Uh-oh spaghettiOs! What a mishap.
I cycled past this and had to double back for a closer look. Not sure what happened, but it is strange. Curious how the paint tin is upright and lid submerged by its side, the spillage is in a fairly contained area, with no obvious direction of its fall.
Anyway, it lent itself to a photograph.
On the back of a couple of previous surfboard factory posts, here is one more!
At first, taking a few photos around the surfboard factory was just a way to kill a little time as paint dries; what with the slow start to the year n'all. Now, I find myself seeing snippets here and there and reaching for my camera. Maybe it will continue!
That said, yesterday's sunshine won my attention and we all sat outside. It's a 'win, win!' Sunshine and laughter outside, or remaining intrigued with hidden images to find, inside.
ME, THAT'S WHO!
My blushes would have been saved if a weather forecast had been watched before confirming yesterday's post.
There I was, swooning over the springtime bird song. Claiming the change toward summer was secure, and winter was behind us. Breathing deeply along with the northern hemisphere, as the late arrival of spring was merely a springboard (excuse me) toward long, hot, summer days. Exchanging umbrellas for parasols; waterproofs for board-shorts; winter stews for salad; G&T's at home for beer in a pub garden.
BUT NO!
It was only when the evening forecast was seen, did I realise, the size of the misleading waffle delivery in the morning post.
Screaming northwesterlies, 1o°C, pelting downpours. Bins blowing over, litter flying, pedestrians soaked and leaning 45° into the gusts. Please make it stop!
It is now the afternoon and the conditions have pulled up from the nosedive. Just about. The NW wind prevails, but the sun is out, and we carry on.
It's been wet. Yep, spring 2024 has been wet, with plenty of wind at times.
This morning the studio window is open and the serenade of spring birds is filling the air. It is soothing and light. Encouraging an extra 10% of breathing in, welcoming further into the body the delayed change after winter.
There is a cosiness to being dry and safely indoors with the rain, rain & rain pelting the windows, but it makes sense to find joy in the four seasons – especially on this side of winter.
Despite the weather, there are more people around Newquay, it's possible to sense the swell of seasonal workers and visitors arriving; like scouts for the inevitable tsunami of people.
Below are what may well be the last shots from town, before the onslaught. The Gifts & Fishing shop, sure to be open next time out with my camera. The furry bucket hat, replaced by a sun cap; the umbrella substituted with a windbreak or parasol.
It has begun!
More random photographs from around the surfboard factory...what could this mean. I'll tell you! The continuation of a sleepy start to the 2024 surfboard production year.
It's not too much of a stretch to call myself a veteran in the surfboard industry. In fact, you'd do less of a stretch in prison for murder than the years I've spent spraying surfboards.
It's strange how much has changed, and yet, just about nothing has!
The first time I sprayed a surfboard in a factory, for a shop or customer, I can't remember which, was in 1989. That was at the Hot Buttered factory in Auckland, New Zealand.
So all those years ago, I taped up freshly shaped surfboards, popped open paint tins, loaded the spray gun and fired away.
That is exactly what I still do today. Sure, there are chapters, as mentioned in the last post, where designs and colourways change, a bit like fashion, but it all circulates back to the same essentials. Here are the same materials as used for decades, now paint, spray or draw on a surfboard to decorate it.
The reason for mentioning my self titled veteran status, is to highlight the 'feast or famine' nature of surfboard work, and the experience needed to meet the necessity to hold tight and not buckle under the highs and lows.
The surfboard industry has a way of spitting people out.
As Rory Russell once said, 'I've seen a lot of people come, and I've seen a lot of people go!'
While paint drys, it's quite good fun to wonder around the factory with a camera. Trying to find pictures, despite having seen the same things for decades. It's quite a challenge, but one that helps you look a little bit closer, trying to extract something visual from the repetitious nature of being around surfboard factories for so long.
Still, here are a few attempts from yesterday afternoon.
I can remember (somehow!) way back into the 90's when carpet drags were in vogue.
There were some pivotal years in the 90's when surfing turned a corner and got into its popularity stride. The surf shops were screaming for more surfboards to fill the racks. I worked in a few factories at the time, and each label, understandably, wanted their boards to look different than the others, especially when stacked next to each other in a shop.
This lead to several approaches, graphics and ideas that, quite frankly, were ridiculous! Especially if using the current generic stock spray of 2024 as a gauge.
To illustrate this, and without getting too graphic, a custom order from Holland wanted a cartoon squirrel with an erection the size of its own body on the deck, the entire length (excuse the pun) of the board. The bizarre nature of the request did warrant a photograph, but now decades later, it is nowhere to be found.
I shan't include a sketch of what it looked like, or how it fitted on the surfboard, I'm sure your imaginations can do a good enough job!
Luckily, in amongst the fevered attempt to keep the shelves stacked and custom orders pleased, there were some good sprays.
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| Old film photographs of my sprays from the 90's |
One craze, predominantly British (I think), was spraying through doilies. Using doilies as a stencil left the pattern on the board. I remember trawling through charity shops to find doily sets among the tea pots, cups and crockery.
There was a flurry of using random materials to create a stencil to spray through or over – torn cardboard edges, fibreglass rovings, coins, fishnet stockings...the list goes on! This could be done in pin-lined panels, or randomly to create an abstract look. Occasionally, if done right, it could look good. Today, many would look dated, and in my opinion too tacky to be considered retro cool or vintage. But nothing should be ruled out!
One technique that stuck around for a while was the carpet drag. We would fill a roller paint tray and dip an offcut of carpet into the paint, before dragging it along the foam of a shaped blank in various directions, usually nose to tail.
The common sense way to achieve this look, is to use a wide paint brush. But at that time there seemed to be an idea that each sprayer/factory was trying to baffle their counterparts. It couldn't be just a paint brush...surely it was an offcut of carpet or another material. Turns out a paint brush works just fine.
So here is a short reel of a team riders board being paint brushed earlier this week!
More shots from the surf days that counted in March.
I'm pleased to say there have been more days with good conditions to add to March 2024 so far. I'm sure there has been a handful of quality moments in quiet pockets, at the right time and tide, worthy of inclusion on the list. I managed to capture a few, but of course not all; I like the idea of an abundance of waves going unseen, unridden, not photographed.
Whether under the darkness of night, the continuing cold mornings or empty beaches with perhaps just a couple of dog walkers, the ocean waves and their energy arrive to meet land. Sometimes with deafening force, sometimes with only a weak pulse, all the time moving. It's great that surfing exists; at its best, it is a human art form that can dance with planet earth's natural power, and equally, within seconds we can be humiliated, humbled and shown our insignificance. I find wonder and majesty in waves with or without our input. Very happy that the seas continue to move regardless.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves, this is part 2 of 'Pockets of Good Surf'.
I've been meaning to get some artwork together for Rem @rems_caff for a while, but life is a specialist at throwing curve balls, so it took a little while longer!
Anyway, moving on, they are done. I am so stoked and happy for them to have made their way to Rem, Joe @stingingweever and Andy @saltwalls_gallery.
They are both limited edition prints, with a print run of 20. In addition to the short print run, is 20% of sales going to charity, namely, Cornwall Air Ambulance.
They are available @sleeplessink.com
Music on, friend in the wings, creative surfboard art brief. What could go wrong?
With several decades wearing the orange jump-suit, that goes with the life long sentence of being a surfboard sprayer, a few phrases are often repeated to the point of them becoming annoyingly standard.
'Could you just' / 'While you're here!' / 'Just one more thing' / 'It'll be shaped in a minute...it goes on. This flannel, I suspect, is wiped across the faces of many production (and more) industries; the linking thread being humans attempt to orchestrate the workforce and materials toward a finished product – ready for shelves, food in restaurants, or scarily, organ replacements and perhaps even Air Traffic Control.
The surfboard industry is surely on the podium for the 'Blunders Award Night'.
This is footage of a blunder and recovery of mine on a custom Pyzel surfboard. It was all going so well, especially with the amount of preparation that was put into place for this fast moving paint drag. But not tightening the lid on a ketchup dispenser bottle full of paint, was my fault.
Luckily, I have experience in recovering mishaps, an essential requirement when making surfboards, and Clive of 'Soul Jammer Surfboards' was fast to help. We did it, and after the initial alarm, I would venture to say we enjoyed it!
In amongst the rain and onshore winds, there have been pockets of good surf.
These days must be relished as they have been far and few between. That said, from midweek, this week, the wind has been offshore, sometimes very strong, only going around this afternoon. So it has been a good run.
Well, when it comes to surfboard work, the year continues to be a little sleepy.
Despite being a veteran surfboard sprayer (35 years), it still remains nervy at this time of year. Although the nerves of an off-season flatlining income were more easily treatable in youth. All that was needed was an airfare, along with a pocket of loose change to escape the situation. Some of our (I include my allies) best memories are tied up in those years.
That said, I relish the time I now have away from the dust bowl of a surfboard factory. There is always plenty to do elsewhere. Only this week I finished two new fine art prints, both with a small limited edition print run. They can be seen @ 20/20 on my website.
But back to the beginning, I should express no surprise at the current moseying pace – it is still winter after all. But No! Meteorologically speaking, the official first day of spring is March 1st. Hold on a minute! Surely spring starts on or around the 20th of March – the spring equinox. Are goal posts being moved?
It seems they alter depending on what almanac is being used. Weather scientists divide the year into quarters to make it easier to compare seasonal and monthly statistics from one year to the next. Yet I read, 'According to the almanac, the astronomical start of spring is the spring equinox, on, or around March 20th each year.'
Take your pick!
To be clear, the weather is presently erratic, although on a positive note, the sun had a pleasing lick of warmth to it today. So for those brief moments, it is spring. But as a cloud trundles over, casting a cold shadow, it is still winter.
So with just a few boards to spray, a part of a working day is literally spent waiting for paint to dry. No flashy sprays to film or photograph. What to do? Today I meandered around with my camera taking pictures. More fun than watching paint dry; which it never does when being watched by the way!
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| Supermarket patrol. |
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| Tension on the jetty. |
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| More drugs, this time with a deli. |
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| High street patrol |
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| A street vendor shouted 'Look, Real Mexicans!' when this group with new sombreros walked past. |
Well, got to start the surfboard year off somewhere. And this turtle design is the first surfboard to warrant a short reel so far this year.
It has been a slow start, coupled with a short break, resulting in just enough bread & butter work to keep food in the dog bowl. That said, I did spray the flame section of a new Pyzel order yesterday. This is a spray I have done a few times, as seen on a December 5th post.
The turtle design was sent in, and using the OHP it was straight forward to transfer it onto the customers surfboard. I enjoyed doing it, and it suited the shape of the board well. Whenever I start drawing on boards, I do think of the possibilities of really going to town; using pencils, brushes, watercolours, the list goes on.
But, it is a surfboard...to be surfed! It will have wax on it, and in a short time will be battle scarred with pressure dings and more. That's not to say don't have colour, surfboards look great with some colour, it's a good job people think so, as it has been my job for 35 (yikes) years. But there is a tipping point that asks the question; sporting equipment, or work of art.
There has also been a saying among surfboard spayers over the years; £30 on a surfboard, £300 or £3000 for the same design on a canvas. It's just a way for the few who spray boards to have a bleat about being underpaid. I'm guessing that most of us knew we weren't going to get rich...we just want to go surfing.
Two weeks since returning and the tan has faded, yet the more valued replenishment from the winter break remains. There has now been time to sift through the photographs taken while away, although less shots than usual; it was a trip that did not warrant my usual approach.
As mentioned a week ago, this was a holiday, something I was unpractised in, especially in the all-inclusive package tour form. For most people on the flight from Gatwick, this was a fourteen day commitment to booze and basking in sunshine. From a photography point of view, this resulted in fewer moments that urged me to have my camera in hand.
To start with, I had my own intentions of laying motionless in the warmth of the Caribbean sun. Second, third and forth, was the notion that the surrounding punters and (very hard working) resort workers, were just either working hard, or relishing the precious days away from work back home and the other three hundred and something days of a rain soaked England. Either way, I didn't feel compelled to take too many photos, which, in its way was relaxing. It truly was a holiday.
This is not to say it was unworthy of some photographs being taken, in fact there were several moments that deserved attention. But I had a sense that this was not a place to roam around with a camera up to the eye and framing shots, certainly not as if I was in the streets of a town or city. Ironically, anyone with a phone could have been doing this, and they were, but mainly for selfies, of which there were plenty.
Upon arrival it became apparent that this was a fabricated vacation district, nonetheless a very welcoming one. Obviously purpose built to invite a transient global community that primarily had the same goal in mind – sun worship, and for certain parties, food & drink indulgence. The two overlapped very nicely.
The architecture remained the same, the foyer, the bars, the entertainment area, along with the food hall and adjacent restaurants, they all remained the same. During the day the beach and poolside sun loungers rotated to orbit the sun, with the most devoted worshippers dragging their sun-beds to the open beach to erase any chance of shade from a palm-tree or parasol.
Within this structure many moments caught my eye, the kind I guess we all enjoy to some extent – people watching. It's like a large sunshine filled airport concourse, with many people going about their own business, eating, drinking, coming and going, but all unlikely to ever set eyes on each other again. Add a seemingly endless supply of food & booze and there is a place that I had never visited before. This in itself struck me as being a worthy destination, working with the idea that travel can be to broaden one's horizons and to experience something new.
This was all happening in the country we were all actually in – Mexico.
This resort territory would change abruptly within a short walk, a guarded barrier would lift and the host country would begin. But that is for further posts.
The shots below are from resort world.
After a couple of weeks swimming in the Caribbean sea, it sounds strange to say it's good to be back to the cold, brutal North Atlantic. But it is so!
They both have their own appeal, the only shame it not being easier to flit from one to the other. Relaxed bath warm calm sea swims, to open raw ocean juice meeting rugged coastline.
Still, we are were we are! Fistral beach and Cribbar from the weekend just gone.
What a wonderful time!
For the first time since family childhood I went on a holiday. That's not to say I haven't travelled, in fact I've had the most fortunate, amazing time travelling extensively, chasing waves, meeting great people – a real dream.
But this was train, flight, beach.
There was always going to be a chance of some boredom, but making a point of just relaxing, going for a swim and the enjoyment of not living to the clock, relegated being bored to the bench and each day available to luxuriate.
Early one morning last week.
It was cold, a moderate E/NE wind adding a bitter slice into the air. This probably went some way to discouraging a lot of people from going in the water, the spoils went to those who ventured out. It's good to get a couple of keepers under the belt, they help you through the hours it then takes to regain body warmth throughout the day.
It's been a sleepy start with surfboards in 2024.
The spray-jobs so far have been straight forward, unremarkable truth be told. Single colour all over, single colour deck and rails, single colour rails...you see where I'm going with this. All good with me, much needed bread & butter work, but of little interest or note to bang a drum about.
This week I sprayed black rails on a freshly glassed stock Pyzel surfboard. In itself not headline news, but I wanted to get the 2024 surfboard year and my sprays kickstarted. This stock board had been lurking around the factory without urgency for being finished, so now was as good a time as any to get it done and in the racks.
It had the paint-drag put on the foam way back in June last year, so to complete it and frame the colourful paint-drag to help it 'pop', black rails seemed fitting.
