I’ve been trying to catch myself when the ego takes over. Not always successfully, but we are all a work in progress aren’t we? The next time you hear yourself declaring “I am sad” or “I am so stressed” or “I am _______”….realize that I am not those things. I am merely the silent witness…
On the evening of October 29th, 2o12, as Hurricane Sandy ripped through my home state of New Jersey, no one could have imagined the path of destruction she would have left behind. The two days prior to this, we scored some amazing waves in Florida, it seemed like it might have been just another storm like…
I’m so heartbroken by the devastation at the Jersey Shore caused by Hurricane Sandy. No matter where I own a house, this will always be my home. These were some of the generational landmarks that I grew up around. This is the coastline that I enjoyed at a child with my family and still draw…
On a recent family trip to New Jersey, I was able to sneak off for the day to spend some time with friends at some of my favorite home breaks as the Belmar Pro and 20th Annual Manasquan Longboard Classic were going off. New Jersey surfers again scored some sick 4-7ft waves with picture perfect…
We just wrapped up at Surf Expo down in Orlando, Florida a couple weeks back. It still feels like I’m recovering from the months of planning that went into it. This year we decided to go all out and step things up. It’s good to challenge yourself from time to time. I was so fortunate…
For the 3rd year in a row on July 27th, 2012, my friend G. Love and I collaborated on a music and art event at the historic Algonquin Arts Theater in Manasquan, New Jersey. G rocked the house as he always does and I was so honored to a slide show of my artwork as…
I got a chance to catch up with my friend & reggae recording artist Mishka recently when he came to town to perform at Jacksonville Beach’s Freebird Live. I was stoked to see him come out on stage performing in one of my his Jay Alders “Throwing Lines” t-Shirt. For more info on Mishka’s music: www.Mishka.com
After six incredible years with my beautiful lady Chelsea, we finally tied the knot on May 12th. We were fortunate enough to have family and friends from both coasts in town for a beautiful beach ceremony on the beach in Saint Augustine, Florida, the oldest city in the country. It was a perfect day filled…
As we race through existence chasing our dreams, we often shed our pure intentions and exchange them for the heavy burdens we carry. But now and then, we allow the energy of the Universe to flow through us without judgement and without ego. During such intense yet peaceful moments we are reminded of the potential that…
This surrealistic cosmic painting was created for the cover of the upcoming 2012 release of the band, Echo Movement titled “Love and the Human Outreach. “Star Crossed” captures a planet passing in front of a distant star. We recently experienced such a celestial event this past week with Venus passing in front of the…
This past week I had the pleasure of having a visit to my studio from fellow surf artist Andy Davis along with Jeff and Royce from Billabong. We had some great conversation and shared some laughs over drinks and Thai food afterwards. Andy does some truly groovy work, check him out: www.mynameisandy.com (from left to right:…
This past Wednesday, I had the honor of joining G. Love & Special Sauce on stage to live painting during their epic performance at The Freebird in Jacksonville, Florida. I am incredibly appreciative of Garrett for allowing me to be a part of their performance. The show and painting and the post-party on the bus…
This painting had been sleeping in my studio now for a couple years. I had left it unfinished in 2009 and moved on to other ideas. It was originally inspired by my friend from home Quincy Mumford who was about to put out his second album and asked me to design him an album cover. His…
My friend Mark Longnecker is a well known Florida based tattoo artist and called me the other day while our friends from the band Echo Movement were staying at my place near Jacksonville Beach. He offered the band the bro-deal on tattoo’s before their New Year’s Eve gig. When we rolled into Cocoa Beach on…
My friend Luke stopped by with his sweet new surfboard recently and asked me to whip him up a quick manatee on the nose. He had his adorable daughter Emilka with him so it was too cute to refuse. He was pretty amped on it. It was one of the first manatee’s I’ve ever drawn.…
On November 25, 2011 I did a live painting demonstration for a nice sized crowd at Sunrise Surf Shop in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Here’s a pic of what I whipped up for everyone.
I’ve been hearing about Art Basel for years, yet I never really understood what it was all about. So this year, being a new Florida resident, I decided to make a voyage down on train to Miami and see for myself what all the hoopla was about. The entire city was pulsating with miles of…
Buy Prints Now As Albert Einstein so eloquently said, “Make things as simple as possible, but not simpler.” I enjoy exploring new ways to visually dance between the highly rendered and the stylized in my work and this new piece is a great example of that. I came up with this rough sketch…
Despite me still feeling like a kid still at times, the date on my passport and my ability to recite Run DMC rap lyrics says otherwise. I’ve been contemplating life and my Peter Pan outlook and thinking about who and what brings me the happiness and fulfillment that I think I deserve. I’ve been fortunate…
I woke up early on September 25th to watch sunrise and shoot some sunrise photos. Seemed like a nice way to start the day. I sure wasn’t expecting to see little baby sea turtles that just hatched making their way into their new ocean home. Simply beautiful!
I have traveled quite a bit, especially since my surf genre artwork has gotten attention over the past six or so years. I’ve nurtured friendships with pockets of really wonderful people in various parts of the world and have seen how other places live. It’s really lit a fire under my ass about where I…
After our show together in Massachusetts Sean and I teamed up again this time in my home state at one of my favorite local hangs, Surf Taco in Red Bank, NJ. Seen above in this pic are myself, Rob (Co-owner/Founder of S.T.), The Davey-meister, Michael Courtney and Ed Pierce (Co-Founder of S.T.) We had a real good…
I’d never fully experienced the Massachusetts shoreline until recently when I exhibited my artwork there. I was really impressed with the vibes up there. We had a great time immersing ourselves in the local scene and connecting with people over art and music. The ocean really does unite people. My good mate Sean Davey flew…
There are extreme emotional & creative swings that every artist must endure. It’s part of the creative path we are on. We put up with & accept the frustration and insecurities because when good things happen and those pure moments flow through us, it makes it all worth it. This past Friday,July 22,2011 was one…
One of the perks of being a surfer/artist is sharing friendships and connecting with like-minded and inspiring people. I enjoy seeking opportunities to collaborate with such friends and I was stoked to have another event to share with my friend Garrett (G Love) this past week at The Algonquin Theatre in Manasquan,NJ. He called me…
On March 1th, 2011 the Earth shook and Japan’s coastline and population was devastated by one of the strongest Tsunamis our generations have ever witnessed. I woke up that morning hungover at my friend Luke Thorpe’s house in Atlantic Beach, Florida after a night of partying at the G Love show. We sat there like…
Back in the fall of 2010 I started messing around with some Mermaid sketches as a way to combine my love of female figure with my love of the ocean and nature. I had come up with some ideas but it needed time to brew before it was ready to commit some hefty time and…
Pro-Surfing Legend & musician Rob Machado & his band came through my turf last week and performed at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. NJ. I hadn’t got to see Rob since we were on tour together in Brazil last summer. It was also a real nice surprise to also catch up with my friend Tito was doing…
I got a text message 2 days ago from Floridian photographer Michael Herb (204 Studios) who let me know that he was coming through my neck o’ the woods and inquired about doing another shoot with me. I had just done a shoot with Michael after my Quiksilver artist signing in Miami 2 months ago and…
March 14, 2011 – My friends and I gather at the entrance to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park. Surfboards in hand, waivers signed and walking through the manufactured jungle-like walkway towards the wavepool. When you think of going Disney, surfing is probably not the first thing you think of doing. But that’s exactly what we…