John Van Hamserveld, the artist that created many legendary pop images, album covers, and movie posters of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, will be entering into the Laguna Surf Gallery this Saturday. The artist behind the universally known Endless Summer poster will have select pieces exhibited at the gallery until December 11th. The opening of the exhibition will include live music by White Buffalo and a book signing of Goin’ Big: Gotcha and the Evolution of Modern Surf Style.

RECEPTION: Saturday, November 22, 2008 • 4 - 9 p.m.

BOOK SIGNING: Goin’ Big - Gotcha and the Evolution of Modern Surf Style

Live music by White Buffalo! (a supporter of TOMS shoes)

LOCATION: The Surf Gallery
911 S. Coast Hwy. Laguna Beach, CA
(corner of PCH and Thalia)

INFO: 949.376.9155
www.thesurfgallery.com

Show runs from November 22 - December 11, 2008

Laguna Beach creative agency SKYLAB Media Group will host their gallery opening this evening, featuring acclaimed painter Andy Anh Ha. A favorite among young Hollywood, (Jessica Alba is a regular collector), Ha’s paintings explore the theme of beauty through struggle, and use a wide variety of media from metals and texts, to polyacrylics and traditional oils.

Husband and wife team Lydia and Doug McLaughlin are the creative powers behind SKYLAB, and bring a contemporary approach to the work they produce through their graphics company. But in addition to bringing emerging artistic talent to Laguna, the McLaughlins firmly believe in philanthropy through art. Twenty percent of each piece sold will go to a charity that buyers will  select from an available list upon purchase.

FOAM’s relaunch party went down this past Tuesday at the Surf Gallery in Laguna Beach. As you’d expect, the crowd was hot and so was action. (Seriously, there was no air conditioning). Rochelle Ballard, Kassia Meador, the Gudauskas trios, and Donovan Frankenrieter were among some of the elite to soak up the free drinks, sushi and atmosphere. Click here to view the photos on our Flickr account.

Live Girls! Drinks! The Growlers! Live Girls! Food! Art! Live Girls! See it all at OC’s hottest night spot, The Surf Gallery in Laguna Beach. It’s going down Tuesday, August 19th from 6pm - 9pm with the FOAM Magazine relaunch party. Live music by The Growlers. Bachelorette groups will get front-of-the-line and VIP access. 2-4-1 prices on all shooters. Special appearances and autograph signings by the FOAM Girls. Arrive before 9pm for free bottle service. Please, no bandannas, head rags, sport jerseys, extra baggy clothing, or weapons of any kind. Video surveillance will be in progress.

For everyone who’s been begging us to post bikini shots from the US Open (all 117 of you), today is your lucky day. Intern Molly spent the better part of her day playing papparazzi while trying hard not to look like a perv. By the way, if you have any US Open photos you would like us to post, please send them on over. (more…)

(Click here to see our exclusive Ted Grambeau gallery on Flickr.)

Born the son of a legendary Australian football coach in the late 1950s, Ted Grambeau’s expected destiny was to become a brilliant footballer himself. But thanks to a self-described “lazy” attitude and a fortuitous injury, Ted eagerly sought out his other interest in surf photography. His early subjects were his mates at their local breaks in Wonthaggi and Foster, back then small country towns in Victoria. While a career as a professional surf photographer was almost unheard of at the time, Ted was nonetheless inspired from his friends letters from exhilarating and exotic locations where “…sticks are 15 cents and as thick as your arm.” First starting off in a prestigious Melborne studio under Brian Brandt, the travel bug got the best of Ted as he was soon off to Bali, Africa, Afghanistan and Tahiti. And it’s this desire to journey far out of bounds and to navigate through difficult, even dangerous, situations that has allowed him to be the first choice in travel editorials. (more…)

Oh what a tangled web she weaves. Meet Charlotte, one of our many stellar summer interns. Fresh, funny and always well-put-together, Char is by far the most ambitious character in the office. Currently a double-major undergrad at Fullerton, she hopes to one day end world hunger through generous donations of Jamba Juice. Having been blessed with a great attitude and killer style, she brightens our office with her megawatt smile and an always sunny disposition. Here, she tells us how Swell couldn’t survive without her.

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ front man Flea is scheduled to host an important night of art, music and film to benefit Surfers Healing Autisim. The exhibition titled “The Environmentally Stupid” will feature works from Quiksilver’s contemporary artists Dana Louise Kirkpatrick and Isaiah Paskowitz, photographers Michael Muller and David Scharff, and filmmakers Pat R. Notaro III and Alejandro DeMetrius. The event will take place on Saturday, May 31, 2008 from 8pm - 11pm at Quiksilver’s siteLA, located at 2252 Sunset Blvd.

The Calremont Museum of Art will be showcasing music, art and performances dedicated to the early LA Chicana punk scene in an exhibit titled: “Vexing: Female Voices From East L.A. Punk,” May 18 through Aug. 31. The LA Times has full details.

In this our first installment of our PROFILES category, we talk with North Shore lensman Jim Russi. We were lucky enough to have Jim shoot all of the action shots for our Summer ‘08 catalog, including the much talked about cover. Here, Jim opens up about the pros and cons of going digital, and the future of “quality” surf photography.

As a graduate of a prestigious American photography school, how important is formal education is to a successful career in photography?
The most important thing I learned at Brooks was to finish strong with what I had started…. even when the assignment wasn’t fun anymore.
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In the early 1990’s a loose-knit group of likeminded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop and graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the “establishment” art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has been transforming pop culture. Starring a selection of artists (Ed Templeton, Thomas Campbell, Harmony Korine, Barry McGee, Shepard Fairey) who are considered leaders within this culture, “Beautiful Losers” focuses on the telling of personal stories…speaking to themes of what happens when the outside becomes “in” as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today’s youth.

Recently awarded as an Official Selection of the SXSW art and music festival, “Beautiful” is slowly but surely making its way around the country. To learn more, please click here.

Veeco’s had a ton of new submissions to their public art gallery over the last few months. If you’ve got the goods, they want to see it.

“The arts, both visual and performing, have always motivated New York artist Demostina. Rather than letting the two fields pull her in opposite directions, she’s managed to find a way to combine them by painting to music.” Meet the artist NYC can’t stop blogging about at Foam Magazine.com.

Because we all could use a little more culture in our lives, The Surf Gallery will be hosting an artists reception this Friday from 6pm to 10 pm for their latest exhibition, New Emmissions in Sight and Sound, presented by Globe. The collection includes new photo works from Scott Soens, Dustin Humphrey, DJ Struntz, Wolfgang Bloch, Andrew Kidman, Patrick Trefz, Joe Curren, Thor Jonnson, John Rinek, Adam Warmington, Jason Murray, and Clark Little.

Before there was a Banksy or a Shepard Fairey there was Barry “Twist” McGee, who’s critically acclaimed “graffiti” is credited with legitimizing the street art genre. While his immensely popular works now sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, this former b-boy remains incredibly private and aloof. Lucky for us Swindle was able to rattle his cage for one of the most in-depth interviews he’s done in over a decade.

Check out this photo series from Dustin Humphery who’s self-taught technique is pushing digital manipulation to a whole other level.

Brrrrrrrrr! There were so many adjectives that came to mind when Ted Grambeau sent us this photo from Iceland. Crazy, compelling, nuts, sick, mental, icy… Seriously, we get brain-freeze every time we look at it. Take a closer look for yourself when this latest catalog cover hits your mailbox sometime this week.

Nixon’s next leg of their rotating art installment will be hitting Downtown San Diego on November 16 at 1037 J. Street. Meshing the talents of some of the industry’s best filmers and photo junkies, it’s actually a swinging party disguised as a pseudo high-brow gathering. This time around, style makers Taylor Dunfee, Grant Brittan, Chivo, Dustin Ortiz, Tyler Nelson, Michael Carter, Dave Swift, Rob Machado, and a few other sickos will be exhibiting.

How quickly they grow. It seems like only yesterday that Park Life came screaming into this world, and now they’re already a year old. To celebrate, they’ve planed a major benefit / exhibition shindig, featuring the works of more than 30 artists who have helped in their success. A portion of the event’s proceeds will be given to the SF Coalition on the Homeless. The show will run from Nov. 2 - Dec. 5, 2007.

Swell model Sophie was nice enough to send us some photos from her recent Quik trip to Thailand. Along with teamrider Danny Fuller and friends, the group got up close and personal with the people, the culture, and alternative means of transportation. (Check out that trunk space!) Jealous much? We are. And while most of us will never get invited by Quik to go anywhere, you too can trek this eco-surf adventure through the Phuket Surf Club. Check ‘em out and tell ‘em we said hi. (More photos after the break.)

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The benefits of working for the world’s premiere online surf retailer are, as you would expect, vast and never ending. But one of the best perks by far is getting to work with the best photographers and artists in the business. The images above and below provide a before-and-after of sorts. The “before” being the original photo as we received it, with the “after” being our catalog cover once our art directors perfect it for our purposes. In the series above, the shot was taken by Jeff Hornbaker during a massive swell in Tahiti. As stunning as the original photo is, it becomes even more impressive when we tightened the shot to reveal that the lone surfer is actually a girl.

As a personal favorite, we have Brian Nevins‘ vision of three journeymen traveling through beautiful parts unknown, somewhere in New Hampshire. We received so many questions surrounding this shot regarding the location, the break, the distance they had walked, and whether the shot was staged. We decided it was best to just let it speak for itself.

Photographer DJ Struntz didn’t receive his first camera until his high school graduation. In fact, he hadn’t even considered pursuing photography until well after he earned his Masters in Biology from UNC Wilmington. However, a chance surf / photo trip to Pascuales, Mexico in 2002 changed all that. How lucky for us. This shot features Puerto Escondido at it’s finest, and we’re not kidding when we say our bags were packed five seconds after this came across our desk.

We want to give a big ‘atta-boy to our friends at RVCA for this week’s launch of their first retail store. While we would have been happier if it had been in our hood rather than in San Francisco, we’ve heard word that similar stores are opening in LA, Sydney, NYC and Tokyo. In addition to apparel, the venue will also feature the talents of their Artists Network Program (ANP), and will also sell an assortment of books, music and DVD’s curated by the LA based Family. Who knew Mork was such a fan?

“Stay analog Ponyboy. Stay analog.” In this troubled digital age, it does a weary heart good to know there’s a group out there who’s mission is to document our world through kinder, gentler means. Boasting more that a million members world wide, The Lomographic Society International is dedicated to building the largest snapshot portrait of everyday world events, thereby “revolutionizing picture communication.” Insomuch, they have recently introduced two custom, limited edition White Stripes cameras: The JACK Holga and the MEG Diana. Both known for their “serendipitous imperfections and cinematic qualities,” the cameras follow the band’s red and white color schemes and even boast a peppermint swirl on the advance dials. Due to a frenzy of interest and the collectible nature of the cameras, LSI asks that purchases be limited to only one per person. Which of course begs the question, “If we take a picture, will it last longer?”

Stop us if you’ve heard this one. During the 2002 World Cup, a group of NYC friends, designers, photographers, filmakers, artists and skaters came up with the idea to do something just for the sake of doing something (gasp!). And so came the birth of the Chinatown Soccer Club, a semi-organized soccer league that meets year round to play friendly games of six-on-six. Since their creation, CSC has derived enough interest to grab Adidas as a sponsor, develop a full line of t-shirts, hoodies and scarves, and become the darlings of every uber hip and underground publication across the country. We recently checked out their many posts on Arkitip.com and were blown away by this classic clip of the legendary Diego entertaining the crowd during a warm-up session. We’d be lying if we said we didn’t get a little misty.

The Southern California wildfires have completely changed the landscape of our coastal towns. The following series was shot on October 23 & 24 at San Elijo State Beach, located at Cardiff By the Sea in North County Coastal San Diego. While the fires were roughly 15 miles due east from where these photos were taken, the smoke and ash were toxic enough to keep most indoors. Thankfully, photographer Michael Nutt is not most people. In stark contrast to the devestation that lay just over the hills, these stunning images bare a permanent reminder of Mother Nature’s viole(n)t tendencies.

With the hundreds of invites that come across our desk each week, it’s rare if we can find an event we’d actually want to attend. Lately it’s been too much brah this and bro that. (It’s a miracle most of us aren’t wearing arm slings for all the self back-patting that’s been going on.) However, we were happy to hear about Roxy’s Studio Exhibition at The Surf Gallery in Laguna Beach. Featuring the works of their studio artists Jenny Bowers (London), Jeff Canham (San Francisco), Harry Daily (San Diego), Julie Goldstein (Long Beach Island), Greg Lamarche (New York), Rob Ryan (London), Rachell Sumpter (San Francisco) and Kate Sutton (London), the show will run from October 17 through November 1. We’ll be checking it out as soon as we can console our jilted TiVo.

It just so happens that one of our favorite galleries is also one of the most exclusives. Not that it intended to be; it’s just cool like that. You really gotta respect a joint that makes you hustle to get in the door. So on the off chance that it’s the weekend, you’re awake, you’re not hung, you’re in Laguna, and the MILFy traffic isn’t killing you, swing by the Laguna Surf Gallery. Owned and operated by Will Pennartz (formerly of Surfer Magazine’s Travel Reports) the gallery is only open from noon to six on Saturday and Sunday. The shows are the coolest and most connected, plus you can always count on booze, music and a few celebrities milling about. Artists include Thomas Campbell, Wolfgang Bloch, Andy Davis, Bud Brown, John Severson, Ron Stoner, and Patrick Trefz. Be sure to have some cash on hand as you’ll definitely want to score some of the exhibition posters.

It’s getting harder and harder for lesbian vampires who fancy folk art, fashion and all things Tolkien to find like minded soul mates these days. But one (let’s face it: the ONLY) Leucadian art emporium is doing it’s best to rectify that. Well known among the under ground, Ducky Waddles is fighting the good fight to keep erotic art, extreme cultures, and alternative religions alive and kicking. From it’s impressive housing of graffiti art coffee table books, glass works, first edition OBEY posters, toys, collectibles, used books, international tattoo magazines, comic books, and a decent collection of early-American pornography, Duckie’s is everything the extreme right wing is afraid of. Coincidently, owners Jerry Waddle and Joyce Rooks are also credited for archiving one of the most extensive collections of early surf and skate art and inspirations. Openings and exhibitions are on the regular, with favoritism to local up-and-comers. But that’s not say that heavy hitters aren’t part of the mix. Recent showings have included Andy Howell and Shepard Fairey.

Art and commerce are two words we’re not used to seeing together. However, San Francisco’s emerging Park Life gallery is keen on bridging this gap as they’re “…bringing affordable art to the community… leaving behind the fine art setting.”

On a mission to show case the most engaging contemporary art being created today, while also featuring limited edition and unique items that includes books, modern design objects, gifts, prints, paper goods, tee shirts, homeware, a few toys, magazines, dvds, jewelry, Park Life houses a lifetime of inspiration for both novices and core supporters.

Started in late 2006 by Jamie Alexander and Derek Song, the turn-of-the-century commercial space formerly occupied the famous Busvan furniture store, but now boasts 1,200 sq.ft. of an expansive communal network. (more…)

Almost immediately after God invented the Internet, folks began submitting fan letters and photos to their favorite surf brand websites in hopes to:

A. Show support

B. Get a job

C. Get stickers

But rarely were the masses using this media as platform for stardom. Enter Volcom’s public and team art galleries. While these web pages have been around for several years, the talent and topics on display here are staggering. If you’ve been hanging around the flats in Leucadia, you’ve undoubtedly witnessed some of the greatness juxtapose between the M.C. Escher and Dali posters. We’re especially fond of the Oliver Walker portrait and Adreon Henry’s entire series. Feel free to make color copies of any of the submissions and display them as you see fit. Such an easy way to make yourself look all collegey and stuff.