Category Archives: Art

2018 Skullcandy Oz Grom Surfing Open

Held annually at Lennox Head in the July school holidays, this major junior surfing competition draws around 300 competitors, not only from NSW, but around Australia and even from around the world.

Many parents take advantage of the pilgrimage to combine travelling to the comp and make for a family surfing holiday.

I went out behind the scenes with a backdrop of perfect winter weather… to capture a different perspective of the general ‘cool’ vibe of the aged variety of spectators taking in the ‘Groms At Play: IN and OUT of the WATER’ …

MY FIRST AUTHORED BOOK

Well, co-authored to be correct.

For over a year, with limited resources, I was part of the dedicated volunteer ‘Surfing Lennox Crew’ applying our best efforts to assist the Lennox Head Heritage Committee produce a 104 page book Surfing Lennox: From Then to Now.

The  book chronicles 70 years surfing around the town of Lennox Head and takes you on a wild ride following the evolution of the town from a once sleepy fishing hamlet, to when the first lone surfers tentatively entered the water, to the seemingly unstoppable crowds attracted today to the iconic world renowned surf location.

The book covers the breaks of the Lennox National Surfing Reserve (LNSR) stretching from the south between Flat Rock to the Lennox Head-Alstonville Surf Club in the north. It is ten years since the dedication of the LNSR and the book explores all the themes that define National Surfing Reserves: ‘sites of environmental, cultural and historical significance to the Australian surfing culture.’

Behind this backdrop are the people, groups, the characters who were born here, visited, stayed or have come and gone. It is not only the location and environment, but this diverse bunch that together in some way, shape or form, makes Lennox such a special and unique ‘buzzing’ town.

As co-authors’ our contributions combine with materials delivered via donations from the public to make for irreplaceable recollections the local community can now keep as an archival document.  The volume of information and images received was overwhelming and we faced some difficult challenges; many decisions about inclusion were very tough to make.

To include everything and everyone was impossible and there is no claim as definitive, but in turning the history pages of our towns surfing journey the modest size book still covers a great measure of authentic ground. Who knows, perhaps, with more resources the next generation could produce a definitive history and fill a large 300 page hard-cover book.

But right now we do finally have an interesting, stylishly presented book. And all entirely locally produced, edited, designed and printed!

Monies from the sale of the book will go to the not-for-profit Lennox Head Heritage Committee and Lennox National Surfing Reserve Inc.

Surfing Lennox From Then to Now is currently selling at Lennox Post Office,  and local shops, Anchor Chief, The Book Room, Lennox Head Surf and ABC Bookstore Ballina for $49.00 RRP.

Cafe’ Poster

Marius Cafe in Lennox Head was taking a gamble making a move from the safety of their usual opening daytime service,  and introducing a new flavour into the nighttime dinning scene.

They asked me to come up with an A3 poster to attract attention. Something Big Bold & ! GREEK !

It was a great success and full house for weeks, with more people marching in than athletes at an Olympic Games opening ceremony.

HIPPY’S IMAGE

When ‘Hippy’ Craig Richards became the new licensed  trader at Lennox Head Motors, he asked me: “…can you design a new Ad, as the old Ad with the Volvo HAS TO GO (sorry Volvo drivers) as it just doesn’t fit our image here in Lennox, right across from the beach and all.”

AD BEFORE:

AD AFTER:

I came up with this look based off the old style N.S.W. Rego stickers. It features the iconic EK Holden wagon cruising down the road with the waves rolling in, complete with a classic timber log surfboard strapped to the roof!

A few months later Hippy asked to design a new Business Card in the same style, so we ‘pimped-up’ the ride and power modified the set-up.

X-Vacation

Where else did you think they have been hanging out all this time !?! Well Byron Bay of course…

XFile2016ReturnEndVacationClick image to enlarge

As an X Files fan back in the day, I painted this tile around 1994. My motivation was that Mulder and Scully were never seen anywhere near such a clean, bright, colourful, environment.

In fact every time they entered some dark dingy place I would be on the edge of my seat begging (usually Mulder) to retreat “NO…don’t go down there, NO don’t go down there… NO!!!” of course further and deeper into the darkness they would go…

So all these years later, just like everyone else who doesn’t want to leave Byron after their X-tended vacation, its time to put down the sunscreen and head back to work.