Many of Drew’s collectors are graciously loaning their Brophy paintings for the exhibition, and for that, we are very grateful.
MAKING WAVES – A Drew Brophy Retrospective
Franklin G. Burroughs Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – June 23rd through September 16 2018.
This is the first museum exhibition devoted to the full scope of the career of Drew Brophy, considered to be one of the most prolific surf inspired artists in history. Brophy began his art career in his hometown of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The exhibition presents an opportunity to study the artist’s development over three decades, beginning with his early illustration works as a teenager, to his surfboard painting explosion in the 1990’s, and onto his illustrated career designing everything under the sun in action sports. There will also be an introduction into the current fine art paintings inspired by Drew’s love for nature and physics.
The exhibition includes over fifty original art pieces and will occupy Myrtle Beach Art Museum’s entire first floor gallery space, totaling approximately 1,700 square feet.
Brophy’s retrospective includes paintings, drawings, sketches and surfboards. Included in the exhibition are the artist’s most iconic paintings—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 upcoming exhibition, as he is bringing his art that he created around the world, back home again.
Brophy’s unique style of artwork has inspired thousands of artists to take up painting, using his favorite mediums and emulating his distinct painting style. (Some of the pieces on exhibit are available and can be acquired here.)
Drew Brophy and his wife Maria will be available at the exhibition for the first two weeks, leading several scheduled, guided tours.
EXHIBITION DETAILS:
Franklin G. Burroughs • Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum Myrtle Beach
3100 South Ocean Boulevard
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 29577 843-238-2510
Opening Date: June 23, 2018
Closing Date: September 16, 2018
Opening Day Celebration: From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 23, 2018. Celebration will include live music, a hands-on-community mural painting project and surf-inspired workshops. All events are FREE for the public (except the workshop which is $50/person).
LIVE EVENTS WITH DREW AND MARIA BROPHY:
OPENING DAY: Sat. June 23 11-3
Exhibit Tour: Fri. June 29 2 p.m.
Exhibit Tour: Sat. June 30 10:30 a.m.
LIVE POSCA Workshop: Sat. June 30 1-4 p.m. $50/person
LIVE POSCA Workshop: Sun. July 1 1-4 p.m. $50/person
Exhibit Tour: Tues. July 3 2 p.m.
Exhibit Tour: Thurs. July 5 2 p.m.
**NOTE: To attend Posca Painting Workshop: Call the museum to register at 843-238-2510.
FOR 50 DAYS, I’M CREATING 50 PAINT STUDIES that reflect 50 things that fascinate me.
This painting is #32 of 50 in the #50Paintings series.
TITLE: BEACH BOUNTY
SIZE: 8″x 10″ paint pen on Fredrix Pro Archival Canvas Board.
When I was a little boy living in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, I’d leave the house early in the morning with my 5 gallon bucket, net and fishing pole.
I’d be gone all day, and come home with oysters, clams, crabs, shrimp, flounder.
Every day was Thanksgiving at the beach.
This painting study is available for purchase. Email info@drewbrophy.com for details.
One of my goals with this series is to make original art affordable for those who want it. If interested in adding tomorrow’s to your collection, please email info@drewbrophy.com or text or call 949-678-8133 asap!
Dec-Jan 2012 Grand Strand Magazine did a 2-page feature titled LIVING A DREAM, Artist Drew Brophy’s career reflects the benefits of small-town community.
Article begins like this:
As a teenager, Myrtle Beach resident Drew Brophy had a simple dream: he wanted to surf.
After a few paragraphs, moves into this:
Brophy’s international career began with an impulsive trip to Mexico at age 20. “I just really wanted to go to those places that I saw in Surfer Magazine,” says Brophy. “I kind of felt stuck here; I didn’t fit in. I just gambled and went to the gnarliest place I could think of to go surfing.” Turns out, the surfers in Mexico fell in love with the innovative designs and techniques Brophy was using to paint his surfboards. “A light bulb went off in my head,” explains Brophy.
Fast forward to the last section:
Now, 19 years later, though Brophy has traveled the world and earned an international reputation for his art, he still values community and family above all else.
It closes with:
And as for his artistic success, Brophy humbly passes the credit to his hometown: “It took a community to create a person like me.”
To read the entire article, you’ll have to grab a copy of GS Magazine!
“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!
Rough sketch of “A Day at the Beach” mural painting for Lulu’s Cafe
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
ANNOUNCEMENT: Lulu’s Cafe in Downtown Myrtle Beach commissions surf lifestyle artist Drew Brophy to paint a colorful, energetic sixty foot wall mural. Three generations of the Brophy family will team up to paint the mural using spray paints and airbrush.
PR Log (Press Release) – August 28, 2012 – What do you do with 404 cans of Mtn 94 Graffiti Spray Paint?
Ask Misty Coan, owner of Lulu’s Café, who commissioned popular surf lifestyle artist and Myrtle Beach native Drew Brophy to paint the mural, titled “A day at the beach.”
The mural rendering depicts the allure that draws residents and tourists to Myrtle Beach; beach umbrellas, children building sand castles, a surfer in the waves and a banner plane flying above. (more…)
We are going on another Brophy family adventure in the Dream Machine!
Three Four Five Months, 26 28 states and two countries. (We started this trip as a 3-month trek, but it grew to 5 months!)
A Surf, SUP and Paint tour across the U.S. and a short stint into Canada.
We leave left the first week of July 2012, head north through Utah, then East across the northern states, into Canada, then New England and then South along the East Coast of America.
July 9, 2012Backcountry.com Headquarters in Park City, Utah. Drew will give a painting workshop, showing how you can customize your DIY Aerial 7 Headphones.
August 2012 Myrtle Beach South Carolina. Drew will paint a sixty foot mural on the side of Lulu’s Cafe.
September 8, 2012STANDUP PADDLE RACES in Myrtle Beach on September 8th – details to follow.
October 2012FURMAN UNIVERSITY, GREENVILLE SC: Drew and Maria will be giving a Business of Art Lecture and a 4 day Painting Workshop.
November 10-11, 2012: ART MUNDO, Fort Pierce, FL: Drew will be giving a two-day Paint Pen Techniques Workshop from 3-6 p.m. each day.
In between stops to be announced. We have lakes and rivers to paddle, waves to surf and trails to hike.
MEDIA – Some of the adventure will be featured on:
97.5 The Zone – Bob Grove’s Radio Show called “The Outdoors”, and
At the start of every new year, me, Maria and Dylan sit down in the living room and reflect upon the year that just passed. We write down our highlights and then we plan out what we each want to accomplish in the new year.
Below are my highlights of 2011:
THE START OF 2011 – we were nervous & worried about the future and the economy. But we decided to make The Paint Shop TV show a focus for the year. We received the good news early in the year that our show was going to air on local So. California tv, and so we gave it our all.
TURNED 40: I turned 40 in March. Sold a lot of my old surfboards and took my family to Hawaii. Surfed Pipeline on my birthday – the waves were great!
TV SHOOTS: Took a road trip to Santa Cruz in spring – filmed The Paint Shop there. It was awesome. Made good on my promise to Escape Campervans and put them on one of my episodes. It’s funny – I promised them a spot on my tv show in 2009, two years before we got the show on the air!
Paddled 225 MILES OF COLORADO RIVER: Over 16 days in May, I lived in the wild and stand-up paddled the rapids of the Colorado River with whitewater expert Seth Warren. It was the trip of lifetime! (The Orange County Register wrote about it and put a picture of me on the cover of the front page!) The trip was also written about in Stand Up Journal’s March 2012 issue and the current issue of Stand Up Paddle Magazine. Haven’t seen the copies yet…..
MT. WHITNEY: Maria hiked mountains all over Southern California and I was so proud of her when she hiked Mt. Whitney in August, the highest mountain in the lower 48 states.
DYLAN TURNED 10: And we transformed our house into a Star Wars scene for his party!
MYRTLE BEACH & HURRICANE IRENE: Threes weeks this summer was spent with family in Myrtle Beach. Maria and Dylan had a blast playing in the ocean and the swash at the Dunes Club. I caught great waves courtesy of Hurricane Irene!
PUERTO ESCONDIDO SURF TRIP: Right after Myrtle Beach I flew to Puerto Escondido, Mexico, where I surfed in a Stand Up Paddle contest at the Mexican Pipeline. Maria helped make the trip possible by lining up sponsors Hinano Tahiti and MegaFood. The waves were so powerful I broke two paddleboards and got many tubes.
COLORADO ROAD TRIP: In early November we drove to Boulder, CO for a film festival. Dylan and I were in Seth Warren’s film called Playgrounds Re-imagined.
On the drive out, we camped at Virgin River, we drove Southern Utah to Moab, went to Arches National Park and followed the Colorado River into Colorado.
While at the film festival, Dylan was given the first ever award given to a child at the Boulder Film Festival.
He was named “Most Likely to Save the World.” He gave a hilarious acceptance speech – you can watch it HERE!
NEW GREETING CARD LICENSE: While in Boulder, we met with Leanin Tree greeting card company and toured their sculpture gardens and their printing facility. A few weeks later, we signed a licensing deal for my art in their greeting card line! (My greeting cards will hit the market in summer 2012.)
OPEN HOUSE ART SALES: We tried something new this year to sell more art at Christmas time – we had 4 open houses in the studio in Nov/Dec and we sold dozens of original paintings and sketches and met a lot of new fans that came in to meet me. It was very rewarding in many ways.
CHRISTMAS: In December we had our niece Mia come visit for Christmas and New Years. We had to get bunk beds for her to sleep in Dylan’s room. We set up the Christmas tree, and I surfed great waves on Christmas eve. Having Mia with us during the holidays was a definite plus – it was fun watching two happy kids tear open presents on Christmas morning!
She's Got Hollywood in her Hands
Mia wanted to see Hollywood, so we took a 3 mile hike up to the Hollywood sign – packed a lunch and ate out there on the trail. Oh, and we saw Lenny Kravitz while driving up the Hollywood Hills – he flashed us the peace sign as he passed our Dream Machine on his motorcycle.
JOSHUA TREE: We spent the last few days of 2011 camping at Jumbo Rocks in Joshua Tree. The kids said it was like being on the moon. We went rock climbing and found some cool caves.
Driving home from Joshua Tree on New Years Eve, we had no plans for that night, until we got a text from our good friends the Whelans to stop by at their house. We spent the last hours of 2011 with good friends, wine and food!
Dylan and the Dream Machine along Colorado River
I hope you’ll look back on 2011 and remember all your highlights, too.
Write them down, make a list, you’ll be surprised at all that you did in a year!
We are very happy to announce that the Franklin G. Burroughs • Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach, S.C. is curating a Drew Brophy Retrospective Exhibition the summer of 2018. 
Article begins like this:
“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
We are going on another Brophy family adventure in the Dream Machine!
