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surfboard, shaping, balsa, wood

Decisions, Decisions I am excited to introduce “Sunrise Lines”, a balsa wood surfboard shaped and glassed by Juan Rodriguez of One World in Sarasota, Florida. Ricky Carroll, shaper of “Crystal Lip”, had introduced Juan to my work and as I was contemplating my next project the phone rang. It was Juan.  

surfboard with photograph

“Pink Hibiscus”, surfboard #4 in the Tony Arruza Collection, is completed and as with the prior three boards it is an eye-catching and unique piece. For those not familiar with this project the goal is to come up with 15 boards by 15 shapers from which to mount gallery shows from. This personal project is a marriage of two life long passions, photography and surfing.

Balinese men at a cockfight

Nostalgia has no relevance in the forthcoming observation. My comments, instead, are entirely based on photographs taken thirty years ago. I find these long-forgotten images to have a look and feel seldom seen any more. Whether this is good or bad is a subjective point of view. If living in the past keeps one from advancing in the future so be it. However, living without a knowledge of history only keeps the wheels spinning in place and makes a person unwise. Please note that these images depict the use of animals for man’s enjoyment which many of you may find… Continue reading 

balsa wood surfboard

A couple of months back surfboard #3 of my surfboard/art project and he was impressed with what we had done. I was delighted with his request to use an inlay design on one of his beautifully hand crafted, and expensive, solid balsa surfboard. The inlay would be placed as a lengthwise strip that measured 7’6″ long and 5″ wide on either side of the center stringer. The inlays that I’ve created for my personal boards are the full width and length of the bottom of the board. To create a one photograph inlay of the proportions Ricky wanted was close… Continue reading 

school of tarpon fish swimming underwater

It was a calm, cool and beautiful afternoon and a full moon would be rising in a couple of hours. I decided I would set up a shot of the rising moon with an idea I had in mind. The winds were out of the west, which meant incoming jets to Palm Beach International would be approaching from the east and in-line with a big orange moon. Furthermore this time of year large flocks of turkey vultures congregate on the mangrove islands that lie between West Palm Beach and Palm Beach. At times when the wind is moderate to high… Continue reading 

My boards were on public display for the first time and I could not have selected a more appropriate venue than the annual Surf Expo. Held every January at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida the Surf Expo is where the surf industry gathers to display the latest in surf and beach apparel, surfboards, stand up paddleboards, skateboards, art, accessories and more items than you can imagine coming from the ocean and the youth culture. Ricky Carroll of R&D Surf Inc. provided floor space at his booth that included surfboards from five shapers. Using custom made steel stands… Continue reading