead, getting in a comfortable routine and settling down in one spot for more than 6 months. It's way more fun to listen to the little Devil but as with all things in life, I have realized there has to be a balance. A Yin and a Yang. So, I figure I might as well go party with the Devil for a while until the Angel speaks up a bit louder. But then again... is the Devil really the Angel?

And with a little irony, I leave to join the Nola on the exact same day, one year ago, where I stepped foot back onto good ol' New Zealand soil after being stuck at sea for 20 days in The Crossing from Hell. And as I write this, a year ago, I was probably saying goodbye to Nola and her crew in Tonga for what I thought might be the last time as I boarded the French vessel bound for NZ. But... life is full of pleasant surprises. Nola (and Cloud Break) here I come!!!

CABO SAN LUCAS - Dirty 30 Sanchez!

2010-09-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

I sure hope this won't be my last post. Tomorrow morning a giant posse will board multiple aircraft bound for Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to celebrate three 30th birthdays(Mine included... shit!) and one 31st (Ol' Man Baldwin) during the following 7 days. I'm scared. 14 or 15 of us all in one little Mexican town with bottomless tequila and swim-up bars, not the best combo. One friend finally decided to come just because he said he couldn't miss my 30th birthday and my death all at the same time. Hmmm... wish me luck, things are pretty much guaranteed to get weird.

And you may ask who the hell is El Miguel? El Miguel is our mascot/tour guide for the following week of madness. A drunk and blind Tequila worm, his family brutally murdered and himself left to drown in the bottom of a bottle of Tequila, luckily he was able to drink his way out of it and survive, but it left him with a crazy spiral eye that casts a curse on all those who dare to flip up his patch and stare into it. People have been known to get excruciating headaches from this curse, others have ended up naked in strange places with strange naked people. Go figure.

Aedion Aesthetic kingpin Kevin McNally was able to chat with El Miguel over the phone the other day, here's a partial interview: (The talk ended abruptly when a disagreement broke out between El Miguel and some spike haired, frosted tip, Abercrombie & Fitch wearing spring breakers over a bar tab, sources tell us El Miguel shot all 9 of them on the spot)

KM:
El Miguel, what would you say to the rumors that the tequila worm, is nothing more than a myth.

El Miguel: (In a very Raspy Mexican Accent)
I would say, do I look like a Myth!?! Look at me here, I sit, my eye burned out by fat drunken frat boy in Cancun... Spring break 2007... the last day I see. Removed from my family in Oaxaca and bottled to be sold. You want to talk about a myth. Lets talk about the Female orgasm... now that's a MYTH.

KM:
How old were you when you were taken?

El Miguel:
I must have been 7 or 8 weeks, that's like 27 in human years. They came through our village... pulled up our houses. I tried hard to bit them, but they took me away. Mi familia, I have not seen since. Now I have pistola, and when I find the men who took me. I will find my revenge.

KM:
Where is your family now.

El Miguel:
I do not know. My wife and daughters were most likely killed by Cuervo's Men, however I hope my son lives on.

KM:
You mentioned to me earlier that he had an unusual name and said there was a story behind it?

El Miguel:
Yes, yes he was born on the day of Black, the day Johnny Cash died. So in honor of Senior Cash I named him... [long pause].... Que? What the hell this?? They what? Put drinks on MY tab??? PUTOS... [several gun shots, dial tone]

-End of Interview-

Words of Wisdom:

2010-09-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

"You didn’t come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here." -Alan Watts

Last Ride Illustration :: Surfing Magazine :: Oct 2010

2010-09-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

Click for bigger image

Recently did an illustration for Surfing Magazines Last Ride section, October issue. It's for a little story about the gulf oil spill. Glad that disgusting thing isn't leaking anymore. And a thanks to Scott Chenoweth for the art direction.

Words of Wisdom:

2010-08-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

"Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe."- Anatole France

I have a feeling I'll be going for another wander very soon... feet are getting a mean itch. I gotta go......

The Studio

2010-08-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

studio |'st(y)oōdēˌō|
noun ( pl. -os)

1. a room where an artist, photographer, sculptor, etc., works.
    • a place where performers, esp. dancers, practice and exercise.
    • a room where musical or sound recordings can be made.
    • a room from which television or radio programs are broadcast,
      or in which they are recorded.
    • a place where movies are made or produced.

ORIGIN early 19th cent.: from Italian, from Latin studium (see study ).

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Studios are just rooms that crave creativity. I love coming into the studio and looking at the chaos and aftermath of having days and days of pure inspiration. The times when I'm too busy to organize or care. New paint drips and splatters on tools and tables, pencil shavings, paper scraps, old dried coffee in a cup, saw dust, empty beer bottles, dog-eared magazines, little sketches on random papers, pieces of wood recording the trials of new techniques, and works in progress that will never be anything more than that. Love it!

Overpopulated

2010-08-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

Snapping this shot as I flew into LA this morning, I couldn't help but shake my head in disgust. There are way too many of us here. There was a new show, Powering the Future, on the tube the other day. I was shocked to hear that over 200,000 people are added to this planet EVERY SINGLE DAY. That's factoring in all the deaths in the world too. Something like 350,000 people are born everyday and 150,000 people die. We are adding 1,000,000 people to the earth every 5 days! That is fucking disgusting! What in the hell are we doing?? We can't even take care of all the ones that are already here and we seem to think it's OK to just keep adding more? I'm getting neutered!

Show Opening Pictures

2010-08-09T18:00:00.001-07:00

Here's a few shots from the opening last Saturday. Thanks to everybody who came out! The show will be up through September 1st so go check it out if you're in the area. All the paintings are on my website HERE. Contact the gallery for availability if your are interested in buying.

50 mixed media prints, 8x10in each.

Beachworks work

2010-08-09T17:16:00.001-07:00

Artwork hanging behind the cash reg in the new SD Shop

Been doing some design work for Beachworks Shops over the last few months. Made some paintings for their new shop that opened in San Diego and laid out a few of their ads for Blisss Magazine. The last ad was definitely Indo inspired, I added a little sketch of the Hindu protective spirit, Barong, and used one of my photos of a secret right in Sumatra that was going off... we got this all to ourselves... just laughing the whole ride home!

My interview with: Liquid Salt Magazine

2010-08-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

I did an interview with the good folks at Liquid Salt. Read it HERE.

One-of-a-kind, mIxed media prints...

2010-08-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a little sample of some of the 50, 8x10, one-of-a-kind, mixed media prints that will be on display at my show Saturday. They are just $20 each and they fit any standard 8x10 frame. I had a lot of fun making these, just experimenting with block print stamps, colored pencil and other media. And they are finished off with a nice matte clear coat for protection. Your walls are in need of some of these, come down and grab a few...

The new one-piece wood frames...

2010-08-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

Click for larger image

I'm really stoked on how these came out: One-piece wood frames, CNC machined (Special thanks to the crew at Signal Snowboards for that) out of 3/4 Birch ply, black edges, stained and topped with a smooth satin finish, just delicious! The art is painted on wood panel and counter sunk into the back. They were a lot of work to make, but well worth it. What do you think?

This piece will be up at the show next week..."The Fluid That Binds Us"

Sneek peek at some work for the show...

2010-07-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

Here's 4 of the large pieces that will be up at my solo show, "The Fluid That Binds Us" opening August 7th in Costa Mesa.

30"x40"

24"x40"

Art for 21st Annual Waterman's Ball

2010-07-07T19:44:00.001-07:00

These 2 new pieces will be up for auction at the 21st Annual Waterman's Ball down in Laguna Niguel, CA July 8-9. This prestigious event/auction benefits numerous ocean-environmental organizations.

"The Fluid That Binds Us" A solo show

2010-06-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

Been hard at work on my next solo show opening Saturday, August 7th at the Surfing Heritage Foundation Gallery in Costa Mesa titled "The Fluid That Binds Us". Details on the show coming soon. The above is a little sample of one of the 50+ one-of-a-kind prints I will be making for the show along with several new paintings and a groovy new framing system I've got in the works. It's gonna be a good one, I promise. Mark those calendars right now!

Words of Wisdom:

2010-06-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

Damn, this one hit me like a ton of bricks...

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you learn to appreciate them when they're right. You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself... and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." - Marilyn Monroe

Photographer: Dave Collyer

2010-06-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

During one of the best days of my Indo trip, I noticed a guy bobbing around in the impact zone with a camera... turns out it was Dave Collyer, this guy is an Indo veteran photographer, he gets hired to shoot on trips the world over... and his portfolio shows why. Check him out. He also gave me a nice little plug on his blog. Thanks Dave!

Although he wasn't there to take pictures of me, he managed to snag a few that came out pretty cool... damn this was a fun day!

Photos: Dave Collyer

Indo Memories...

2010-06-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

Lagundri Bay, Nias

My happy place, Nias - Pic: Santos

Hindu Statue, Bali

Hacking Nias
Awkward style I know, but this one sure felt good! - Pic: Santos

Roof top decor, Bingin, Bali

The Fish Lady, Village Market, Lombok.
It took over an hour to drive 100 yards, complete chaos in the streets.

Palm forest, Hunting for secret tubes, Nias

Flora at G-Land, Java

Amazing carpentry work! Bar, Nias

Sunrise, Nias

Design For Humanity: New Art

2010-05-31T22:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a little sample of some new work that will be featured in Billabong's Design For Humanity Event on June 10th...

"Liquid Zen I" - 40" x 24" © Erik Abel 2010
Click for bigger image

New Print:

2010-05-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

Click >>HERE<< to view and purchase

This is a high quality print of the artwork I recently did for International Surfing Day 2010

And check out the little interview Surfing Mag did for this >>HERE<<

7 weeks of gross... I mean, growth

2010-05-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

"...the male beard communicates an heroic image of the independent, sturdy, and resourceful pioneer, ready, willing and able to do manly things." - beards.org

"In the course of history, men with facial hair have been ascribed various attributes such as wisdom and knowledge, sexual virility, masculinity, or high social status; and, conversely, filthiness, crudeness, or an eccentric disposition. In many cultures, beards are associated with nature and outdoorsmen" -Wikipedia

It's got to be a part of every mans life at some point, a rite of passage of sorts. Part curiosity to see what you look like as a werewolf and part pure laziness. There's really only those 2 reasons why any man would grow one of these annoying things. However, once the curiousity stage passes it sort of grows on you... literally, and the reasons for keeping it go beyond just laziness. It begs to be stroked and groomed. It's becomes a simple, natural pleasure, kinda like petting your dog. It takes on a personality of it's own and soon becomes part of the family. But when you sit down to enjoy a nice hot meal and included in the first bite are several long coarse hairs that are growing out of your top lip, something needs to change. And having to suck coffee, beer and soup out of it? No thanks... time to break out the razor. But I did save a shitload on sunscreen in Indo!

Fun facial hair facts:

1) The study of beards is called pogonology, and the fear of beards is pogonophobia
2) The longest beard ever was grown by Hans Langseth of Norway, whose whiskers stretched an incredible 5.33 m (17.5 feet) when measured upon his death in 1927
3) Number of whiskers on the face of the average man: 30,000
4) The only guy without a beard in ZZTOP has the surname Beard

Billabong's Design For Humanity Event

2010-05-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

Come on down and join me and a few thousand others for a wild night at Billabong's 4th annual Design For Humanity event on June 10th in the legendary NYC streets backlot at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. I was invited to be one of the featured artists and will have 4 or 5 brand spanking new original pieces for sale in the art show. This year's event will benefit Invisible Children, there's some bad stuff going on there, read up.

Tickets are already on sale. If you're thinking about going, act fast because prices go up the longer you wait. GET TICKETS HERE

Live music, art, booze, food and Billabong models running around on a crazy movie set, all for a good cause... not really a hard decision to make, get your tickets and mark your calendars!!! Yeeeoowwww!

Indo's over, back to Cali

2010-05-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

Back from Indo a few days early. Absolutely amazing trip but I've been trying to get better at listening to my gut... and my gut was saying it was just time to head home. (Isn't it silly to schedule a departure before you even arrive somewhere? Why not just leave when you're ready to go?) The lack of productivity and creative outlet over the last 15 months had finally done my head in. Felt like I needed to take a work break from my vacation... didn't think that feeling even existed. Weird. And my iPod became my DiePod and being on Nias for 2 weeks without music drove me to the brink of insanity. So, back home, back in the studio, back to work...

But it figures that the second I had to grab my gear and hop on the plane, I wished I wasn't leaving... mostly because there were about a dozen young, cute, tanned, friendly, Nordic girls lounging and drinking by the pool outside my room waving goodbye (...with tears in their eyes, but it could have just been pool water). No different than normal for an afternoon at the Gora, but it was extra tough just to walk away from heaven knowing I was going to spend the next 20+ hours in aviation hell. Oh well... I'll be back soon and there's no place like home!

Lots of Indo pics and video coming soon...

Words of Wisdom:

2010-05-16T06:03:00.000-07:00

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs

Indo update 2

2010-04-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

Balinese artwork, sooo incredible!

Random dude in perfect evening barrel... what a day this was!

Padang Padang... Yusss!

G-Land visuals

G-Land... better visuals!

I'll just let the photos speak for themselves... What's not to love about Indo?

Indo update

2010-04-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

I tucked in to quite a few of these at Bingin over the last week,

This was one of my favorites... so good. Pic: Chocky

Sorry for the lack of posts about Indo. I just havent found a computer to pull off any pictures from my camera... well, I havent looked too hard either, once the Bintang starts flowing, all motivation beyond lounging poolside is easily lost. I do have some amazing pics to share though, Indonesia is an absolute paradise for the senses... and it's got me ridiculously inspired.

Here's the trip so far: Started in Bali, did a week at G-Land on Java, back to Bali, then to Lombok for a week, Matlock and Anna split and now I'm back in Bali again dealing with frusterating Visa bullshit, and then it's off to discover a long perfect Right in Sumatra I've been dreaming of surfing for 18 years now... Nias! Just gonna sit my ass there until a good swell comes and indulge. It's a long way from here and quite an expensive mission to get there but I came to the conclusion that good waves are priceless. It doesn't matter how much it costs to get the best barrel of my life... it's worth every penny!

Over and out...

Artwork for International Surfing Day 2010

2010-04-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Surfing Magazine and The Surfrider Foundation's
6th Annual International Surfing Day

I was recently contacted by Surfing Mag to create the artwork for this years poster, ads and banners. Go grab the new issue of Surfing Mag and check out the spread. Also take a look at the little interview Surfing Mag did about this >>HERE<<

High quality prints of the original artwork are now available >>HERE<<

Indo List

2010-03-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

Words of Wisdom:

2010-03-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

"The border means more than a customs house, a passport officer, a man with a gun. Over there everything is going to be different; life is never going to be quite the same again after your passport has been stamped." - Graham Greene

Mas Olas...

2010-03-25T08:10:00.000-07:00

Some waves from last week
Dropping behind the peak
Green and glassy in the sun
Waaaay too much fucking fun!

NZ Flashbacks...

2010-03-15T11:59:00.001-07:00

Been looking through some pics from New Zealand... this one stood out. What a day! Firing!! Click to make it big and check out the little guy on that inside left, he was the only guy out. Can you imagine if this was anywhere in So Cal??? There would be at least 50 guys on that peak... gettin' all mad at each other! I miss you NZ.

WET...

2010-03-12T14:23:00.000-08:00

Maaaaaan, it's like getting to pee after sitting through a long, long movie. Finally got to dip a brush into paint again. It's been far too long. There's been a lot going on in my sketch books over the last year, inspirations long forgotten, ideas that once got me really excited and don't anymore and others that still wet my whistle... Plenty of material to get the wheels turning again. I'm currently putting together a bunch of small pieces (11"x11" with ply frame, like THESE) and will have them all available in MY STORE within the next few weeks for an unbeatable price... hopefully some of you will see one you like and be so kind to contribute to my Indo Tube Searching Fund (See previous post)

HELLO INDO!

2010-03-11T10:25:00.000-08:00

Pretty damn excited about this one. Come March 29th, I'm gonna spend 2 months getting cozy inside of some warm early season Indo tubes. Matlock gets there a day before I do and after a few nights in Bali it'll be time to go feral on some other islands and see what we can find... Operation: GET SHACKED! Got 2 new Roberts boards on order, shaving the head, rehabbing the shoulder, pumping some iron and stuffing my face with all the food I can... no computer, no phone, no bullshit... jungle barrels we're coming to find you!!

Words of Wisdom:

2010-03-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

"You never leave where you are until you decide where you'd rather be." - Unknown

A warm welcome home from Mr. Pacific Ocean

2010-03-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

Well... the welcome is warm, but the water is not! Brrrr. It's always good to come home to waves when you've been gone, Brown and I got Little Rincon real good the other day, haven't surfed it like that in years. There really is no place like home, you know which spots to check on which swells, how the tide and wind will affect it, which rocks to jump off, where to park, where the trail is etc... it's comfortable, however, with a new spot, being uncomfortable is exactly why it's so exciting to travel around the world to find crazy waves you've never surfed. There's a desire to want to get to know how a new break works, in all conditions, so that you can feel at home.

Stealth Mission Home for Grandma... Back to the US of A!

2010-02-27T22:50:00.000-08:00

A few snaps from The Land of Oz... Farewell!

Weird how, at the drop of a dime, life can change in an instant. I'm back home on good ol' US soil now, just like that. Got off the plane from Australia a few hours ago (and couldn't wait to inhale a giant plate of good Mexican food served by actual Mexicans) What a treat!

Grandma's in the hospital and I decided to cut my OZ trip short by a month and grab a last minute flight from Brisbane to come spend some time with her while I still could. Glad I did. And apparently she's doing better than she was a few days ago. Woo hoo!

I'll be here for a month before heading out to Indo for a while. Hopefully the waves will continue to pump while I'm home... I've been jealous of all the epic swells the West coast has been getting this winter... but not too jealous, I spent the last 2 weeks in Byron Bay and that magical place had me by the balls, literally... it was hard to leave... the hot sun, the beautiful beaches, the fun waves, bath tub temp water, ice cold adult beverages and hoards of gorgeous, young, friendly, international women. Man Heaven? I'll be back to OZ soon enough... there's still so much to see!

But it is good to be home after 13 months on the road. Time to recharge the batteries, spend time with fam and friends, take a break from the booze, surf pumping Rincon and paint my ass off! Can't wait to set up the studio and go nuts! And my diet will pretty much consist of a constant rotation of In-N-Out Burger, Mexican food and cheap sushi... and of course Pizza Oasis when I go visit the crew in Portland... absolutely drooling for it!

Thanks to all the people in OZ who made my trip great!

Endemic Agenda: Shirt Graphics

2010-02-06T00:44:00.000-08:00

The brand spankin' new company Endemic Agenda just launched their clothing line and website a short while ago. They invited me to become a member of their Artist's Vault and used my Washed Up Print graphic for a range of men's and women's Tees. You can buy the shirts on the Endemic website. And their products are made using renewable energy and earth friendly inks, sshweet.

I think they got some good things going on. Keep an eye out.... and go grab a shirt.

Roady Toady

2010-02-06T00:12:00.000-08:00

Australia, February 2010

Life on the road
Hopping like a toad
Jumping across entire seas
Finding waves that only tease

Sunrise on a new East coast
New smells, new tastes, fresh buttered toast
Opposite sex crawling all around
Mouth is drooling like a hound

Warm water candyland
The sun, the heat, body’s tanned
Buckled board over the falls
Old trunks that rash the balls

Blue Bottles sting like hell
Onshores blowing them into the swell
Red wine all day into the night
These foreign girls are looking mighty tight

Inspired ideas fill my brain
Can’t wait to grab the brush and drain
The smell of paint and sweet sawdust
Vices and my life’s true lust

A few more Lilly pads to skip
Before the ending of this trip
Mind and body free to roam
To stoke my soul and ride the foam

365 Days... on the road

2010-01-27T09:05:00.000-08:00

365 days ago I hopped on a flight with a one way ticket to New Zealand, some surfboards, a backpack and a plan to create a lifestyle that revolves purely around surfing the best waves I can find while still being able to make a living from my art and design. I'd say the plan was/is a success. It has since taken me to 2 additional countries, shown me the joys of sailing and living on boats, logging over 1000 miles on yachts in the South Pacific. The plan has brought me a dream setup on a tropical island, my discovery of the sport of spear fishing, a new favorite breakfast... Muslie(with milk, yogurt and a sliced banana on top!), the opportunities to swim with whales and sharks, lots of mindblowing scenery, amazing waves, many wonderful new friends from all corners of the globe, and much, much more.

But most importantly, this last year has given me a broader perspective on life and has opened my eyes to the infinite possiblities for alternative ways it can be lived. There are so many people living lifestyles that are so different from the typical scenario of: work 9-5, get married, buy house, have kids, live in one place. Several people on my travels have inspired me with their uncommon and exciting lifestyle choices. And now, I might be more lost than when I started on this voyage, because the more I see and learn, the more options seem to present themselves... it's beginning to get a bit overwhelming! There are so many roads in life but so little time to go run off and explore them all...

Words of Wisdom

2010-01-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

"Stripped of your ordinary surroundings, your friends, your daily routines, your refrigerator full of food, your closet full of clothes - with all this taken away, you are forced into direct experience. Such direct experience inevitably makes you aware of who it is that is having the experience. That's not always comfortable, but it is always invigorating."
- Michael Crichton

New Billabong Shirt

2010-01-20T16:06:00.000-08:00

A new shirt I designed for Billabong is in stores... get you one. For some reason I'm not as happy about how this one came out, I like this one better.

OZ: Sydney

2010-01-12T13:53:00.000-08:00

Gday mates! After just a day in Sydney, I'm convinced that this has got to be one of the most beautiful cites in the world... giant white Cockatoo's flying around, harbor coves, botanical gardens, parks, amazing buildings, and gorgeous women on every corner. And right now the weather is as good as it gets I think; sunny, hot, humid, leave the doors wide open all night and sleep with nothing but a sheet. Currently staying with a culturally eclectic mix of nice lady friends (2 Brazilians, 1 Argentinian, 1 Kiwi and 1 Brit) in a high rise condo overlooking downtown, Hyde Park, the Opera House and the harbor, what a view!!! (And of course, a hot tub and pool on the top of the place!) I must have been a good boy last year.

No plans, just gonna slowly make my way up the East coast until I find a place that has quality surf and a good vibe. Most signs have been pointing me to the Byron Bay area so we'll have to see what it's all about. Deciding not to buy a car this time... just a board bag and a backpack. Should make for good times!

10 Page Spread in TIDE Magazine

2010-01-08T15:40:00.000-08:00

Check out this interview/article I did with German surf magazine TIDE (Yes, I said GERMAN surf magazine) for their Nov 2009 issue.

Sorry, I don't have the translation.... interesting questions though. And I thought they did a pretty good job laying it out...

>> DOWNLOAD THE PDF HERE (690 KB) <<

NZ: So long Betsy

2010-01-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

"Betsy- Living the beach bum lifestyle in Kaikoura"

Geeeez... I didn't think it was gonna be this hard. I sold her this morning, just like that.... Betsy -The Van, The Vart Studio, Home Away From Home, Friend, trusty travel companion... and now she's gone. Sad sad day. I'll be the first to admit, I had an emotional attachment to my vehicle... but who doesn't really? Hope she treats her new owners as well as she treated me... no drama, no talking back, she didn't get jealous when I slept somewhere else, didn't whine when it was too hot or too cold, loved long drives on the beach and dusty mountain roads.... she was a trooper. But maybe she's got a younger sister in Oz... : )

My god, just listen to me, I'm almost 30 and have been living out of a van on the beach for the last year, and was an emotional wreck when I sold it... what the hell is happening to me? The journey of life is a weird, weird thing.

Words of Wisdom:

2010-01-05T20:08:00.000-08:00

"Life is a great big canvas; throw all the paint on it you can." - Danny Kaye

Dear New Zealand...

2010-01-05T19:50:00.000-08:00

Dear New Zealand,

Thank you for such a wonderful time! Really. You've given me so many wonderful experiences over the last year... so many good memories that have all added to the richness of my life. And something has been calling me to come here for over 10 years. I'm glad I finally came to enjoy your beautiful islands and great waves. Life is all about turning the things you really want to do into the things you've done right?

You've raised a good kind of people too. There's a camaraderie between Kiwi's that you don't find in the states or anywhere else I've been. Just listening to two strangers talk would make anybody think they go waaaay back. There's an instant rapport.

And they're even nice to asshole foreigners like me. It's like they all know they've got this killer little paradise in the South Pacific and they get to stay but eventually we all have to go back home. They're generally happy with just a sprinkle of dingy which adds to their great character. They're hilarious. They like to help you and bullshit with you and they smile a lot. Maybe it's because there's only 4 million of them, they don't have pollution or 8 lane freeways, they have more coast line than the US and pumping surf all the way around it. You can't get very far from the beach if you tried (And I've always believed the farther away from the ocean, the stranger people get... after all, we all are made of 70% salt water) Or maybe because they don't have 5,000+ Illegal Mexicans jumping their borders EVERYDAY, or any borders at all for that matter, or nukes or people trying to blow up their buildings, or a crazy guy named George mucking everything up for the last 8 years. Anywho... Your Kiwi people are on my good list... and even though the girlies aren't the hottest in the world, they get big bonus points for the extra sexy accent.

As for your waves... some of the best sessions I've ever had. Lots of variety, lot's of swell... but a bit too much wind. You can't have it all I guess. Some of your barrels will stick with me until I die and put a smile on my face every time I think about them. However, I feel you were holding out on me a little on the South Island, what the hell? But you did save the best for last...

My last session in NZ... not a bad farewell eh?

Your scenery and landscape is mindblowing. I got to gaze at some of the most amazing sights I've ever seen. Mountain tops, mountain streams, snow covered volcanos, glaciers, ocean cliffs, rain forests, giant sand dunes, rock arches, alpine lakes, fern palms, oceans merging, sunsets that make you think somebody slipped a lil' LSD in your drink.... all of it jaw dropping. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for the visuals!

First sunset of the decade, Kaikoura, NZ - Jan 1st 2010

My time has come, I'm off to visit your big, fat, rowdy neighbor: AUSTRALIA. I'd like to come back someday but only in the Summer or Autumn.... you can keep your Springs and Winters... and you can also keep your Ozone hole (Burn time approx 8 minutes)... and your satanic Sandflies... and all your Mullets and Rat Tails.

I'll be recommending you to all my friends.

Stay cool. I love you.

Love, Me

To the Land of Oz:

2010-01-05T19:46:00.000-08:00

Confirmed Date of Departure: January 12th 2010

A U S T R A L I A: It's a big place...very big! Rumored to have the longest dead-straight road on the planet, the biggest rock, beer guzzling natives, and of course... top-notch surf and beautiful women with sexy-as-hell accents lounging in the hot sand in little else but scraps of nylon and string. And I hear those "Sheila's" aren't shy either, they'll bite your head off and kick you in the beans.... I can't deny it... I like'm mean!

My New Zealand time is winding down. It's almost been a year of Beach Bumming and now it's about time to get down and dirty again, to get into a studio and make stuff, to sniff paint and sawdust, to slam out some big design projects, to be productive, to settle into a spot for a while(with good waves of course), to network, and to grow(my dwindling bank account!)... it's all part of the cycle I guess. Work - play - work - play...

If you know anybody in Oz who:

1) Surfs
2) Paints
3) Is a fit female age 18-36(Hey, you can learn some things from the older ones!)
4) Likes to pamper guests
5) Owns a gallery
6) Needs graphics designed
7) Owns a brewery/bar
8) Has a hot tub
9) Is a Paraglide instructor

...then shoot me an email, I'd appreciate the connection... it's all about who you know right?

Kangaroos and Koala Bears here I come!

NZ: Christmas Hike, Mt Fyffe, Kaikoura

2010-01-04T21:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas was great! I didn't see one damn Christmas tree, no twinkling lights, no tacky tinsel, no paper wrapped presents or ribbons or bows, no stockings, no shitty music, no stars, no angels, no bells, no nativity scenes, no Santas, nothing... it was awsome! But I did see this...

NZ: WAVES Nov/Dec 2009

2009-12-23T12:45:00.001-08:00

Click to see bigger

I've done my fair share of complaining about how miserable the waves have been here on the South Island over the last couple months. But during the last few days, the East coast finally saw some decent conditions and I've been gorging myself as much as possible. And looking back over the pics from November and this month, I realized that we had more than a few fun days... in between the endless hours of driving and getting skunked. Here's a little collection...

NZ: Kayaking Abel Tasman National Park

2009-12-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

Weather looking good. Plan: Take Kayaks out for 3 days and hike for 2 more around Abel Tasman National Park on North Western tip of South Island, New Zealand.

Bring sling and dive gear for fishies. Stuff Kayak to brim with delicious food items such as: 5 liters of boxed wine, steak, veggies, several flavors of creamy Brie cheese, salami, fruit, musilie etc... Leave Betsy in parking lot all by herself. Kayak to first nights' camp... small cove with beautiful beach, nobody around, roll around in sand, guzzle wine, eat, enjoy sunshine and tanned naked woman. Sunset brings 2 plump ladies on a kayak who decide to camp as close as possible to us... Grumble, grumble. Curse at the sandflies and their thirst for blood. Forget to pack sleeping pads.... crap. Back hurts just to think about it.

Wake to sun. Make coffee in beloved plunger that doubles as insulated cup (Definitely my most valued purchase of 2009) Low tide, watch Linds pluck Green Lipped Mussels from rocks. Leave camp. Kayak to nearby island. Land on amazing beach. Gear up, spear fish for dinner. Nail 2 mystery fish... go for big tasty looking guy in cave... hit tail, scales fly, disappears in cave... could have fed an army, damn it. Clean fishies. Pack up camp and kayak. Make way up coast, windy around points. Paddle as hard as possible. Find river/estuary to escape from wind. Beautiful glass. Make way towards second camp... see 2 girls in kayak blown far, far out to sea, signaling to boats for help... bummer. Finally make it to camp.

Stuff fishies with lime, onion and spices, wrap in foil... salivate. Curse satanic sandflies. Linds prepares yummy mussels. Sign say: "TOTAL FIRE BAN" I say: "BULLSHIT!" Build fire in cave on beach. Fish in fire, mussels in pot 1, wild rice and veggies in pot 2. Smelling Umm Ummm good. Feast on the fruits of the sea, guzzle wine, drift to sleep. Wake. Coffee. Low, low tide... drag kayak waaaaay too far down to water line. Windy paddle to next camp. Beautiful coastline. High-center onto submerged rock. Can't move. Spinning around on top. Laugh a little.. but not too much. Next camp is awesome. Amazing beach, rocks, caves. Stinky Sealions. Hot sun. Wine. Food. Clouds come... Shit! Rain. Damn it! Everything into tent. Pouring. Praise $40 waterproof tent from Warehouse(Like Walmart... bad, I know). Boil big pot of noodles in middle of tent. Wine kicks in. Tip over pot, spills on Linds' arm... screams, cries... FU*&%K!!!. Throw Linds a towel, watch her wipe arm skin right off... not good!! Crisis management mode in full effect, try to make all better. Eat remains of noodles in pot. Rains all night. Wake. Coffee. Curse bloodthirsty sandflies. Boat picks up Kayak... says weather will be 40 knot winds with rain the next 2 days.... decide not to hike next 2 days. Hop on next boat back to civilization.

Few days pass. Forecast looking clear and sunny for 4 days. Decide to hike in from top of park down coast. Sun shining. Beautiful day. Breathtaking vistas. Aqua blue water. Wind picks up. Find nice beach to camp on. Pick yummy mussels off rocks. Get chased by smelly sealion family. Ominous clouds hovering. WTF? Sprinkles. Rain. Damn it... everything into tent. Eat. Draw picture of cow with a big Mustache... get it? "Mo" instead of "Moo". Laugh a lot. Boil water far from Linds' arm. Fear high tide. Move tent up to grass. Wake to sun. Coffee. Hear most insane bird song ever... beat boxing bird. Hike out. Drive to Mussel Inn and drink beer. The End.

NZ: Kaikoura Trekking

2009-12-17T15:59:00.001-08:00

Click to make bigger

The waves were shit so Brown and I decided to go run around for 3 days in the mountains behind Mt. Fyffe in Kaikoura. Good times. It was what the Kiwi's call a "Route", which means there are just some trail markers every once in a while to tell you that you're headed in the right direction. Basically you blaze your own trail up the mountain, river, valley etc...

This route took us up a wide river bottom with tons of river crossings and rock hopping up a canyon to one of over 900 of NZ's famed Back Country Huts. Some huts are basic, some are posh. Our first one had 6 bunks, a wood stove and plenty of fresh rain water. Brown brought his trusty iPhone and we laughed our asses off to the new season of South Park... if you haven't seen the episode with the Japanese whale/dolphin killers then you are missing a good laugh. Next day we woke to rain and it was cold... so cold that as we made our way up to the saddle, where rivers started on either side, it was dumping snow. Bad situation. Not prepared. I was in surf trunks with a plastic trash bag over my pack. Almost froze walking up the river, trudging right through it with shoes and all, no trail, just up and up and up into the icy river and slippery rocks. Dumping! Everything white. Snow starting to cover all the trail markers. Damn! I thought about the situations people get themselves into that make it possible for TV's shows like "I Shouldn't Be Alive" to go into production. Would I lose some fingertips or a few toes to frostbite? Would we have to make shelter under some rock and eat squirrels until the storm passes? Would I have to eventually eat Brown or would he have to eat me? Should we go back? Nah.. screw it, let's just keep going higher up this steep river canyon with no trail in the snow. It's only supposed to be 6 hours to the next hut. We're young enough... and dumb enough.

Up to the top of the saddle and back down to the next hut. Made it in record time. Cool to see where 2 rivers literally started. Was happy to see plenty of dry firewood outside on the front porch. Took us a while to thaw out. Got the stove blazing, all our gear and clothes hanging up, hot enough to run around in chones. Hot food and more South Park on the menu for the night. Warm sleeping bag. Nobody around.

Woke to bluebirds. Long hike down river. Sunny, warm. Plenty of waterfalls and snowcapped mountain views... the stuff that's good for the mind, body and the soul. Long walk down to main road. Thumb out for 2 seconds and we get picked up and front door service right back to The Van. Ice cold beer? Yes please, and then let's go find some surf.

NZ: The South Island

2009-11-28T14:28:00.000-08:00

As of now, it's been over 2 months since I've gotten any good waves. I'm gonna lose my mind sometime in the very near future if this dry streak continues. It's been cold, rainy, windy and shitty surf all around. Here's my advice to anybody planning a surf trip in New Zealand in the Spring: DON'T.

After picking up Mr. Brown in Auckland, we headed South in search of barrels.... we drove WAY too many kilometers, took the ferry across the Cook Straight to the South Island, then we picked Matlock and drove WAY too many more kilometers in search of big, good surf. But it was good to hang with the boys, camping, surfing, laughing, hiking, drinking, and cooking some mean dinners...

Brown enjoying Double Brown Beer

Some fun ones

Beach camp bonfire

Wildlife

Paua or Abalone as we know it in the states, it's everywhere here

A Glacier

Words of Wisdom:

2009-11-02T10:02:00.000-08:00

“Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment.” - Fred Brooks

Thanks to Uncle Stan for sending me this one... appropriate I think.

The Crossing from Hell: Sailing from Tonga to New Zealand

2009-10-31T08:39:00.000-07:00

(Please sing out loud to the tune of Gilligan's Island... just do it)

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from this tropic port
Aboard this tiny ship.

The mate was a hairy Frenchy woman,
The skipper smelly for sure.
Five passengers set sail that day
For a 384 hour tour, a 384 hour tour.

The weather started getting rough,(54 knots in the face!)
The tiny ship was tossed,
If not for the courage of the showerless crew
The Star Dust would be lost, the Star Dust would be lost.

The ship was towed ashore of this fully charted Kiwi isle
With AaaAAbelllll,
The Skipper too,
The grubby kiiiiiids and the wife,
No movie star
No professor or Mary Ann(Damn it!),
Here on The Crossing From Hell...

So this is the tale of the insanity,
They're at sea for a long, long time,
They'll have to make the best of things,
It's an uphill climb.

The first mate and the Skipper too,
Will do their very best,
To make the others UNcomfortable,
In this patience test,

No fuel, no fridge no motor coolant,
Not a single luxury,
Like Robinson Crusoe,
As primitive as can be.

So be cautious of the French my friends,
And you're sure to live in style,
From Tonga back to Kiwi land in 20 insane days,
Here on the Crossing from Helllllll..."

Where do I begin? I guess first of all, it's damn good to be back on solid ground and it's damn good to be alive! After leaving the Vava'u Group on "Nola", we spent a few days in the Hapai islands, got barrels at one of the shallowest and sketchiest spot I've ever surfed, and ended up having to sail down to the main island of Tongatapu to pick up supplies, and so there I decided to deboard "Nola" in the rancid Tongatapu Harbor with a sniffle and a tear in my eye and watch Sam and Panapa sail back up to Hapai for the Sustainable Coastlines Beach Clean-up. I had to get back to NZ in time to pick up Brown. My new home on the sea was aboard the... Graine D'Etoile (French for: Star Dust) I was looking at 7-10 days max at sea and I'd be back in Kiwi land but little did I know, it would be another 20 days before I would step off onto New Zealand Soil and finally be able to retrieve my sanity...

Mission: Crew on a sailboat from Tonga back to New Zealand
Distance from Port Tongatapu to Port Opua: Over 1100 Nautical Miles
Common Time Frame: 7-10 days sailing
Vessel: Graine D'Etoile, 42' Sloop. French style, no keel and just a few movable centerboards.
Crew: Captain-Michel, 1st Mate-Anne, 2 Kids-Gaya(6) & Lilou(10)...French...and myself
Personal Blue Water Sailing Experience: None

I decided to keep a journal of the voyage...

Oct 12th: Left "Nola"... sad times... She was loaded with propane and fuel on deck, looked liked floating bomb. On "Star Dust" now with nice French Fam.... Waiting on weather and port authorities to head back to NZ. 7-10 day sail. Should be fun! ...eat burger and fries thinking it's my last for a while... boat is a mess, find out that auto pilot is broken, shit. might leave tomorrow AM.

Oct 13th: Eaten alive by Mosquitoes in my cabin last night... Not leaving today either. Steel cable on mast broke, must replace... raining... eat another burger thinking it's my last for a while... scrape algae off water line of hull... leak in my cabin, mattress soaked... wake up in middle of night to captain sawing plastic bottles to put on ropes to stop rats from coming on board. Might leave tomorrow if mast fixed. Auto pilot fixed!

Oct 14th: Not leaving today. Visa is now out of date by a few days, should have been gone by now. Spend 3 hours in immigration line for extension... refuse to give my passport back, captain must come and get it next day... dock for fuel and water... waiting on customs and port authority... Eat another burger thinking its my last for a while... weather window is now, looking good to leave tomorrow.

Oct 15th: Eat burger... it is my last!!! Finally left port today! Anchor at offshore island... get dive gear on and scrape rest of barnacles off hull... might gain an extra knot of speed now!
Set sail through reefs and out to open ocean! Finally! 15 knots on the beam from the East, beautiful day... good bye Tonga! Auto pilot broken after all.. have to steer for over 1000 miles with rear oar rudder... fun.

Oct 16th: Sailed all day and night... my watches are 3am-6am, 2pm-6pm and 8pm-9pm...switch off cooking and dishes... Love sailing!

Shit nowhere near the fan... yet

Oct 17th: Haven't spewed yet... amazing, feeling good... sunset and stars on morning watch were insane! eat lots of crackers and cheese... practice knots... headed for Minerva Reefs for a few days to wait out bad winds... have to stop boat and bob around, wait for light to find reef pass.

Oct 18th: Is today Sunday? Who knows... clouds rolled in on night watch.. sprinkles... could see other boat lights inside of reef... anchor in giant circular atoll with one reef pass... beautiful water... glassy lagoon in side... looks like we're here until the 22nd... shit. 3 other boats waiting too.

Sheet glass in the middle of the Pacific, Minerva Reef

Oct 19th, Monday: Beauty of a day... no wind, hot sun... dove all day with a ton of white tip sharks... so streamlined... giant sting rays, spotted Morey eel, some great coral heads, looks like Finding Nemo ...crazy colors and creatures... spearfished with sling, nailed 3 in about 5 minutes flat... dinner! Michel got a giant clam to eat... turned out to be gross... big fruit lunch... moved anchor...dead glass in the middle of the pacific! Lemon, onion and garlic roasted fish din din...Life is good!

Oven ready along with his 3 brothers

Oct 20th, Tuesday: 6 yr old Gaya thinks she is a white tiger, has weird purring noise... kinda weird...left Minerva today! weather got better, all boats left the reef... NZ Bomber plane 200 feet above water patrolling... got all info from all boats... number onboard, nationalities, port of entries in NZ etc... trip looking longer that expected.

Oct 21st, Wednesday: Cold night watch... what the hell? have to wear pants, socks and beanie for first time in 4 months. rough seas. hugged boardbag all night... wind too South... everybody feeling queasy... pasta and soup... 700 miles to go... would kill for: icecream, bowl of musilie, steak, coffee, real milk, beer... been on a boat for over a month total now... missing the Nola lifestyle.

Inspirational socks courtesy of the DDC

Oct 22nd, Thursday: Mindblowing meteor shower on night watch... 1-2 per minute for an hour... best I've seen, leaving long trails... intense bio-luminecese in water tripping me out... who slipped the acid in my drink? ...wind died... motoring now... made good stew for dinner... Gaya spilled it all over herself and boat... boat becoming really gross... wish we had fridge and more fruit...

Sunset on the high seas

Oct 23rd, Friday: Genoa sail ripped.. have to take down and repair.. wind is shit... motoring again... can't poop....heavy rain on horizon.

Oct 24th, Saturday: Shooting stars are insane again... ominous clouds... rain gear on... but no rain.. just want to sleep to make time go by faster... awesome sunrise... raining... sails up again.. over it... kitchen is repulsive... laxatives not working... I'm seriously clogged...lame... beard is getting out of control...cold and rainy... sails up... wind died... pull out Richer Drifter sail for light winds... doesnt work. Going nowhere.

Oct 25th, Sunday: good sunrise... motoring, sheet glass, like oil...check fuel level, almost out...WHAT THE FUCK! why the hell didn't they top up the tanks??? Bob all day like cork.. spinning in circles... distance: 2 miles... bad storm coming our way...10 more hours of solid motoring and we would miss it... just 25 liters would do it... Have flashback of Captain putting empty 25 liter gas can in boat at harbor and me saying: "Don't you want to fill that up?" Captain: "Ah nah, we won't need it!" I say, "Famous last words!" It's like driving across the states and not filling up your car when you go to the gas station... fucking ridiculous... my 10 day no alcohol and no caffiene cleanse goes out the window... find dregs of Panamanian rum... have rum and coke in sun... no more alcohol on boat... man-o-wars and crazy jellies EVERYWHERE.. no swimming... see some birds. Waiting for wind. Toothpaste almost gone.

Oct 26th, Monday: Froze my pecker off on night watch. Wind all day today... make good progress...bearing 180º - 200º. Caught a tuna today... fresh sushi at sunset, yum! Weather suppossed to get nasty... been on this boat 2 weeks today. Should have been in NZ days ago.

Sushi Dinner

Oct 27th, Tuesday: Weather is completely FUCKED! 40-50 knots on the nose...highest clocked was 54 knots... sea turned into a crazy mess... just froth.... big rips in main, have to sew... wind wrong... storm jib out.. electric compass malfunctioning... going East now... WTF? Have semi-sleep mightmares of Gilligan's Island episodes where I'm Gilligan but Mary Anne and Ginger are nowhere in sight... instead just a hairy french family...

Oct 28th, Wednesday: I finally spewed... Anne's been spewing all night... haven't slept in way too long, getting tossed around cabin all night and day... bathroom repulsive... everybody smells... no appetite... Wheatabix and cornflakes... why are we still going east, need to go west... fixing main sail again...leak in room... get me off this damn ship!

Feeling great!

Oct 29th, Thursday: Not making progress... can't beat wind, tacking on SAME coarse back and forth...days wasted... hoist main sail, forget to untie, rip it to absolute shit... aarggghghhhhhh... sewing sewing sewing... only about 150 miles to go... soo close... will this ever end?

Oct 30th, Friday: Shitty night.. rough seas.. no sleep... rear floor board has leak.. bail bucket every hour.. moving in good direction again... wind stops dead... pass another boat by few hundred yards, didn't see it.. could have been bad... captain decides we need to try to motor and we might have more fuel than thought... a full day and night motor and we could be in Manganui, NZ to find fuel to get to Opua for Port of Entry...we all stink and so does the boat... no shower since Minerva Reef... living in same cloths... motoring in straight line to NZ though!!! 48 miles to go! Beautiful Albatross drowned on hook while trolling today... bummer... another rip in the main sail are you fucking kidding me??? now? Lot's of cursing... strong wind in face again.. can't motor more than 2 knots... see other boat lights... frozen... hopefully get to wake up and see land! So close...

Oct 31st, Halloween: Wake up in middle of night to pissed off arguing French couple, tools clanking, lots of running around, no more sound of engine... just cover head with pillow and try to go to my happy place... I don't even want to know what's wrong this time... soo close...

LAND HO!!! Wake up at dawn to see the beautiful sunny NE coast of NZ today!!! What an amazing feeling that was! hadn't seen land for over 2 weeks... could smell it in the air...I can't wait to be in charge of what happens in my day again, where I go, what I do, what I eat... light winds taking us NE to Doubtless Bay... just take my anywhere.. fuck quarantine, fuck port of entry, fuck customs... thinking of just paddling my surfboard to shore and running for the hills... then wind stops ...OH MY GOD!!! Come ooooooon!!!.. tacking in circles... can hear radio chatter.. see boats, just 10 miles from the bay... captain is still working on engine... Saltwater cooling system broke that night, big leak, engine overheated.. FUCK... captain relays our situation on radio... he refuses an offer for a tow into port... thinks he can fix engine... no wind, ripped sails, no engine... and you don't want a tow???... entertain thoughts of Mutany... maybe just a quick push over the side, nah he'd just swim back, we're not moving... knife to the gut? Frying pan to the dome? Bound and gagged and thrown into the slothpit that is the bathroom then radio for help? yes, yes that's it... get a grip man... remain calm... deep breaths.. 1.... 2... 3... exhale... repeat... try to talk some sense into the situation... the wife is on my side... wait what's that on the horizon? A ship coming our way... get binocs.. read: CUSTOMS on side... WOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOO... "Hello, we heard you on the radio and were in the area, do you need a FREE tow into Manganui? We'll have quarantine and immigration drive up from Opua to clear you guys at the port so you can enter NZ here" (Classic Kiwi hospitality) Captain: "Hmmm... thank you for the offer, but can you give me 10 minutes, I think I can fix the engine." MOTHER F$#@%&$##$$$K%%$#@R!!!!!!!!!!???????? ... deep red veil fades across my vision... try talk some sense... he decides to get the tow... red veil lifted! Life suddenly OK again... Arrive in port, use head while waiting to get cleared by customs, sunglasses fall in toilet, awesome! grab boards and backpack, walk 2 km to main road, make big sign on cardboard: "KUMEU OR AUCKLAND PRETTY PLEASE"... talk Maori art with cool Maori dude down to Keri Keri, stuff my face with fresh fruit at fruit stand, thumb out again... hop in tiny rental car with 71 year old dude with a lead foot and a motor mouth... "I failed the eye sight test ya know! Shouldn't really be driving... I live in the phillipines now, retired... pub crawls every damn day... young cute girls sucking your dick for 3 bucks at the clubs... I get a new girl to hang around the house every few months... it's great...they're not prude over there either... A few years ago on my birthday I walked into a club and I told a girl I'm 69 today and that's what I wanted to do to her... my daughter doesn't talk to me anymore... all my friends are dropping like flys... " white knuckles for 3 hours straight... so this is how it's going to end for me eh? After all I just went through? I'm going to be scraped off the pavement at some hair-pin turn... no way... not now... almost rear end every car in front of us... "here's good, thanks man" ... 11pm...soooo close... make a call... Rebeka to the rescue...dressed as a good witch...WTF? Halloween right... get back to The Farm ...peel off clothes... sterilize myself in first hot shower in 4 months... eat king size bowl of Musilie, bananas, strawberries, yogurt and fresh milk... drift to sleep in bed that doesn't move... and there's a nice tree outside the window.

Mission: Complete
Total Duration on Star Dust: 20 Days
Shooting Stars Observed: Had to be well intot he hundreds
Fish Caught: 5 (+1 Albatross)
Weight Lost: At least 10 pounds, I'm a skinny little bitch
Lessons: Learned

All in all, it could have been a lot worse, my life was never in any real danger, we didn't hit anything or catch fire and now that it's over, it's like it never happened. And the French family wasn't all that bad, they were really nice and we had some good banter about how much of a fuck up Bush was, life and the stars. Michel and Anne, if you read this, please don't take it personally, it's all in good fun. OK...On to the next adventure... South Island New Zealand barrels here I come...

Just had to throw in this Tongan beauty for good measure

29 times around the sun

2009-10-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

And another year wiser for sure! It's been an exciting, inspiring and fun-filled 28th year. September 24th 2009 was a good day. Good company, good food, warm lagoon, surfing behind the dingy, cold beer, poker and a homemade banana birthday cake!

Flanked on both sides by "The Norwegians of To Fluer", and despite the intense heat, Mr. Abel miraculously continues to steadily and stealthily annihilate all 8 of his poker opponents to eventually take the pot.

Tonga: Days like these...

2009-10-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

There's something special about sailing up to a distant tropical island on a yacht with only 2 other people. Not really knowing how it's going to be, just going off 4 day old swell and weather reports, trying to get a closer look through the binocs as you stabilize yourself from the rolling swells and sip the morning coffee. And then you finally get close enough to see that you and the crew are going to get barreled off your nut for the next several hours and weird chemicals start running through your veins, you literally start jumping up and down and froth forms around the mouth, it soon gets hard to form complete sentences and you resort to primative hoots, hollars and screams of excitement as you get your gear together as soon as humanly possible, we're lucky we remembered to drop the anchor. It's days like these you remember for the rest of your life.

Tonga: Tubes and Tsunami's

2009-09-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

Me about to get pre-breakfast barrel number ???

Nola has been good to us. We've been getting some really fun surf and eating like absolute kings! These pics were at an open ocean reef that was working particularly well this morning. Lots of tube time. We got all geared up in fullsuits for reef bouncing... nice and shallow.

The next morning we back to the reef to check the waves and the whole exposed reef went underwater and back to exposed again in about 60 seconds, tsunami! It was surging around the islands for a few hours but no major damage here... just a bunch of worried "Boaties" chattering all morning on the VHF. I hear other islands weren't so lucky.

More swell on the way!

Tonga: Farewell Hunga Lagoon

2009-09-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, my time was up at the fishing lodge on Hunga Island, it was 2 months in paradise. Had an amazing time there. A special thanks to Caroline and Steve for letting me into their world for a while. What a wonderful place!

And my departure couldn't have worked out better, it just so happened that Nola was anchored on the other side of the lagoon, I hopped on board and have been a permanent fixture on the boat ever since. Next stop: Hapai. The next island group South of Vava'u. We'll be sailing down there next week. The Kiwi boys on Nola are helping organize a large coastal clean-up through Sustainable Coastlines. Also, the conditiuons are shaping up nicely for some really fun surf during the next few days!

It's interesting to be in a foreign land long enough to experience the seasons change, it's starting to get hot and wind-less here. All the "boaties" are leaving back down to NZ to avoid the Hurricane season, things will be getting really quite here in Vava'u over the next few weeks.

Life is good.

Tonga: Swimming with Humpbacks

2009-09-21T15:18:00.000-07:00

Well this was most definitely a highlight of my time here... getting to swim within a few feet of mom and calve Humpbacks. Pretty unreal! They are EVERYWHERE around here at the moment, you'd have a tough time getting on a boat at any given time and not seeing a whale... or a few of them. I would highly recommend getting here at some point in life and jumping in with them, it's one thing to see them from the surface and a completely different thing to see them in their world. Mindblowing.

My love affair with Nola

2009-08-31T12:14:00.000-07:00

(Click on pic for bigger one)

I watched her come into our lagoon and there was just something about her. When I heard she was going to be in Tonga for a while and loved to surf, that pretty much sealed the deal... I had to get to know her.

A few days went by and we hadn't met each other yet. I woke up one morning and looked out my window, I just got a quick view of her as she left the lagoon. Why did she leave? Where was she going? Would I ever see her again?

Weeks went by... they seemed like months. I watched the lagoon entrance everyday hoping I would see her again. One day I decided to grab my board and paddle around all the moorings for the hell of it. When I came back there was a message, it was from Nola... she wanted to know if I was interested in spending some time with her to search for waves, explore the islands and just hang out in paradise for a while. I accepted.

I met her in town on the main island. We ate, we drank, and we ended up sleeping together in the old harbor in the rain. It was perfect. The next morning we woke up before sunrise and sailed to a small outer island to find a fun right breaking off one side and a hollow, dredgy left off the other... I really had trouble thinking of a better set up than this.

So we spent our days surfing over colorful coral reefs, spearing fish, rolling around on white sand beaches and drinking fresh coconuts in the sun. We spent our nights anchored in beautiful glassy coves cooking up the days catch and watching the sunsets turn to stars over frosty beers. Easy livin', Good livin'!

This might be beginning of a beautiful relationship... I'm already in love!

My interview with: Okoto

2009-08-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

The good people at Okoto just put up a short but sweet little interview we did. Click >>HERE<< to read it and don't forget to snag something from their stellar apparel line. They're some of the coolest people you'll ever meet.

Tonga good.

2009-07-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

Hammock good.

Fishing good. (120 kilo Blue Marlin on)
Food good.Life good.

Words of Wisdom:

2009-07-09T03:16:00.000-07:00

"One of the gladdest moments of human life, methinks, is the departure upon a distant journey into unknown lands. Shaking off with one mighty effort the fetters of habit, the leaden weight of routine, the cloak of many cares and the slavery of home, man feels once more happy."
- Sir Richard Burton

My interview with: Club Of The Waves

2009-07-09T02:12:00.000-07:00

When it comes to surf culture, surf artists, surf photographers, surfing forums, surfing debates or surfing anything, Club Of The Waves.com is the place to go. I've been a featured artist on COTW for a while now and have made some great contacts through the site as well as discovered A TON of really great artists and photographers. Take a gander... but don't blame me if you lose the next 2-3 hours to a computer screen!

I recently did a tasty little interview with COTW. Click >>HERE<< to check it out.

ERIK ABEL JOINS ARTSPROJEKT!!!

2009-07-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

The time has come to officially launch my ARTSPROJEKT store/Art Laboratory! The brains of the operation, Andy Howell (Artist and former pro-skater) recently invited me to be a part of the AP family. Pretty stoked to be amongst some of my favorite artists! (Shepard Fairy/Obey, Mars-1, Erik Otto, DALEK, Jim Phillips, Ekundayo)

I've spent the last month putting together artwork and graphics for a basic product line of high quality prints/posters, shirts, hats, buttons, skateboard decks and other paraphernalia. And the line will constantly be expanding. The genius of ARTSPROJEKT is it's print-on-demand platform... a product is made only when it's ordered. Customers can customize most products too, ie- shirt style and color, print size, paper or canvas, framed or not. Artists don't have to worry about overhead, production, inventory or shipping... hallelujah! This means you can expect a constant flow of new products regardless of where I am in the world. Let's say it together now... AWESOME!

Be sure to join my newsletter so you'll be notified of special products I'll be offering only for a limited time.

So, check out what I've got in the store, get yourself a shirt and a few prints or a birthday present for the old lady(or old man) Currently I have 20 posters, a dozen shirts and loads of hats, buttons, mouse pads, mugs, skateboard decks and other various items to choose from.

GO TO MY ARTSPROJEKT STORE >>

There's also a little >>INTERVIEW<< I did for the AP blog.

For the complete low down on ARTSPROJEKT, Read the Press Release.

Billabong Shirt Graphic

2009-06-27T16:33:00.000-07:00

A shirt I did for Billabong USA for their Fall 2009 line is hitting shops. Go grab yourself one!

The Kingdom of Tonga

2009-06-20T23:13:00.000-07:00

X marks the spot. That little sliver of sand and palm trees will soon be my home for an unknown amount of time. Flight departs July 10th from Auckland... SOOO PUMPED! I'll be working on a small fishing lodge (Fresh sushi anyone?) in the Vava'u island group in Northern Tonga to escape the NZ winter! It's a pretty remote location, as you can see, and I'll definitely be scouting out some empty waves... might even have to make my own treasure map for the secretest of spots. In fact, I'm definitely going to be burying some treasure on a scrap of sand and coral around there somewhere... might just be a bottle of rum, but how many people can say they have treasure buried on a deserted island in the Pacific!!! Can't wait to mark that one off the list.