GREAT DAY ON THE NORTH SHORE OF OAHU

It's great having a folder of photographs from my time spent on the North Shore of Oahu in February this year. Of course being there was fantastic, seeing the incredible seven mile miracle, walking up and down the stretch of beach between 'Log Cabins' and 'Sunset Beach' – within minutes checking 'Off The Wall', 'Backdoor', 'Pipeline' and 'Rocky Point'.

My visit coincided with the 'Billabong Pipeline Pro', so not only did I get to see the famed waves, but also the worlds best surfers free surfing and competing in them. Generously, Iain 'Ratso' Buchanan (WSL head priority judge) got us into the judging tower for a couple of heats on finals day, before watching the rest of the comp from the V.I.P area.

The tension in the judging tower was palpable, so we sat in silence and despite the privilege of being there, it was good to leave and let the judges do their job. The competition came to its conclusion with Jack Robinson coming out as the victor.

With only a couple of days before the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach (just up the road), the contest area was dismantled, and the judges returned to their house situated overlooking Sunset Beach and the world famous lineup. The team kindly invited us to that evenings BBQ, so we drank beer, ate great food and had a laugh. Thanks to all of them!

More photographs from the North Shore @ sleeplessink.com

ONE FRAME TURNS TO LOGO

This sequence was taken during a surf trip to Costa Rica in 2016. Of course I am very happy to have a few shots of me surfing, especially as I have spent thousands of hours in the ocean over the years. So with just a handful of photos to hold onto they are valuable to me. 

Also stoked to have one of the frames in the sequence being used for the Ocean Magic logo. I never looked for this to happen, I've been happy to just surf and spray surfboards, a job that has allowed me to go surfing when I wanted to. That said, it's nice to get some use out of one of the many seconds I've been in the water.

The new OM logo is loosely based on the logo from the 80's.

NEW SURFBOARD & ARTWORK FOR CHOCCY

Another day at work, another board to spray, this time for Chris Owen, friend and owner of Choccy's by Newquay skatepark.

Paint drags seem to be in vogue just now, of course that may only last a minute! Having sprayed surfboards for 34 years, I've seen a lot of trends come, and a lot of trends go. Over the years there have been sprays that became iconic when on the boards of high profile surfers; Tom Curren, Martin Potter, Cheyne Horan and just this year John John Florence with the Pyzel Red Tiger spray, of which I have done several at the Ocean Magic surfboard factory.

I have recently become aware of the work of Ryder Biolos for Lost surfboards in San Clemente, California. Her brush work is very good and she has developed a style which is recognisable as hers.

More artwork and photographs by me can be seen at sleeplessink.com

COLLAGE REEL & FRAMED

Collage number 2 of 2023 has been completed and number 3 is underway. I have got into the habit of taking photos and video clips along the way to document the process, this also gives me files to practise making reels in imovie. This piece uses 2 of my photographs taken last year at Towan Beach in Newquay. More of my photographs, illustration and collage can be seen by visiting sleeplessink.com