Drew painting live at San O State Beach. Photo by Jonie Photo.
During Drew’s 6 day WHAT IS SURFING Mural painting around town in San Clemente, he asked people to write down what surfing is to them.
Here are some of the answers people wrote:
WHAT IS SURFING?
Drew surfing San Clemente Pier. Photo by Denise Collinske
Surfing = The closest you can get to heaven, flying between ocean & air. Caitlin F. at Pier (she won our Day 1 Drawing)
Relaxes my mind, like Soul Cleansing. Ken L at San O
Surfing is my passion (keeps me off the streets a& outta jail!) That’s been my motto since 14. J.O. at the Pier
Surfing is losing yourself and being free. In San Clemente, the most beautifully chilled place I’ve been. Adam M.
Spiritual. Aaron W. at the Pier
Surfing is Love. Ryder W. at the Pier
San Clemente and surfing saved my life from the grip of addiction and a life in prison. Since I moved here, I have become addicted to surfing, got a job, and have been clean for 6 months. Surfing, God and my own will power saved my life. Matt L at the Pier
Surfing is letting go of all the stuff that doesn’t matter in life. Feeling the salt water and sun is a little slice of heaven. No problems to worry about, just enjoy the moment mother nature provides. It puts a whole new perspective on life and makes you appreciate what you have. Dug C at San O
Surfing is freeing your spirit. Eve J.
Surfing means a lot to me; my dad was pushing me into waves when I was four years old. Surfing is my escape; I feel totally free when I’m in the water. Logan M.
Surfing for me is my life, space and all that I am. I’m over 50 now and everyone asks what keeps me young. “Surfing!” Chris E.
Surfing is the process of breathing in and out. Surging, waning, pulsing. It’s like life; it’s a grounding force that connects you with the rest of the planet when you are in the water. Timeless and free. Anonymous
“I always wanted my father to be proud of my work. It felt good being back at home, after all these years, and having him watch me do what I do for a living. This painting was the last one my father got to see me create.” Drew Brophy
In December, Western Digital (WD) asked me to paint a mural to put on display at their big party, the WDFanNight event in Las Vegas during CES2014.
At the time, I didn’t realize just how special the memory of creating this painting would become for me.
I was on an extended stay at my parents’ home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. My father was very sick, and Maria and I were helping my mom take care of him. We brought our work with us across country, and I transformed my parents’ garage into my working studio and went to work!
I built five canvas frames, each one 6′ x 2′, designed that way so the mural would be easy to transport.
This was painted with a variety of mediums; first the background, using Mtn94 Spray Paint. Then acrylic paints, applied with brushes, to get greater texture. Then I used airbrush and Uni Posca Paint pens for the finer details.
WD wanted a surf painting in my traditional style, with symbolism that was relevant to their products, which is hard drives. Hard drives hold things that you want to keep forever. When I think of things that last forever, I think of ancient times and things that were made in stone. In a way, hard drives hold information that is saved and passed down. All of my art is saved on hard drives; it’s like my safety deposit box. The art will be passed down to my son, and his kids as well. So in this painting, the character is carving a WD in stone.
One of the best photographers in the area, Scott Smallin, came by every day during the painting of this mural to capture the progress on video and pictures. Scott became a good friend and someone to lean on, as the days went on and my father got sicker.
I always wanted my father to be proud of my work. It felt good being back at home, after all these years, and having him watch me do what I do for a living. This painting was the last one my father got to see me create.
This time, Mark and I decided to paint a mural on the side of his Endless Summer Tattoo Shop. The wall is facing A1A, the perfect place to put a mural.
Over wine the night before, Mark and I sat down and tried to brainstorm a design. We threw out a few ideas. We knew we wanted a wave and a sun. But in the end, we decided to just wing it.
Collaboration with Mark Longenecker
The next day we laid out 120 cans of Mtn 94 Montana Spray paint and went to work on it.
While we painted, people were driving by on A1A honking their horns and yelling out the window, stoked.
The mural turned out pretty good – and we got it done in about eight hours.
Here’s a video of us painting it that Mark put together with his Go Pro:
“When you set a goal, you usually hit it.” Drew Brophy says of determining what he’s going to accomplish each morning before he starts on a project.
Drew’s busy painting this huge wall mural, so he asked me to write this post for him!
Drew was commissioned to paint a mural on the side of Lulu’s Cafe in downtown Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The owner, Misty, wanted to transform her restaurant’s 61′ x 16′ wall which faces the main Ocean Blvd.
To see an amazing time-lapse video by The Digitel of the first few days, Click here.
THE DESIGN: Misty and Drew decided upon a theme of “A day at the Beach” where the mural would depict the elements that make Myrtle Beach special. Everything in the sketch is meaningful to this area, right down to the turtles and the banner plane.
THE PAINT: We started this project by ordering 404 cans of Mtn 94 Spray paint, in over 60 different colors!
The paint shipped from San Francisco and arrived 8 days later to Myrtle Beach on a pallet weighing 440 pounds.
Drew prefers Montana Mtn 94 spray paint because it dries fast, holds up great in weather and the colors are vibrant and bright, much like the Uni Poscas that he likes to paint surfboards with.
Below is a recap of the first six days of the mural painting. Drew still has about six more days to paint, if everything continues to go smoothly.
(DON’T MISS this amazing Time-Lapse of the beginning phase of the mural, generously shot by The Digitel Myrtle Beach: Artist Drew Brophy Mural Time Lapse )
The Mural Map
DAY 1:
GOAL – Break it all down into a grid so that the art is applied in proportion. Apply chalk lines in a one-foot by one-foot grid on the entire wall.
It took over six hours, just to chalkline the wall. Drew and his Dad worked at it together, using rickety ladders, and climbing up and down the roof.
We didn’t rent the double decker scaffolding, as we didn’t think we’d need it yet. In hindsight, it would have been a good idea to have on day 1!
Why did Drew create one-foot squares rather than two-foot squares? He said that it would make his job easier on Day 2 to have smaller squares – it would be clearer where to intersect the elements of the outline.
The grid is Drew’s map, which he will refer to a lot in the next 2 days.
Day 2 – Painting the sketch outline
DAY 2:
GOAL – To get the entire mural sketch transposed onto the wall. Also, to work out the logistics and problems (such as scaffolding) so that on Day 3 the painting could flow.
There are things y0u don’t think of when painting a mural of this proportion. For example, the scaffolding. Someone has to build it. And that someone is you, or in this case, Drew!
Before he could even begin the sketch on the wall, he had to get the scaffolding up. And wouldn’t you know, the rented equipment didn’t come with pins in the wheels! Rather than allow that to slow him down, Drew stuffed screwdrivers in there instead, and taped them on. You have to be resourceful!
Then we ran into another problem – the scaffolding wasn’t rolling because the space against the wall is dirt, with big potholes left from the people who dug out the bushes. At one point the scaffolding came crashing down and luckily, there were people there to help catch it.
Now, onto the most important goal of the day: transferring the “map” of the sketch onto the wall.
It was crucial here that Drew matched the squares in proper proportion. It was painstaking and time-consuming, working in sections, Drew holding the gridline map in one hand while “sketching” on the wall with spray paint in the other.
Drew discovered that he had to change one thing in the sketch – the dolphin had to be smaller than planned, because his nose was being cut off.
Interviewed for the evening news
DAY 3:
GOAL – Get left side of mural color filled in; solve the problem with the scaffolding
We brought rakes this day and got all the pine needles swept out so the scaffolding would move easier. The weather was so hot we must have drank twenty gallons of water.
It was a Friday right before the holiday weekend, so a lot of random friends, fans and family members stopped by to watch.
A TV crew came from a local news channel, so Drew took a little time out for an interview. It aired later that day on the 6:00 o’clock news! Watch the video of it here.
It was an exhausting day for Drew, climbing up and down the scaffolding all day in the blazing hot sun and humidity. It was very physical work, and he realized that he needed more help to conserve his energy for painting. So we hired someone to come and help Drew the rest of the week.
Drew reached his goal; he got most of the color on the left side. That night, we camped out under the stars with family and enjoyed paddleboarding under the blue moon.
Drew and Maria enjoying the progress
DAY 4:
GOAL – Get right side of mural color filled in.
We camped out the night before, and were feeling a little less eager to work today! But, we rallied and got to the Wall about 10:00 a.m. for another full day in the sun.
We hired a local artist named Ian to help. His job, as I put it to him, was to be right next to Drew every moment, ready to hand him a color, help him move the scaffolding, and to help set up and tear down each day.
It was a huge help having Ian there. His assistance meant Drew would have to climb up and down the scaffolding less, and would be able to use more energy for painting.
First order of the day was to organize the colors and sort the caps. It’s crucial to have a clean cap ready when doing detail. If you’re disorganized and your dirty caps get mixed with clean ones, you may have a problem.
Dad painted the sandcastle and the sand today. I think he had fun using the spray paints, though later that night he said his fingers hurt!
Caps make all the difference
DAY 5:
GOAL – Fill in the color of the water, on the bottom; work on the wave
Since he was focused on the bottom part of the wall today, he would be on the scaffolding less. So Drew was happy that he could wear his Keen Flip Flops with the toe protector, instead of those hot hiking boots he had been wearing every day!
This was Sunday of a three day weekend, so there were a lot of people checking out the mural. Drew’s nice and says hello to everyone, but it was slowing him down quite a bit.
We put out postcards with information about Drew for people to take, since so many showed interest in knowing more about him.
The Sun News Myrtle Beach came and did a story on Drew and the mural. There were also a few magazines taking photos and lining up interviews.
DAY 6:
GOAL – Paint the surfer on the wave, start adding other details
Ian has worked out to be a huge help. Painting a mural this size, in the blazing hot sun and humidity, takes it’s toll physically. Ian saved Drew a lot of energy by handing him paints up on the scaffolding, helping him move things around and he even helped painting.
On this day, a local TV news Anchor, the beautiful Lisa Edge, came by and interviewed Drew. It aired on the evening news Channel 15. Click here to watch.
WHAT’S NEXT: About 6 more days to completion. We will post an update after it’s finished.
Please, leave your comments or questions for Drew in the comments!
PHOTO CREDIT: Most photos were taken by Gregory Letts, local Myrtle Beach Photographer. His photos have his watermark. Visit Greg’s website here!
Last month Drew painted two murals back-to-back. It’s funny, when it rains it pours…it all happened at once.
The first mural Drew painted was for Yogurt Wave, and you can read about by clicking on the link.
The second was for a company called LINKS in Costa Mesa, CA. Our contact there, Tom, loved Drew’s painting called SUNRISE. He’s also an avid fisherman. So he wanted the mural to incorporate SUNRISE and fish somehow. Drew pulled it off nicely.
Tom also wanted the wall adjacent to the mural to have a nice faux finish that would compliment the artwork. And there are beams in the room that he asked Drew to paint to look like a big cross. Check out the photos to see how it all turned out, below.
The finished mural
After all this, I wrote a piece on my blog called PAINTING A WALL MURAL – TEN WAYS TO PLEASE YOUR CLIENT. The article is based on what I learned by watching Drew handle his mural painting and his clients. In the end, Tom was very very happy. And so were we!
Vans Pipeline Masters Book showcases beautiful images hand-picked from the files of the world’s largest ocean related photo agency, A-Frame Photo. Featuring world-renown Pipeline surf photographers Jeff Divine, Dan Merkel, Scott Aichner, Pete Hodgson, Dave Bjorn, Hank, Daren Crawford, Grant Ellis and more.
Book Details: Hardcover, 8.75″ x 9.5″, 132 pages, color photos
Includes this photo of Drew painting mural at Pipeline Masters in 2000.
“When you set a goal, you usually hit it.” Drew Brophy says of determining what he’s going to accomplish each morning before he starts on a project.
THE PAINT
