Shelter is ON it with their art openings. This Saturday (4/26) night’s show by Bill Livingston, is titled “If You Don’t Surf, Dont Start” (a photographic exhibition of those who do). Hehe, the title is just in time for summer. I’m going to miss it due to being inland, and that’s a bummer cause Kim and Graham put on fun events.

BONUS! While I’m on the topic, here’s a slideshow from last month’s opening, Sacred Ride. I missed this one too.

Sometimes an artist combines form and material so perfectly that the normally subjective nature of art flies right out the window. Such is the case with Mark Saracusa’s wooden waves… most everyone, waverider and non-waverider alike can appreciate their beauty.

Photo By Maggie Marsek

There is something mesmerizing about looking at the wave from any angle you want. Its almost as if that hucking A-Frame you always hope to find at your local beachy is sitting there in front of you. This is largely due to the unique, slightly exaggerated form Mark imparts in each wave. Lip lines are tweaked to just beyond gaping, and the roofs of the cylinders sag as if they are being pulled downward by invisible force that carries spit from the tube. The natural grain at times hints at the maze of reflections found in a wave’s surface and the carving marks on some of his waves can imitate a slight offshore breeze. Not since the olo has wood and water gone so well together.

I wrote about these carvings after seeing them outside Seaside market in Cardiff a few weeks ago. Since then, Mark and I have made a little trade for the first wave pictured here. My end of the deal is to show these gems off to you, which I’m happy to do as I think I got the better end of the deal here. ;D

A 12″ wave is $95.00 with the 30″ waves at $225.00… more than fair pricing in my opinion and he includes shipping. I can’t recommend one size over another, as both impart the same feeling when looking at them.

There are more pics of Mark’s process and waves after the jump…

You can get a wave at one of the stores below, or through Mark at his website, mysurfart.com

Pacific Surf Gallery
2081 San Elijo Ave
Cardiff by the Sea, Ca. 92007

WetSand SurfShop
446 East Main Street
Ventura, CA 93001

HOMELoft
127 N. Hwy 101
Solana Beach, CA 92075

Thanks Mark, keep carving.

Saturday March 29th, Shelter Surf Shop will be celebrating their spiffy new location on 4th St in Long Beach. Kim and Graham really know how to put on an event, as their last gig, the Ether book tour was full of creative and in-trim surfers.

The re-opening will serve double duty as the opening night for the art of Estibahn Bojorquez. I’m bummed I’m going to miss it due to a last minute trip to the east coast, but if you are anywhere nearby, do yourself a favor and stop by.

A few weeks back a fellow surfblogger, Clayfin invited me to check out the surf film Musica Surfica. (Check out Clayfin’s review of the finless flick.) As stoked as a I was to get a private screening of a soon to be released film, I was even more stoked to pick up these ceramic works of surf art. A tribe grows as a culture through it’s art, and Clayfin is furthering our culture.

Photos by Maggie Marsek. Click for larger view.

I found these stellar wood carvings outside Seaside market in Cardiff by the Sea. There aren’t any pics up on the site, but if you are interested, you can find his contact info at mysurfart.com.

Jeff Canham is responsible for tons of design and art throughout the surf world. Here’s a time lapse movie of the sign he painted for Mollusk Surf Shop.

Maggie Marsek has had quite a week. She’s had a birthday and has two photos in a show in Brazil called FestivAlma alongside photographers like Patrick Trefz, Jamie Brisick, David Pu’u and Sean Davey. It didn’t stop there though, her first print mag editorial feature came out the other day in Brazilian surf magazine Alma Surf and coolest of all, so did her first cover, also on Alma.

UPDATE: All photos curtisy of Jair Bortoleto, who conducted the interview and snagged a copy of the mag, for Maggie before they hit the streets. Thanks Jair!

(Click for larger image)

The cover image is from a shoot at SanO with Alex Knost and crew. Their scene is funktified and colorful, which helped Maggie come away with tons of great photos from a morning of lousy surf. It took seeing it for me to think so, but I love that Alma went with it for the cover. Wet Suits, Damp Towels, surfboards and surfmobiles are usually a clutter that could never take the center stage. The combination of their scene and Maggie’s color and composition work transform a chaotic jumble of gear into a Rockwellesque painting of the core trappings of our lifestyle.

The interview (all in Portuguese) is long and chocked full of images Maggie has captured while enjoying the surf life in Socal and Baja. More photos after the jump…

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Maek Media is having a new show at the end of June featuring works from Peter McBride, Aaron Bravo, TJ Harmon, Julie Rais, Ky Baker, Thomas Crayton, Skye Walker, and Dustin Ortiz.

The lovely Maggie Marsek has around 20 beautiful images hanging in Honeys in Encinitas through the end of June. We think Honey’s is the best brunch on the planet, so if you haven’t been you’ve got two great reasons to go.

Maggie Marsek has a new gallery up, in which she has turned her lens on birds.