Painting Story

24 Jan

Posted at 18:07h in Behind the Scenes..., Painting Story by
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All living things contain within it the seed of great potential.   From the moment of conception, it already has everything it needs to reach that potential through the growing process.

Sacred Spiral Nautilus was painted using mixed media on a 60” x 48” canvas.   

(ORDER A PRINT REPRODUCTION OF SACRED SPIRAL HERE)

This painting was commissioned by Shane, a fellow Resonance Science Delegate.  We met while on a Resonance Delegate cruise in 2016.  On that trip, we explored the Pyramid of the Sun in Bosnia, the largest pyramid in the world.  Shane is one of the most brilliant scientists I’ve ever met.  He and I would sit in on the lectures and then stay up all night contemplating the concepts we just learned.

Shane wanted a sacred geometry piece for his new home.  His windows overlook the water in Vancouver, Canada, and he wanted his painting to represent a nautilus shell and geometry that expresses the energy of living things.

Below is my description of the painting, the meaning, and the process:

The Sacred Spiral Nautilus painting was inspired by spin. This beautiful shape perfectly demonstrates how everything is growing from the field of energy that we cannot see.

Elements in the painting have been applied in multiple overlays of transparent and pearlescent paints.  My process is done with the intention of allowing the viewer to see through each layer, providing a 3D effect as the light catches it.   As you move around the painting, it changes, allowing for multiple viewing experiences.

The painting contains an underpainting of more than one hundred layers of paint, meticulously added over a period of six months.  These layers express the flow of water, which is the key component to all living things.

I chose to paint two nautilus shapes in both directions creating the toroidal shape of cyclones and galaxies.

This shape is seen in many plants, air currents, and water.   The shape itself is called the fibonacci spiral.

Its mathematical ratio is an articulation of the process:  1 and 1 make 2,  1 and 2 make 3,  2 and 3 make 5, and so on.

The background of the painting is the Flower of Life pattern in overlapping circles.

I imagine the flower of life background as the field of energy that we cannot see.  It scales ever smaller and larger.   

It is everything from Galaxies to atoms.   It seems to be a self organizing system or process that is constantly building everything we see.  And it is beautiful.

The geometry in this painting is built upon the Fruit of Life, one of the building blocks of the Flower of Life Pattern. The center of these circles, when connected in straight lines, creates Metatron’s Cube.

This symbol, Metatron’s Cube, is called many things;  The Star of David, Sign of Solomon, and the Merkaba.  

To me, this shape is an articulation of ever-expanding and contracting energy fields that create the patterns we see in nature and all matter.  

Metatron’s Cube shape contains all of the Platonic solids.  One of the most difficult to create is the three dimensional Dodecahedron.  

To create this, you create a circle from one of the mid points of the triangles to the center, and continue along those midpoints until you have gone all the way around creating six circles.

By connecting these points to all others you will reveal the three dimensional dodecahedron.

The multiple layers of the painting encode interlocking concepts that have been passed down from Ancient times.  Once you are aware, you begin to see them everywhere.  They are beautiful to us because it is the order of the Universe.

The water dripping throughout the painting represents the fluidity of energy in which all of this happens.

My intention is that this painting will reveal a deeper understanding of what is happening in nature, all around us.

Life is good – Drew

 

Drew Brophy, Artist
Brophy Art Gallery and Studio
San Clemente, CA
Ancient Wisdom-Modern Art

09 Nov

Posted at 09:56h in Behind the Scenes..., Painting Story by
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This is a sacred geometry painting that was commissioned by employees and friends of Doug Francis, the CEO of Weedmaps, for his fortieth birthday. 

It was very moving for me to create this artwork for him, as it is evident that he is deeply loved by the people who work for him.  While painting it, I couldn’t help but wonder, what kind of person do you have to be that would inspire this level of devotion from your team.

When I get a commission for a sacred geometry piece, it’s really important that I understand what the collector wants.  In this case, they wanted a specific teal green color, sacred geometry and a very subtle leaf incorporated into it.

It was important to me to get it as close to what they wanted as I possibly could.  It can be difficult to follow specifications exactly, with this type of commission, because sometimes the painting will do what it wants.

I love how this painting turned out.   It took a few months from beginning to end, and when it was finished, I was incredibly happy with it.

Below is my description of the painting, the meaning and the process:

Like all plants, the cannabis leaf is a beautiful representation of the intelligence of the Universe.

The seed of the cannabis plant, before it is even put into the dirt, holds within it a blueprint of its magnificent potential.

Water provides the seed with a trigger and the building blocks that enables the seed to grow. The seed grows leaves so that it can collect the light from the sun.

The geometry of life is already there, and the water and the light conspire to allow it to fulfill its greatest potential.

This painting was designed to demonstrate the geometry of the leaf and to celebrate the beauty of how purely intelligent it is.

The measurements of the leaves very closely follow the Golden Number 1.618 and the Fibonacci Sequence.  The leaves expand as if reaching for the light.

It makes you wonder; how does it know what to do?  When Shamans say “the plants talk to us,” they are describing a vibrational message they pick up from the plants that will assist in healing. It’s possible that the information being read is encoded in the shape and the fragrance of the leaf.

This is a glorious thing that nature provides, giving us medicine and nutrients to enable us to also fulfill our own potential.

GEOMETRY AND THE PROCESS OF PAINTING SWEET LEAF:

Sweet Leaf is painted on a canvas sized 48” x 60”, using a proprietary mixed media process that I have developed.

The artwork contains an underpainting of more than one hundred layers of paint, meticulously added over a period of months.

I then laid down the flower of life pattern that served as a map representing the field in which everything is contained.

The next step was to add the geometry with the simplest formula, which is radiating circles of 1.618, the Golden Ratio of Phi.

The Golden Ratio is found in the design and beauty of nature, everywhere.

Each circle is 1.618 larger than the circle it surrounds. What I found, happily, was that the cannabis leaf lays nearly perfect on the proportions of the Golden Number with each blade of the leaf matching the circles.

Then I took the arcs of those circles and made intersecting points, finding that it was the basic blue print for the leaf itself, creating a beautiful geometry.

Next, I painted in a ghost image of the actual leaf that floats within the geometry.

All together it demonstrates the perfection of nature. It’s a beautiful pattern, which is the fundamental building block of life as well as the building block of design.

We have to wonder, why does this look appealing to us? The geometry, the leaf, the plant? Our minds find it beautiful because of these ratios and design elements that are taken from nature.

We recognize it, sub-consciously, as divine.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN RATIO AND THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE:  

In nature, all living things contain the 1.618 Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci Sequence.

The Golden Ratio is an average of the growth rate of all living things. The Fibonacci Sequence is a ratio describing the same effect.

Everything is spiraling out of nothing.  It’s as though light is growing. It is taking the light and the water and constructing something out of space, and builds at that rate, in balance.

For example, in your hand, each one of your bones is 1.618 smaller or larger than the others. If you fold your fingers, you’ll see that they curl in a spiral, much like the Fibonacci Sequence.

Everything in nature is perfectly proportioned.   In art, when you use these formulas, it is more beautiful to us because we subconsciously recognize the proportion that we know to be in all of nature.

Nature is attempting to grow as efficiently as possible and just so happens that nature has figured it out.

We are connected to all life forms and the Universe is just one big potential that we all are striving to access.

We are a part of a connected Universe.

Please leave a comment below if you enjoyed this painting story.

Thanks- Life is good – Drew

 

PS:  Here’s a Youtube Video that I made explaining the process and the painting.

 

 

03 Mar

Posted at 08:10h in Behind the Scenes..., Painting Story by
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“Three-fifths of an octopus’ neurons are not in their brain, but in their arms; each arm has a mind of its own.”  Sy Montgomery

GNARLY OCTOPUS is painted on at 24″ x 36″ Fredrix Canvas, mixed media.  

The painting is a play on the band Dirty Heads’ mascot, the octopus.  In this painting, the octopus is eating Magical Butter off of a spoon.  (Scroll down to see the video of me painting this.)

All of this stuff comes from my imagination, naturally.  People think I take drugs, but I don’t.  My natural state is wide open.

In real life, I see shapes, expressions and bright colors that most people don’t see. I put these things into my paintings.

Would love to send this octopus to a good home.  You can buy it here.

Some of my paintings are created as illustrations for a particular use.  It works like this – my illustration client will buy the rights to use the digital artwork and then I’ll keep the actual paintings to sell to my collectors later.

I create my illustrations old-school and paint them on canvas so that they will make for a collectible piece of art.

The actual painting doesn’t have lettering or anything on it that will take away from it as art – it’s designed so that it will make for art that will be hung.  

It’s a great program, because I have been able to turn most of my illustrations into art that is collected by people around the world.  Over time, many have become a little slice of history.

Usually, I’ll only take on art commissions that I know I’ll enjoy.   If something comes along that I won’t like, I turn it down.  You only do your best work if you’re having fun.

Today’s painting, the Gnarly Octopus, was one of three paintings that I created for Magical Butter.  They wanted artwork for a 2016 summer concert tour for Sublime with Rome and the Dirty Heads.

I loved working with Magical Butter, because they are a company of fun people who are creative and open to new ideas.  And, listening to the bands’ music kept me going through the process.  It was a lot of fun.

If you want to talk to me or Maria before deciding to add Gnarly Octopus to your collection, call or text the studio at 949-678-8133.

14 Mar

Posted at 12:00h in Behind the Scenes..., Painting Story by
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1 Blue Water Cluster 60 x 36 Sacred Geometry Flower of Life Fine Art by Drew Brophy Sacred Geometry Water MoleculesIn my last blog post, I explained the inspiration that led me into painting the EXPLORING SACRED GEOMETRY series.

I want to share the meaning behind each individual painting.  Today I’ll explain the BLUE WATER CLUSTER, sized 60″ x 36″.

This painting has been a work in progress for over five years.

I first painted it as one of my “water paintings” which is a process where I use multiple layers of paint to get an effect of what water looks like when you’re under it, in the ocean.

But then, last year, I learned more and more about water, information that I cannot believe that I never knew.  And I’ll bet most of the people reading this didn’t know, either.

After learning more about water, I decided to pull this painting back out and I added the blue water clusters.

THE MOST FASCINATING THING ABOUT
WATER THAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW:

Last year, I was commissioned to create an illustration for Greenfield Naturals.  They make products that re-structures water and gets greater yields in agriculture and health.

To prepare for the commission, I had to understand the science of water.  I spent weeks studying water and how it is structured.  I never knew there was so much to know about water.

The most fascinating thing I learned is that water contains memory. 

In its natural cycle, water picks up information which it records in clusters of molecules.  It picks this up through the sun’s light and through its journey down rivers, passing over minerals.

The electro-magnetic frequency which everything is emitting is the mechanism in which the energy is transferred.

Scientists are now discovering a fourth phase of water which they refer to as ‘EZ water.’  It is highly structured and your body is filled with it.

It is information that your body needs to constantly rebuild itself. We are all made up of mostly water, it is the most important substance we put in our body.

BLUE WATER CLUSTER painting was inspired by this knowledge.  This painting illustrates the beauty of the structure of water, our most valuable substance to life on earth.

If you want to learn more about water, its structure and its impact on life, look up Dr. Gerald Pollack, Viktor Schauberger, and the amazing studies of Dr. Masaru Emoto, that show the effect that thoughts and feelings have on water crystals.

As an artist I notice patterns, compositions, and light.  Nature has very specific patterns that are consistent in the very small and very large scales. This applies to water structure as well as everything else.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the inspiration behind this painting.  If you have any thoughts on water, leave a comment below.  Would love to hear some feedback.

Also, below is a fascinating video that shows how words and frequencies can change water (as seen under a microscope), based on Dr. Emoto’s studies.  Check it out!

Life is Good, Drew

PS:  BLUE WATER CLUSTER original painting is available. Also, we are making available print reproductions on canvas.  To inquire, call Maria at 949-678-8133.

Drew Brophy
Artist, illustrator, surfer

25 Feb

Posted at 22:02h in Behind the Scenes..., Painting Story by
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Maria and Drew Brophy Sacred Geometry Fine artMost of you know me for my surf art.  These past few years I’ve been painting sacred geometry themes.

I want to explain why and where I’m going with it. I also am excited to show you my latest series, which I exhibited last week at The Conscious Life Expo.

I started working on these paintings a year ago (you can see all of them in the Gallery here) and finally finished them the night before we did the installation at the expo.

I want to share the meaning behind each piece with you, so I’m going to send you one newsletter for each painting with its description, over the next few weeks.

But first, how I got into this new work:

WHY SACRED GEOMETRY AND HOW IT’S TIED INTO TO MY SURF ART:

Since I was a kid I have always been fascinated with Nature,  playing in the forest and surfing on the seashore.

My love of surfing gave me a deep connection to the vibration of the earth and the waves.

As a surfer I have had the privilege of chasing waves to some the most beautiful places on earth, fulfilling the dreams I had in my youth.

Every surfer becomes an amateur meteorologist, chasing storms around the globe in the hope of finding these waves. This of course has been the inspiration for my art for the past 30 years.

There is one thing present in almost every painting of mine; the sun and the waves.

This new series of paintings “Exploring Sacred Geometry” is simply an extension of my interest in the sun and the waves.

As an artist I notice patterns, compositions, and light. Nature has very specific patterns that are consistent in the very small and very large scales. I would see them in the waves and all of nature.

I began  studying the sun to understand how it affects us and our weather. That led me to planetary physics, then on to astrophysics and quantum physics.  I’ve been driven to learn as much as I can and I study these subjects daily.

I feel the best way for me to understand complex ideas is to paint them.The concepts that I have learned have helped me to better understand how everything works.

My plan is to continue to grow as an artist and articulate these ideas for others to learn and enjoy.

Don’t worry, I will continue to do my surf paintings, but I want everyone to know that I have so  much more to share as an artist.

Thanks for being a part of this journey, Maria and I appreciate it!

Life is Good, Drew

Drew Brophy
Artist, illustrator, surfer
PS:  ALL OF these paintings are available for purchase. Also, all are available in canvas print reproductions.  Text or call Maria at 949-678-8133 for details.

SEE VIDEO SLIDE SHOW:

29 Dec

Posted at 13:56h in Behind the Scenes..., Murals, Painting Story by
51 Likes
A LIFE WELL LIVED - Drew Brophy Sacred Geometry Mural Painting for Keen

Click on the photo to blow it up!

Every painting tells a story.  Often my art reflects the current events in my life and my interpretation of the way I see the world.

This painting began as mural project for Keen.  It is painted on 9 Fredrix Canvas gallery-wrap panels, six feet tall and 18 feet long.  I painted it live during Keenfest in Salt Lake City Utah summer of 2014.

I have worked with Keen for many years. They are so much more than a shoe company, they are people striving to do everything better.  Their enthusiasm is infectious, they truly inspire me to be more adventurous and their ideals push me to be better at everything I do.

When designing the painting, I began thinking of all the places that Keen shoes take people.  I also thought about how these forward thinking people affected others and the world around them.

I quickly realized that this was not about shoes but was about getting out into nature, doing things to the best of your ability for the benefit of everyone, and the connection to each other and the environment.

This was a tall order so I started drawing circles.Mural-sketch-drew-brophy-art-keen painting circles flower of life vesica pisces

The circles slowly began to take shape into a Flower of Life Pattern, this process was hypnotic, and I began to think of what a gift it is to be born into this beautiful world full of possibilities.

I love the water and I love surfing, all life contains water.  We are 90% water, we are the clouds, seeds of information coded for life, from the joining of two circles, creates space for a third within the vesica piscis, love is transformed into a new child of the earth.  Like butterflies emerging from cocoons.

We are all Miracles searching for new experiences, we are the rain that nourishes all life.

BOY on the Beach _ALifeWellLived_-drew-brophy-mural art-painting-keenfest-sacred-geometryThe boy on the beach represents the time when we are young, everything is amazing and new, we are constantly curious, and fearless. This is one the most amazing periods of life, I tell my kids not to be in hurry to grow up, just enjoy each age to the fullest. Enjoy all of your firsts.

When we begin our path in life we play, we grow, and we begin to realize that experiences and interaction with others are everything.

Knowledge comes from constantly pushing into the unknown and understanding that there is always something new and more to learn.  The trick is to know what you really want, where do you want to go, what makes you feel good?

We are the streams and rivers flowing across the earth, we are meant to be free. We want to flow towards the things that feel good and avoid the things that feel bad.  It is a constant flow, like time, always moving towards the ocean where we all began.

Hopefully with enough experiences and time you will arrive at place of interconnected reality, you realize we are only here to enjoy the ride.

Reality is being fully present and it lies in the expansion of our experiences and thoughts with others.  It is the discovery that there is no separation, everything is connected, and we are all deeply rooted in the fabric of everything.

This is represented by the man in the center doing a yoga tree pose. This is also the understanding of who we really are.

A Life Well Lived Drew Brophy painting itWe are liquid light at one with nature beyond our physical body. This is represented by the Merkabah, the conduit which your life force exists in this world, this invisible energy flows  through the Flower of Life Pattern into everything it scales infinitely  larger and smaller.

In this is the understanding everything is a vibration of energy, manifesting matter in five combinations of shapes, called the platonic solids.  These shapes make up all elements of matter which consists of almost entirely empty space.

With this understanding everything becomes only thought which is manifesting everything.

What seems so complex is simple, everything is control over your thoughts and desire.  It is the power of creativity, we are all creators of our reality.  This is the knowledge to teach your children.

You are what you think, anything is possible, life is to be enjoyed, and we are all connected as one. 

As time moves forward everything is in a state of renewal and transformation.

The fire and Lava represent this as the cycle of light turns to dark. The darkness and its creatures represent the path of loneliness of a lost soul who has become disconnected and alone.  If he only knew to fall back into the flow where there is nothing to fear and only love.

Salmon spend their last days swimming upstream to the place of their birth. They lay their eggs in the hopes that their offspring will live on, thus continuing the cycle.  Connected souls have no fear they will give everything to others and in so they will live on in their thoughts forever.

Saturn represents the unknown, and all that is left to be learned in an ever-expanding universe. There will always be more that you wanted to see and do.

It is the thought of what you did do throughout your life that counts.

The owl represents Wisdom; even in the darkness he sees joy and Love and he has the sense to follow it and flow with it.  This is your path and your time.

In the end, when it’s time to return to the light, have no fear, look back on a life well lived.  Smile upon the cherished memories of your experiences with all that you loved on this earth.  Take joy in all that you gave of yourself to others in kindness. Your hopes, dreams, and example live on within them.

This painting was heavily influenced by the loss of my father.  He is the one entering the light, I am in the middle seeing my childhood and my death, and my son stands on the beach, with his entire life in front of him.

When I think of my dad, I think of all that he gave me, I think of all the memories.

In the end that’s all that is left, experiences of shared time together. His life was well lived, he is loved. He lives on in me and my son. It is the cycle life.   He took his last breaths on this earth with my Mother and all of his children holding him with love, we escorted him to the other side, and he was not alone.

I hope this painting inspires people to live life to its fullest.  I hope it inspires them to be the best people they can be.

I also hope it reminds everyone just how lucky they are to be here.

Dedicated to Thomas Alphonsus Brophy, Best dad ever!

Life is Good – Drew
Drew-Brophy-Mural-painting-art A Life WEll Lived Keenfest

Drew-Brophy-mural-art-painting-keenfest photo by David Munk A Life WEll Lived PaintingDrew Brophy Sacred Geometry painting at Conscious Life Expo 2015 Art

 

03 Oct

Posted at 15:40h in Behind the Scenes..., Painting Story by
16 Likes

Some artists can’t let go of their art.  I know of one who has a storage room full of beautiful art, but can’t bring herself to let them go; she says they are too much a part of her.

For me, moving out the finished work makes room for the new.

I love when a painting finds a good home, like children you do not want to see them leave but you have to let them go out into the world and bring joy to others.

This painting, called PLATONIC SOLIDS, sold to a new collector who just happened to stop into my studio when she was passing by.  She said “I felt it’s energy immediately when I walked into the room!”

Maria and I delivered it to Carole’s home and installed it for her.  She was beaming with joy when we left her with her new art.

By letting go of these pieces and allowing them to live somewhere else, they are able to connect with more people and spread inspiration and joy.

The meaning behind PLATONIC SOLIDS painting:

This painting is one of a series of Sacred Geometry art that I worked on last spring; it all was heavily influenced by my passion for physics and how it relates to nature.

Years ago I began studying physics and Unified Field Theory.  Later I became a student of  Nassim Haramein’s Resonance Academy, and then was inspired to paint sacred geometry to help visually illustrate the physical concepts I was learning.

I’m still in an experimental phase of this; I’m trying to understand it all and make it easy for others to understand through the art.

It has been said that viewing sacred geometry art can raise your vibration and generate an inner peace.  I have experienced that myself.

The Platonic Solids are five three-dimensional shapes with amazing properties of symmetry; they are the Tetrahedron, Cube, Octahedron, Dodecahedron, and Icosahedron.  All matter structures itself in specific shapes; these are the building blocks of all-that-is.

You find these shapes everywhere throughout nature; simple, balanced and perfect.  

This painting was first created to be used for a line of yoga mats.  Now I’m making fine art prints of it, because it’s been hitting a cord with so many people.

Do you feel the energy of the painting, too?  Reply in the comments and let me know.

Life is good – Drew

Drew Brophy
Artist, illustrator, surfer
P.S.  IF you’re into Sacred Geometry, please sign up for my Sacred Geometry Newsletter today!
Follow my postings on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DrewBrophyArt

Or on Instagram:  https://instagram.com/drewbrophy/

23 Jul

Posted at 06:14h in Behind the Scenes..., Painting Story by
17 Likes

Sublime-with-Rome-Album-Sirens-cd-cover-art-by-Drew-Brophy-2015Photo: Sublime with Rome Sirens Album Cover Art

In 1996 Sublime’s music was a big part of my life.  That was the year when my life  as an artist changed dramatically; I had just moved to California from Hawaii and was painting surfboards for Lost.  It’s also the year that I met Maria.

At that time, Bradley Nowell’s lyrics and music impacted all of us; at our parties Maria would play Sublime’s self titled CD over and over again.

That’s why we were so stoked when Maria got a call from Sublime with Rome’s record company in May.  They asked if I would want to create the art for their new album.   She said “Hell Yeah!”

I’ve always been a fan of Opie Ortiz, the artist who created art for Sublime’s albums, including his iconic burning sun for the 40 oz. to Freedom album.   That art will live on forever.

It felt good to know that my work has progressed enough to be in the same company and to be able to work with talented people like SWR’s Eric Wilson, Josh Freese and Rome Ramirez.

We had a super tight deadline, I had only 10 days to get it done.  Sometimes deadlines force you to do your best work.

Sublime with Rome Original Artwork for SIRENS album in Drew Brophy Art StudioI wanted the art to be authentic.   I spent a lot of time on the phone with Rome, feeling him out, picking up the vibe and listening.  One of the things I’m really good at is soaking up someone’s energy and then putting it into the art.   Rome’s whole spin-off was about sirens going off; the world’s a crazy place.  I had to put that into the art somehow.

I listened to the new album for inspiration.  It helped me come up with ideas for the art.  No doubt we’ll be listening to these songs for years to come, they are so good.  One fan of SWR said it best about Rome continuing the music that inspired so many – read that at the bottom of this post.

After gathering my ideas, I drew my first concept sketch and sent it to the band for feedback.  Rome e-mailed me back with “WTF! You’re killing it!”Sublime CD Album Art Sketch by Drew Brophy

We nailed it on the first sketch.  It’s cool when projects go down like that; it just kind of happens, no dragging on.  I started the painting right away.

I painted two 36” x 36” paintings on canvas; one with the art and one with the hand-drawn lettering.  That way I could use the artwork, without the lettering, for limited edition art prints.  The band agreed to sign 100 of the art prints for me, which is awesome.

THE ARTWORK:  (Click here to see in-progress photos of the work or watch the video of it being painted here)

There’s a lot of elements in the art and each piece has meaning to it.  Here’s just a few:

The little skeleton guy; I pictured the old WWII air raids when they had to crank the siren.

The mushroom is a spin-off of Opie’s mushroom from the original Sublime art.

The heart represents Rome singing his heart and soul out on the stage.

The depiction of Long Beach is the pile of rubble they’re sitting on.  It’s getting ready to be hammered by a giant wave.  There’s an off-ramp to the 710 freeway to LA, which is shaking as a big earthquake comes through.  The cop car in pieces is all that’s left of the cops.

The sexy siren is an omen, a ghostly premonition.

The psycho garibaldi fish is a throw-back to the Bad Fish lyrics.  I’ve been drawing this fish forever and wanted to include it.

There’s a tribute to Bradley in there, I’ll leave that up to the viewer to figure out what it is.  (Share in the comments what you think it is.)

This painting came together quick and easy, it just flowed.  I’m happy with how it turned out, I hope everyone else is, too.

The new album is called SIRENS, it released on July 17th.  You can buy it here.

Josh Freese Rome Ramirez siging Drew Brophy Art Prints Sublime with Rome Sirens artwork

Rome Ramirez and Josh Freese, signing 100 art prints

Also, there are limited edition prints of the artwork available; 100 of them are signed by the band members.  You can order them here while they last!

Life is Good,

Drew

Sublime with Rome and Drew Brophy photo by Jonie Millhouse July 2015

Sublime with Rome’s Rome Ramirez, Eric Wilson and Josh Freese Photo by Jonie Millhouse

 

 

 

 

Sublime and SWR fan Fan Manny Gonzales said it best (on a Facebook comment on Rome’s FB Page):

“Sublime is my all time favorite band. All the music that Brad created with Bud and Eric will forever be entwined with my soul. I know every word to every song that they made. If it wasn’t for Sublime, I would be lost in a dark abyss of depression self loathing.

Thanks to Brad I know what it’s like to be waiting for my ruca, I know that loving is what I got and for motherf**kers to remember that, and if I’m drunk by noon it’s ok, cuz I’ll be president someday. But sadly I was never able to see Brad perform live.  

And I never dreamed I would be able to hear his music come to life on stage. Until you (Rome) came along.

I have had the privilege of attending two of the Sublime with Rome concerts in El Paso. And they were both amazing!
Now I’m glad to say that thanks to you if been able to tell a girl to take it or leave it, I understand that lovers change like the seasons, and my world is a little bit safer. I can’t wait for the new album to drop, I already pre-ordered it. I just hope you know, Bradley would be proud. Keep up the good work man. Much love from the biggest Sublime fan I know.
P.S. I know every word to your songs too “

Video below shows the drawing and painting of the artwork:

Drew Brophy painting Sublime with Rome Album Cover May 2015

01 Dec

Posted at 15:33h in Behind the Scenes..., Painting Story by
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FLOWER OF LIFE by Drew Brophy 2014 Sacred Surfboard SeriesSACRED SURFBOARDS VINTAGE SURFBOARD RE-PURPOSE PROJECT – Re-purposed 1970’s Classic Surfboards, painted using old-school airbrush techniques; mint condition, collectible, limited edition pieces of art and craftsmanship.  (Email info@drewbrophy.com for pricing.)

One of my most fun projects this year was painting six vintage, re-purposed surfboards brought to me by collector Jeff Eilers.  (SEE PHOTO SLIDE SHOW AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST, OF ALL THE SURFBOARDS.)

Jeff and his business partner, Erwin Spitz, had the idea to breathe new life into vintage, worn-out-beyond-repair surfboards, creating up-cycled pieces of art.

Jeff and Erwin have a process where they skin the fiberglass from old boards, repair the dings in the foam, and gently clean up the original shape.  For some of the boards, they even enlisted the glassing expertise of master shaper, glasser and artist Roger Hinds of Seal, Beach, CA.

It is an extreme amount of work to repair them but in the end they came out so well that they wanted to do something extra special with them.  Jeff and Erwin had a vision for these boards to reflect the time period they originally came from, the glory days of surfing during the late sixties and early seventies.

In the 1970’s I was just a little kid introduced to surfing for the first time, so my art has been greatly influenced by artists of that era.

With my recent studies of sacred geometry, I was excited to get my hands on these boards and explore what I could do with these new concepts.

Many people do not know that I got my start as an artist painting production surfboards in factories for some of the best surfboard makers in the world.

In those early years I had to master the craft of spraying boards with air guns and airbrushes.  It is a more technical job than artistic and in some ways very limiting.  I wanted to express my art more fully, and so I found a better way to paint surfboards by developing techniques using water based paint pens on top of glassed surfboards.

I soon became known for bringing a new style of painting to the surfboard market which was painting on the glass by hand with Uni Posca paint pens.  It changed the way surfboards were painted forever.  These techniques allowed me more creativity and gave others the ability to paint their own surfboards as well.

All of these years later, with the knowledge of tens of thousands of boards painted in every way possible, I was excited to revisit and improve upon my own airbrushing style.

This surfboard project was the perfect catalyst to do something really special, up-cycle old surfboards and turn them into a true collectible piece of art.  Cool old surfboards grace the ceilings of surf shops and surfers’ garages all over, but what about the ones that are just too beat up and ugly to care about?

Using all of my years of experience, I committed myself to painting something authentic and over the top for this project.  I created hand-made stencils for every board, incorporating symbols that speak to me these days; such as sacred geometry, chakras, om, yin-yang and the flower of life.

The boards are now completely re-purposed, in mint condition.

All six of these Sacred Surfboards turned out amazing; they came out better then we even dreamed of.  Each one tells a story and is reborn as a unique example of craftsmanship and art that will live on.

The first 6 of the series are released for sale today; if you are interested in adding a Sacred Surfboard to your vintage surfboard collection, email info@drewbrophy.com for pricing, or call 949-678-8133.

Please, let me know what you think of the art in the comments below.

Life is Good – Drew

SEE ALL PHOTOS OF SURFBOARDS HERE:  Sacred Surfboard Art Surfboards

30 May

Posted at 09:09h in Behind the Scenes..., Painting Story by
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Scott SMallin photo of his Drew Brophy SATURN CUBES painting April 2014SATURN CUBES 36” x 24” mixed media on canvas.

This was painted for South Carolina photographer Scott Smallin.

We hire Scott to photograph my projects when we are in the South.  As a thank you for the excellent work he does, I offered to create an original painting for him.

Scott said that he wanted a robot destroying a city  I pondered this idea, of a robot destroying a city, with a mushroom cloud or transformers.  But that didn’t feel right to me.

So I asked myself “What is something that is real that is destroying the world?  What if there is an ideaology and a secret that is really destroying it?

I took this idea deeper.

The painting shows the battle between good and evil, with many symbols; the robot is a black cube, controlling all of the material world, spreading evil until it self-destructs into a mushroom cloud.

It’s the death of the material world, which ultimately has no effect on the spiritual world.  The spiritual world has infinite power for good.

The water represents good extinguishing evil. This painting is about the battle over information throughout time; it is about control over the information of who we really are.

The light beings show that we are pure energy. Our hearts are the engine that makes the electrical connection to everything.  It’s what holds us here in space and time. 

My passion is in ancient cultures.  I study that along with sacred geometry and the meaning behind ancient symbols and new theories in physics.

The reason I chose Saturn and the Cubes as evil, is because my research shows that this is something that people in the ancient worlds were worshipping.  They couldn’t even see Saturn; how did they know it was there?

The reason the symbol is a cube is because there is a cube shape on the Northern pole of Saturn.

Another ancient symbol is the ring of Saturn; some speculate that the “all seeing eye” is what Saturn looks like during an eclipse.  They said that Saturn is the timekeeper and that you’re trapped in a prison of time and space.

I view the world differently than most people.  Some don’t want to see it the way I do, because it’s scary.

We are born into a system that is controlled by power and greed and information.  The average person has a very hard time bucking the system.  Essentially, we are all born a slave.  Most people that are a part of the system don’t even realize that they are. 

Some people don’t know that they don’t have to do what they are doing.  They don’t have to live where they grew up; they can leave!  They don’t have to keep that job they hate; they can quit.  They don’t have to do anything that is toxic to them.

I believe that in ancient times we had it right; people knew how to live with joy and happiness.  At some point we lost that and the darkness came.

Now, things are changing again.  I see people waking up and rediscovering what’s really important and who they really are.

The world is experiencing a positive transformation right now.  I see it in myself, too.

Life is Good,

Drew

PS:  You can buy a print reproduction on canvas of this piece – go to http://store.drewbrophy.com/saturn-cubes-giclee-canvas-print-36-x-24/ to order.