{ Category Archives: A Year in Surf }
Fog Studies 3 (systems over routines)
When it comes to making things, I’m drawn to systems over routines. As a craftsman, my default system is tradition. It’s simply easier to keep one foot in the patterns of the past, especially if tradition is viewed as a very malleable template, a set of parameters as opposed to outcomes. Studying the grain of wood tells me just how best to put it to use.
I’ve been trying to make pictures the same way. Walking the beaches each morning I devote about as much time to studying the patterns of waves, sand, light and fog as I have to studying wood. I want my pictures to capture the ‘grain’ of these temporal interactions, which I distill into succinct categories depending upon the conditions of the day. I think of every wave as a cant cut from a fresh log, and relish the immediacy and simplicity of reporting on its rawness, everything reduced to just being present with camera in hand. Making pictures should be like catching a fish, or catching a wave.
A Ride for Town and Country
two of my Deep Deck ‘completes’, in cold-molded, natural elm (Ulmus Americana)
I designed my new series of Deep Deck longboards to be ideally suited for both town and country riding, and Aili and I have been enjoying putting ours to the test as we negotiate the two. Measuring about 44” x 9.5”, the decks are both long and wide, with longitudinal camber, cupped rails, wide trucks and gummy wheels, all contributing to a stable, smooth ride while maintaining enough ‘snap’ to carve under speed. The tail curves up after a shortened wheelbase for quick turns or pick-ups on sidewalks.
This is the third iteration of the Deep Deck concept in elm (Ulmus Americana) , and I’ve sold four of a series of ten to this design. I plan to keep producing this particular deck in limited editions using different species of wood, with slight alterations in form depending upon the properties of the material. After over two years of experimenting and prototyping, I think I have it just right!
Aili and I enjoy a leisurely afternoon cruise on the Joe Rodota trail in Sebastopol
