there is something specifically about collage that summons the spirit of surf culture for me.

maybe it’s the oceanside public spaces - like the bathrooms or the community bulletin boards - laden with torn flyers, stickers upon stickers, sections of graffiti, layers of paint - all eroding under the exposure of the sun and salty ocean air. i find those spaces particularly interesting, and actually - quite beautiful.

it is a distinct wear and tear that only the elements of the beach can create.

my goal was to emulate this push and pull of layers.

i once described this series to someone as "infused with surf" - my process includes putting down a base collage of images from surf magazines (both from southern california and hawai’i), adding texture, sometimes adding more images on top of that - whatever comes through after I put down the white overlay is what I've personally found interesting . . . fragments of a surf story.

i painted the palm tree fronds with a hala tree seed.

the hala tree is a native tree to hawai'i. i was told the hala seeds were used by native hawaiians as paintbrushes, so i decided to try painting with them, too.

and it’s especially fitting that i found this one . . .

. . . at the beach.