Is it a fad? Now we see a lot of art-worked surfboards in every medium, DVD, books, posters, and our local beaches. They call themselves "Artists," having fun with spraying his/her boards. That is great. But, it is also pretty rare to see such an "art-board" pleasing to my eyes. Sometimes I feel this is like so-called "Surf Music." Most of them are very similar to one another, no-uniqueness. It is just because, maybe, I am not a person who seeks the very latest information. I do not read any surf-style magazines and do not check MTV. Oh well, art may be more like, "if you think it's good, go for it!!"。


Even though I am such a stubborn critic, there are a few surfers that have extraordinary art work. Tyler "Pickle" Warren is one of them. The kid from Dana point is already covered by many magazines and in many movies, riding beautifully his longboards shaped by Terry Martin of Hobie Surfboards. These days, he is often riding on keel fin fishes or alternative boards.Tyler has been a multi-dimensional wave slider drawing sensitive lines on 1 to 15ft waves. At the same time, his artistic side has been featured by media recently and is reaching wide audiences. Once you see his works, you will like them. They are really detailed, nostalgic, and sensitive. I do not know any other young "pro-surfer & artists," other than Tyler Warren, doing oil paintings.

Tyler’s show "California Dreaming" was held at the Surf Indian in Pacific Beach California. The show held many artworks of Tyler’s of course, but also some other great stuff. We saw impressive photographs taken by John Smart, a filmmaker/ photographer working with Pickle recently for their up-coming film entitled "Tyler Warren Experiment." There were also some boards Tyler rode for the film. Fishes shaped by Josh Hall and Manuel Caro, and a log shaped by Terry Martin were hung on the wall. These items were all put on the silent auction, and most of them were taken to a winner's home with their happy smiles.
The money raised in the auction was to support medical bills incurred by the parents of the Mattson 2, who are well known artists and art supporters themselves.

The Surf Indian was filled with great vibes and danceable tunes played by a friend of Tyler. Also later in this event, the Growlers played and the atmosphere there got to its peak. I could see some of the famous people in the scene coming to "California Dreaming" like Andy Davis, John Smart, Manuel Caro, and Josh Hall. Tyler's good friends were all seen in the event, and Christian Wach, Robin Kegel, and other San Onofre crews had a very good time. I was surprised to see some young guns from Australia like Harrison Roach and Matt Cuddihy there. Countless visitors were there and the event was over-loaded for the Surf Indian, so many of them escaped the crowded scene to the backyard. People gathering in the dark yard with wine and beer in hand were totally the symbol of timeless Californian surf culture, that is enthusiastic, powerful, and delightful.

I had really good time at the event, Tyler and his crew have planned their "California Dreaming" closing party in september. It is very exciting news for us that we can have a great opportunities to see Tyler's fantastic art pieces while enjoying a few cups of free wine. I cannot wait for that.



Let's check Pickle's next plan from the websites below.
http://www.artbytylerwarren.com/
http://www.surf-knot.blogspot.com/

Also, do not forget to check coming shows in the Surf Indian.
http://www.surfindian.com/