SUP Tag

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH aka Super Fit Woman Standup Paddleing Painting by Drew Brophy 20x20 Series Collection Sept 2013 sFOR 20 CONSECUTIVE DAYS, I’M CREATING 20 ORIGINAL ART PIECES that reflect my thought process and where my ideas originate from.    TODAY IS DAY 14!

I’m painting from the heart, just having fun with it.  You might love ’em, you might hate ’em, but either way, I hope they invoke a feeling for you.

(If you share my posts, please tag  #20×20 #drewbrophy #SurfArt #20Pieces20Days)

Today’s Painting is #14 of 20 in this #20×20 Series, titled FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH,  (aka SUPER FIT WOMAN) 16″ x 20″ on Canvas Board, medium Uni Poscas Paint Pens.

This painting was inspired by seeing all the super fit women at the Battle of the Paddle this past weekend.

Paddleboarding just does something to a woman’s physique, toning all of her muscles and making her strong.

It’s great to see more women out on the water enjoying nature and living an active, healthy lifestyle.  The women who are into paddleboarding seem to be strong, confident and adventurous.  It’s very attractive.

This painting is dedicated to all those women who refuse to give up their youth and choose to enjoy life to the fullest.  I think that’s why we are all here.

Life is Good,

Drew

This painting is available for purchase!  It’s $495.00.  To buy it, please email info@drewbrophy.com. 

If you want to consider the next #20×20 painting, email info @ drew brophy dot com and we will put you on the “#20X20 PAINTING PREVIEW” list, in line for the next one.

*I’m accepting 20 commissions to follow on the heels of this 20×20 series, at excellent prices!  Email info@drewbrophy.com for the commissioned 20×20 pricing.

WHEN EMAILING to BUY ANY OF MY ART, or to Commission me to paint one special, just for you:  email info @ drew brophy dot com with your  phone# and shipping address.

Drew Brophy and painted Riviera Paddleboards for KEEN photo by Larry Beard April 2013

“All of my paintings depict real life experiences that I have.  When I paint from my own memory, that’s when the art shows vibrant energy and life, because it’s real.”

I never travel without standup paddleboards, even when I fly overseas.  

They allow me access to get up close and personal to wildlife and water caves and nature. 

Standup Paddleboards have made my life, and my family’s experiences, so much richer.

Last year, my family and I took four Riviera Paddlesurf boards with us on a five month exploration across America.

We paddled lakes and rivers and hiked and camped in the vast back country of America.

Two of those paddleboards became one of the most fun painting projects I got to work on this year.

When David, at Keen Footwear, asked for something special for the entrance to their building in Portland Oregon, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

Keen is all about living the Hybrid Life and the great outdoors, and most everything in their building is made from recycled materials.

So I thought that it would be perfect to “upcycle” and paint on two of the paddleboards that we had so many adventures on.

Keen has been a long time supporter of my adventures, and I’m stoked to have been one of their very first ambassadors.  Keen water shoes, hiking boots and gorge boots go everywhere with us in our van, because, well, you never know when you’ll need them.

Lake Superior!

Lake Superior!

These paintings are on 12′ paddleboards, the biggest boards I can remember painting.  I used Uni Posca Paint Pens and sealed it with Krylon Spray.  It took me a few weeks from start to finish.

I loved painting my travel memories on these boards; it didn’t feel like work to me at all.

All of my paintings depict real life experiences that I have.  When I paint from my own memory, that’s when the art shows vibrant energy and life, because it’s real.

This project for Keen was no exception.

Each of these two paintings tells a story of adventures that we lived, and I think that’s what made painting them so enjoyable.

It was as though I was reliving those moments of adventure all over again.

PADDLEBOARD PAINTING #1:  THE GREAT NORTHWEST

This painting shows some of the wildlife my family and I saw on our five month trip across America last year.

The Trout:  In Redfish Lake, Idaho, I was catching trout off of the paddleboard.  It was funny; there were a few guys out there in a nice fishing boat, with all new equipment, and here I paddled out with my son’s fishing rod and a red bucket, and I was catching all the fish!

The Bear:  While in the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho, we saw a bear walking on the ridge not far from where we were parked.  The kids were excited to see a bear in the wild, and I was glad it was far enough away!

The River:  I took my inflatable Riviera Paddleboard down the Salmon River in Idaho for 11 miles.  Along the way, being the only human in the water, I saw elk and deer and eagles.  It was amazing.

Keen Paddleboards in their office

Exploring Lake Jocassee, Appalachian Mtns South Carolina

Exploring Lake Jocassee, Appalachian Mtns South Carolina

PADDLEBOARD PAINTING #2:  NELSCOTT REEF

This winter I finally got to surf giant waves at Nelscott Reef in Oregon.  This painting shows the giant kelp you see out there, the big fish and of course a small surfer in a huge wave!

I wrote a post all about the Nelscott Reef Adventure, you can read it here:  Mission to Surf Nelscott Reef – Big Waves in Oregon.

You can visit these paddleboard paintings in person – just go visit the Keen Garage in Portland Oregon.  (Click the link to see a short video of their really cool store.)

It’s a cool building and worth your visit.

You might want to pick up a few killer pairs of Keen’s new, lightweight CNX shoes while you’re there.

GET OUT THERE AND HAVE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE!

Everyone should plan an adventure.  Do it  this summer.  Don’t wait until you’re too old to enjoy the rivers and lakes and oceans and mountains and whatever else makes you happy.

I hope these paintings and sharing my experiences will inspire some people to go enjoy life, now.  Because now is really all we have.

Life is Good,

Drew

On our Surf, SUP and Paint Tour across America, I was really looking forward to seeing the Great Lakes for the first time.   Here’s a rundown of our first couple days.

Pictured Rocks Cave

Pictured Rocks Cave on Lake Superior

LAKE SUPERIOR SURFING:

I had heard stories and seen videos of dedicated surfers outside of Deluth, Michigan, riding waves on the Lake, and I wanted to see it for myself.  There’s even a Lake Superior Surf Club!

Lake Superior is the biggest, deepest and coldest of the Great Lakes and it was our first stop.

We started at Stony Point, a surf spot that is rumored to get good waves.  It’s about thirty miles North of Deluth.  We drove down a gravel road in a heavily wooded area to reach it.

I was hoping for waves, but Stony Point was flat.  However, it was picturesque and clear as the Caribbean, perfect for the paddleboard.

The water was unusually warm, almost 70 degrees.  Maria and the kids had a blast climbing on the rocks and exploring the coastline.  We just got Dylan a pair of Keen water sandals which came in handy as the bottom of the lake here was all rocks.

I took out the Rivera inflatable; it was on top of the van and quick to grab.  The inflatable is my recon board – I can just easily throw it in the water to check things out!   (more…)

Jumbo Rock, Joshua Tree Nat'l Park

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.

MARIA WROTE A BOOK:  It’s called HOW TO UNDERSTAND ART LICENSING CONTRACTS – she co-wrote it  with art expert Tara Reed.  I am stoked for her – she worked hard on it.

Maria & Dylan Arches Nat'l Park, UT

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.

Dylan narrated the film, as you can hear on the movie’s trailer here.

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!

Life is Good – Drew

Drew in Puerto - Photo by Saul Vasquez

Surfboards just break here….”

Today was the first day of the Central Surf Pro Stand Up Paddle Surf Contest in Puerto Escondido, Zicatela Beach.

The contest is scheduled to run from 7 a.m. to noon every day.

The waves were about 6 feet and glassy – the swell is expected to pick up tomorrow and Sunday, so we should be getting some giant tubes, which is what I live for.

Scott Chandler, California big wave charger and shaper, got a perfect 10 in today’s heat, and one of the best barrels I’ve ever seen!

Puerto Beauty Photo by Angel Salinas

 

Boards just break here...

Puerto Escondido is living up to it’s reputation with big tubes and snapping boards and paddles in half.

Surfboards just break here….

It’s so hot  and humid, it’s unbelievable.  By 11:30 a.m. you’re melting, and unless you’re out surfing, you have to go indoors to escape the oven.

After the contest I had a great breakfast with Carlos from Acapulco, popped a MegaFood supplement, then went back out for another surf.

There’ll be another update tomorrow.  I got some great photos and will post them all later.

Contest begins again at 7 a.m. – praying for big surf.

To see photos and live action of the contest, go to http://centralsurf.tv/ in the morning Sat & Sun.

Life is Good!  Drew

One of two things happen when you see monstrous, huge waves that you’re about to surf  for the first time; you either look at it like “there’s no way in hell I’m going out there” or you look at it with joy, because you’ve been waiting for this moment all your life.

The first time I surfed Puerto Escondido I was just a kid out of high school.  I saved up as much money as I needed just to get there.  I left the states with just one surfboard, a pair of board shorts and $50 in my pocket.  Being from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, all I wanted to do was charge BIG waves.

Local Myrtle Beach shaper Gary Wilson had shaped me the only big-wave surfboard probably ever made in Myrtle Beach at the time.  It was an 8’6″ gun and it ended up being one of my favorite boards of all time.

When I arrived Puerto, I remember flying right over the beach and seeing the biggest waves I’d ever seen in my life.

One of two things happen when you see monstrous, huge waves that you’re about to surf for the first time; you either look at it like “there’s no way in hell I’m going out there” or you look at it with joy, because you’ve been waiting for this moment all your life.

Needless to say, twenty years later I’m still surfing Puerto and loving it!

Fountain of Youth!

The downside:  it’s always a pain dragging surfboards all over the world.  So I pack as light as possible, taking only the bare essentials.

For this Puerto Trip, I’m taking:

  • MegaFood vitamins that keep me fit and energetic (at 40, I don’t want to miss a day of my vitamins)
  • Hinano Tahiti clothing, which I designed trunks and t-shirts for
  • 2 Ron House Paddle Surfboards by Riviera Paddle Surf:  a 9’1″ and a 10’6″
  • 2 Kialoa Paddles
  • 2 surfboards:  My 8’0″ Gerry Lopez pipe-gun (I’ve had a blast on this board) and my 5’10” Ron House Twin Fin (also a blast anywhere I take it)
  • Ocean & Earth Leashes
  • And my Keen flip flops (2 pairs)
  • Laptop:  Left behind

My new Tree of Life boardies

I’m very fortunate that I have sponsors that support what I’m doing.  This trip is made possible by the cool people at MegaFood and my good friends Teva and Aja at Hinano Tahiti.

It’s been a huge task just gathering all the equipment and supplies needed for this trip.  Dragging it all the way down to Mexico is nothing compared to surfing the giant tubes that await me!

The waves are supposed to be 8′ when I arrive.  Stay tuned for my next update.

Life is Good,  Drew

Rock Solid and focused - Chuck Patterson racing to the finish line!

Gerry Lopez Battle of the Paddle – The most exciting Stand Up Paddle Race in history!

  • Chuck Patterson won the Elite Race – he was a madman fighting against some of the best stand up paddleboarders in the world, and a gusting, strong wind – he won the first place prize of $10,000!
  • Later, a party and awards ceremony at the Surfing Heritage Foundation made for a great celebration.
  • For more information on the Battle of the Paddle go to rainbowsandals.com/BattleOfThePaddle

Check out the photos & interviews here: (more…)

Drew Charging Puerto Escondido (photo-Angelo Cordero)

Drew just got some great tubes down in Puerto Escondido, The Mexican Pipeline! He got a wild hair & decided to enter into a stand up paddleboard contest. To check the scores, click on Duane DeSoto’s blog

Puerto is on the southern Pacific coast of Mexico in the state of Oaxaca – about 220 miles south of Acapulco. Playa Zicatela is known for it’s huge barrels — Drew’s always loved those Puerto barrels….

Check out this site for more SUP info: http://www.kingzofthecoast.com  (Photo by Angelo Cordero)  More Photos here: (more…)