MISSION/SCOPE OF WORK: Design a painting on a fine art surfboard for Tag Heuer’s first California retail store in South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, CA. Paint it LIVE during their grand opening V.I.P. event with their special guest, surfer Kai Lenny. Celebrate the store opening and the Tag Heuer Surf Watch. The painting should capture the lifestyle of surfing and the brand, incorporating their surfing brand ambassador Kai Lenny.
Drew Brophy says: “I incorporated many disciplines into this surfboard painting. This special piece was hand-made by shaper Chris Christenson and hand painted using mixed media by Drew. Kai even added a little paint to it during the live event.” (See other surfboards by Drew HERE.)
RESULTS: A memorable live painting event at the grand opening and an iconic art piece that now is proudly displayed on the wall at the Tag Heuer Costa Mesa, CA store.
Please join us the last weekend of October 2018 for a very special presentation of Drew Brophy’s 30-year art career in a retrospective exhibit.
Included are the artist’s most iconic paintings on both canvas and surfboards —among them Pure Joy (2001), Sunrise (2006), and celebrated surfboard triptychs from the 1990’s.
Also exhibited will be Brophy’s art on skateboards, wakeboards and apparel, and the accompanying paintings that were used to design them.
Brophy’s career as an illustrator and painter comes full circle in this exhibition, showing his progression as an artist from a young teen to the present day.
This unique exhibit traveled across the country from its original host, Myrtle Beach Art Museum, to San Clemente, California. It includes over 50 original paintings and artworks, including some of Brophy’s most iconic pieces that were loaned by collectors for this exhibit.
The exhibit begins with some of Drew’s earliest sketches and paintings and continues through his surfboard painting explosion in the 1990s to his most recent “sacred geometry” body of work inspired by the mathematic and physic discoveries of ancient cultures.
Along with the exhibit, Drew Brophy is releasing his new book titled PAINTING SURFBOARDS AND CHASING WAVES.
Copies of the book and artwork will be available for purchase and all will be signed by Drew himself. (If you cannot attend, you can order the book from Amazon HERE.)
Join us for this one-time only event and book signing!
All tours and live events are FREE and open to the public. Call the Brophy Art Gallery in San Clemente, California at 949-678-8133 with questions.
EVENT DETAILS:
LOCATION:
Brophy Art Gallery, 139 Avenida Granada, San Clemente, CA 92672 Phone: 949-678-8133
Saturday October 27th 2018 open from 12 p.m – 7 p.m.
Artist led tours at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Sunday October 28th 2018 open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Artist live Posca surfboard painting demo at 11 a.m.
Artist led tour at 2 p.m.
All events are FREE. Books and artwork available for purchase.
You can paint anything with water based paint pens!
Learn Drew Brophy’s tried and true Uni Posca Paint Pen Techniques in this hands-on workshop.
Drew has earned a good living as an artist for over 30 years, using the medium of opaque, water-based paint pens made by Uni Posca. He has painted surfboards, skateboards, motorcycles, guitars, canvas, just about everything, with this medium.
UNI POSCAS offer a quick learning curve; it’s an easy, un-intimidating method of painting. Artists who try it fall in love with the possibilities of this medium.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
This is a full day workshop, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break in between. (Lunch is on your own – there are many places to eat within walking distance of the workshop.) WORKSHOP IS ONLY OPEN TO TEN PEOPLE.
All painting supplies will be provided, all you need to bring is your imagination and your sketchbook (optional)!
You will begin and finish a painting in this workshop, regardless of your experience level. In one day, you will learn Drew’s most impactful techniques, including HOW TO:
Prepare your painting surfaces
Create the perfect composition
Design color schemes
Blend the colors
Use Drew’s color blending combinations
Properly seal your art on various surfaces
Earn money $$ using these painting techniques
This is a rare opportunity for artists to spend time with Drew on a personal level. This is his first hands-on private workshop in years.
Drew will welcome questions during the workshop about the business of art and will freely share what has worked for him as a professional artist for over 30 years.
WHEN: January 27th, 2018, SATURDAY, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Brophy Art Gallery and Design Studio, 139 Avenida Granada, San Clemente, CA 92672
2 – Call Maria Brophy at 949-678-8133 with a credit card number.
3 – Send payment in the amount of $275.00 via Paypal to mariab@drewbrophy.com – include your name and phone number in the comments section of the payment form on Paypal.
THIS WORKSHOP IS FOR YOU IF YOU FALL UNDER ONE OF THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
You are an artist who has mastered other mediums and want to try something new to get your creative juices flowing, or;
You have never painted before, and want an easy-to-use medium to begin your endeavors as an artist, or;
You have been using water based paint pens as a medium but want to up-level your skills, or;
You have never tried the paint pens, but you want to learn.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WORKSHOP? Email mariab@drewbrophy.com or call 949-678-8133.
IMPORTANT: Sign up quick – class is limited to ONLY 10 artists!
*Please note some of our links lead to affiliate sites where we may earn a small commission if you purchase from our links*
It’s tough to spend most of my life working to be known as a surf artist and then to make a complete change in style and subject matter.
It’s like starting all over again. But I’m not afraid of change.
Some of you have followed my work for decades. Most of you love the ocean and the idea of living a carefree lifestyle, and that’s what pulled you into my work.
I’ve paintedsurf inspired art for decades and now have transitioned into mynew style which incorporates energy, physics and mathematics.
But if you break down the surf art and the sacred geometry art, it’s actually not very different.
Both depict the awesome energy of nature and the essence of what it means to live a life well lived. They just show it in different ways.
Many of you are embracing the explorations I’m making but some look at my newer works with confusion.
Regardless of which camp you fall into, I appreciate you sticking by me on this journey. If I can lead you into some thought provoking ideas, even if you don’t resonate with them, I’ve done my job as an artist.
Below is an article I wrote for Awakenings Magazine this month. It explains why ancient symbols are a great fascination and why more and more people are diving into their meaning. I hope you enjoy it.
I would love to hear your take on these ideas – please leave a comment on this blog post with your thoughts – I read every comment and appreciate the feedback.
Life is good – Drew
Ancient Wisdom-Modern Art: Thought, Symbols and Concepts by Artist Drew Brophy
Article printed in Awakenings Magazine Feb/March 2017 Issue
There are timeless symbols that we are all familiar with, such as the cross, the Star of David, the vesica pisces and yin and yang. We see these symbols all the time, yet many don’t know their true meaning.
Many of these symbols originate from a time when people had a deep understanding of the way the Universe works, an understanding that we lost a long time ago.
The symbols that ancient artists created were describing ideas that they understood and wanted us to remember. But, it seems that over time people lost the true meanings and for the past few thousand years we have been rediscovering the truth.
Archimedes, Pythagoras, Plato, Da Vinci, Newton, Tesla, all were great thinkers who have led us back to discovering our true potential. I feel as an artist I am at the crossroads where art, math, and science meet.
We tend to think that everyone sees the world as we do, but most are missing the magnificence of what’s happening around us.
I love nature and surfing and this is where my journey began. I could always sense the subtle energy happening around me, capturing the natural patterns that make up our world.
A surfer becomes part of the rhythm of the sea, riding waves of energy created by storms that traveled from far across the globe. It is astounding that humans can navigate this massive amount of energy creating an experience that can only be described as pure joy.
Surfing led me to studying meteorology and the science of what makes these magical waves that I love to ride. I wanted to know more about what influences the weather and began studying solar dynamics and planetary physics, and that’s when I had an AHA moment that changed my view of everything.
The concepts I learned describe forces that we mostly cannot see but that affects matter that we can see every day. You can call these forces prana, ether, firmament, space, or energy. The Universe is obviously working in a very organized system.
That led me to studying theoretical physics and as I explored the ideas my artistic mind began to imagine the very difficult concepts being discussed. It led me to symbols, geometry, and mathematics. These are languages that we use to describe our world and how it works, and they are beautiful.
An Artist’s job is to expose these beautiful ideas and articulate them into a medium which others can understand.
My paintings are an attempt to understand the information that has been passed down for us.
It is strangely familiar to me. I’ve become more curious; what can we learn about ancient symbols, geometry, and mathematics, through art?
Maybe we will remember something mankind once knew and has long forgotten.
I feel we are ready and it is happening.
I’ve created a series of paintings that are inspired by sacred geometry and ancient symbols, view them here.
Sacred geometry is woven through all-that-is. It is the invisible architecture of creation. It raises our vibration and touches a deep chord in our soul’s memory.
This ancient language describes a definite order of physics; how everything works. When we understand how it all works, we have the tools we need to become extraordinary.
Greater understanding allows us to tap into the power of, and to be in harmony with, the Universe.
Drew Brophy has created a series of paintings to visually prompt a rediscovery of this ancient language.
Join us on this journey at Awakenings on March 18 for a casual discussion of these ideas and an exhibit of the artwork that is inspired by them.
All paintings on exhibit will be available for purchase that evening.
WHAT: Exploring Sacred Geometry & Ancient Symbols – an Art Exhibit and Discussion with Drew Brophy
WHERE: Awakenings Conference Center, 25260 La Paz Road, Suite D, Laguna Hills, CA 92653 949-457-0797
WHEN: Saturday, March 18, 2017 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
WHAT TO EXPECT: An art exhibit of Drew Brophy’s work inspired by sacred geometry and ancient symbols and a casual discussion about the where these symbols originated and what we can learn from them. All paintings are available to purchase and take home that evening.
QUESTIONS: Text or call Drew Brophy Studios at 949-678-8133 or Call Awakenings at 949-457-0797
“Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.” E.O. Wilson
The Singing Schrooms is painted on a 36″x24″ canvas, using mixed media.
Scroll down in this post to see a live video of me painting this art piece.
Singing Schrooms is one of three illustrations I created for a concert tour poster for Sublime with Rome and Dirty Heads, sponsored by Magical Butter Machine.
The idea for this painting was inspired by my fascination for nature.
Sometimes I look at mushrooms and they look so happy and I was imagining a bunch of them singing.
Then, somehow as I painted, the singing mushrooms took on a life of their own and wound up looking like the three band members of Sublime with Rome; Rome Rarmirez, Josh Freeze and Eric Wilson. It’s probably because I was listening to their new album, Sirens, while painting.
Would love to see this painting go to a good home. It was recently exhibited at The Edibles Awards in Los Angeles and is now released to the public.
As an artist, you always want to see your best work printed on things.
Unfortunately, most of the retailers these days are ultra conservative and are reluctant to print some of my best images, because they are too “edgy.”
But not this time – I’m happy to announce that I have teamed up with Head Case to print some of my best and favorite images on cell phone cases and wallets.
Their cases are priced really well – you can see all of my designs here:
If you do order your Brophy Head Case, let me know in the comments below. It will make me happy to know that some of you like it enough to put on your phone!
If I’m not on tour , I’m in nature somewhere, usually some kind of ocean. It’s a tremendous opportunity to be able to spend your life being surrounded by nature.” Eddie Vedder
As huge Pearl Jam fans, Drew and I were so excited when Eddie Vedder’s people called to have Drew create the artwork for Eddie’s new live event, the Ohana Festival in Dana Point (happening this weekend).
Eddie liked the work that Drew did years ago on the Pipemasters’ surfing contest poster, and so he wanted Drew to be the guy to create his Ohana Festival art.
The Ohana Festival is probably the biggest thing to happen to this little area in a long time – it’s a two day event with a great musical lineup, including Eddie Vedder himself, Lana Del Rey, Mudhoney, Elvis Costello, and so much more!
The artwork was designed to capture the essence of being at the beach with your family, in its simplest form. The beaches in this area are beautiful and special, and we need to treasure it.
Proceeds from this event will benefit the San Onofre Foundation, a small group of people who work hard to preserve the San Clemente state beaches and parks; San Onofre State Beach, all of Trestles, and miles and miles of natural trails, which hosts thousands of surfers and nature lovers every day. The San Mateo Creek watershed, located at Trestles, is the last intact water shed in Southern California. It connects Trestles to the Cleveland National Forest; basically connecting the beach to the mountains! These are areas that need to be preserved and treasured; a natural link from the ocean to the mountains. It’s only fitting that Eddie Vedder cares about these surfing beaches; he’s a surfer and a nature lover himself.
Ohana Festival includes an exclusive Luau and auction Friday night, presented by Eddie Vedder and Kelly Slater, with proceeds going to the San Onofre Foundation. Drew will have several art pieces in the auction, including the original artwork painted for the Ohana Festival. Drew and I both will be there.
OHANA FEST IS THIS WEEKEND! It’s not too late to get your tickets – we will be there with our kids. Hope to see you there!
OHANA ARTWORK CAN BE YOURS – NEW RELEASE AS A LIMITED EDITION
Drew has released this artwork as a limited edition print on canvas in two different sizes (see here).
If you opt for embellishment, Drew will hand-paint your family name in the sand on the bottom of the art piece. (See this video on Facebookof Drew embellishing a print with a family name on it.)
Are you going to Ohana Festival this weekend? Leave a comment on the blog and let us know, we’ll look for you there!
Maria (for Drew)*If you have any questions, feel free to call me 949-678-8133.
THE MEANING OF ‘OHANA: The word ʻohana means “family” in the Hawaiian language, but in a much wider sense, to include not only one’s closer relatives, but also one’s cousins, in-laws, friends, race, and other neighbors.
But a quote from the cartoon movie, Lilo and Stich, has an even better definition of Ohana that helps you to feel what the word really conveys: “Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind… or forgotten.”
In 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!
All living things possess the magical ingredient called water, making it the most important substance to life on earth
ANNOUNCING: Release of METATRON’S CUBE art on premium Italian glass water bottles. (And a FREE PINT GLASS if you order this week!)
My Water Gallery produces glass water bottles that beautifully displays the artwork of Wyland and Guy Harvey. So I was very excited when Kenny Laskan, Water Gallery owner, asked to license my art as well.
I love having a way to showcase my best work on a quality, premium product.
Metatron’s Cube is one of my favorite paintings for so many reasons. (Keep reading for the meaning behind it.)
But first, I want you, my readers, to get your free pint glass that My Water Gallery is giving away to the first 100 people who order a bottle!
If you pre-order my glass bottles this week, you’ll get a free pint glass(shown to your right).
There are only 100 pint glasses though, so place your order quick.
NOTE: If you like Sacred Geometry Art, please sign up to be on my Sacred Geometry art newsletter, here.
ABOUT METATRON’S CUBE ART:
The art on the bottle is printed from my original painting titled Metatron’s Cube. It is mixed media on gallery wrapped canvas 60″ x 30″ and currently hangs in my home. (Prints are available here.)
Some say that just viewing sacred geometry artwork will raise your inner vibration, creating more inner peace, joy and love for your life. I think this is one of the reasons I love painting it so much. The higher your vibration, the greater your joy and all good things come from that.
As a surfer, I’ve been strongly pulled to create sacred geometry art, as it visually demonstrates a deeper understanding of what connects us all to nature and the physical universe.
Metatron’s cube is a three-dimensional shape created from the center points of the thirteen circles of the Fruit of Life, which is created from the Flower of Life pattern, which is found in all living things. Water molecules structure themselves in this same pattern.
Within Metatron’s Cube contains the blueprints of the five platonic solids; these are the building blocks of all matter. This shape beautifully visualizes the simplicity of our universe, scaling infinitely larger and smaller.
From my studies of water and how it’s structured, I’ve come to understand thatall living things possess the magical ingredient called water, making it the most important substance to life on earth. It rises to the sky soaking in the sun’s rays, it rains down upon the earth on the mountains where it collects information as it travels through streams and rivers on its way to the sea. Water cleanses itself in a natural cycle of change.
Electromagnetic information given off by the sun’s rays and the earth’s minerals is vital information which are the building blocks of life, and are carried in the molecular structures of water. These beautiful, complex structures, as seen in snowflakes, are the recordings of all-that-is and ever was.
It is crucial that we are mindful with how we use water, how we care for it and how we consume it, using integrity and great care.
I know, this is deep stuff, but it’s what I am contemplating most of the time.
About the bottles:
They are premium Italian glass water bottles with my art hand-applied, with natural inks and dyes, in the U.S. Made and distributed by My Water Gallery. Three % of the sale of each item goes to my chosen charity, Waves for Water.
ORDER YOUR OWN UNIQUE METATRON’S CUBE WATER BOTTLE AND GET A FREE PINT GLASS, HERE.
HOW WE QUIT SINGLE-USE WATER BOTTLES:
As I mentioned in my last post, a few years ago my family and I swore off single-use plastic water bottles. The decision to never again buy a bottled water came after we watched this amazing video called “The Story of Bottled Water.” (Watch this one with your kids)
I received a lot of emails from people, asking me “how do you get by without buying water bottles.” So I thought I’d share the answers with you.
We only drink from refillable bottles and take them everywhere we go. We bought a reverse-osmosis filter for our kitchen sink and we fill up from there.
In 4 years I estimate that by not buying them, we have prevented 5,000+ plastic bottles from going into landfills.
We did it for our health and for the environment. (Plastic leaches into your water, which is harmful to your body, and plastic does not break down in landfills.)
You would think it could be hard to never buy another bottled water again, but it’s easy if you plan ahead.
One habit that has made it easy for us to never have to buy a plastic water bottles is to keep a 5 gallon jug of drinking water in the van at all times, along with refillable drinking containers. That way we always have water on the road with us.
What do you think of the Metatron’s Cube water bottle? What do you like about the design?
And do you store water and drink from a glass water bottle?
Respond in the comments below and let me know. Also, if you have any tips on how to cut back on single-use bottles, share that, too.
As always, thanks for allowing me to keep in touch.
