Lifeguard Tower Art: Venice Flower Power

I was a happy participant in the "Portraits of Hope Life Guard Towers" public art project (posted earlier about it here). This week, the sunny and bright art floral panels were added to the tower.--Stef McDonald

Cool App for Art

I've just discovered a cool app for the iPad/iPhone: ArtStudio, which lets you draw on the screen. Mr. MVP made this wave.--Stef McDonald

Public Art Rules: Lifeguard Tower Painting

We were public art servants today, painting a local lifeguard tower for the "Portraits of Hope Life Guard Towers" project. 100 towers in Southern California were painted vibrant colors today -- the Venice one I worked on with fellow art-loving neighbors was orange -- and panels will soon be added for the installation, which will be on display May through September. --Stef McDonald

Lifeguard Tower Art in Los Angeles

We just heard about a public art program involving kids called Portraits of Hope, which has been given the go-ahead to transform lifeguard towers with art in Los Angeles this year. 100 towers will be covered in panels and painted along 30 miles of beach May through September of 2010. Sweet!--Stef McDonald

Snowboard Design Contest

Venture Snowboards is allowing the public (that's you) to vote on designs for the "Venture/Protect Our Winters" art contest, with the design to be placed on a board. It's a good-cause mission, with the snowboard company partnering with Protect Our Winters (POW), in an effort to raise awareness on global warming. We can get definitely down with that. Voting goes to March 15.--Stef McDonald

Look All Around: Cool Images

This comes from a cool site that has 36o degree images. Be sure to click on "full screen" to see it in all its glory.--Stef McDonald


Surfing at Eisbach in Munich

Cool Art: Lori D.

Check out Lori Damiano's new website full whimsical paintings and animation. Lori D served as one of the producers on Villa Villa Cola's all-girl skate flick, "Getting Nowhere Faster," and created the title credits for "Dear and Yonder," Roxy's video of daring women united by the sea.--Rebecca Heller

She Sells Sea Shells...

Check out Betty Belt's new designs. These necklace are made from repurposed sea glass that our friend Donna finds on California beaches. Donna personally sorts and selects the sea glass and designs each piece on paper then takes them to Bali, where she gives them to her silversmith who creates the bezels and box hinges by hand with recycled sterling silver. We want one!--Rebecca Heller

Read All About It: Skateboard Art

Celebrating art you can ride, "The Disposable Skateboard Bible" by artist Sean Cliver has almost 400 pages on the design of skateboards. Cool Hunting has a Q&A with the author, who also has a blog on the subject. --Stef McDonald

New fin, blue fin, one fin, two fin

Recently I was asked by the Surfrider Foundation to paint on three fins (one above) to be auctioned off to raise money for the Life Rolls On Foundation.--Annie Walton-Teter

Venice Skate Park: Dogtown Graffiti

During opening day of the Venice Skate Park, I took photos of this graffiti work, honoring Venice's skateboarding heritage: Dogtown.

Read an interview with Peggy Oki, the sole woman of the original Zephyr skateboarding team from the Dogtown days, on our Surf Like a Girl site.

For more graffiti art in Venice, see posts on the subject on my other blog, Sideshow by the Seashore.)--Stef McDonald

Surfrider: 25 Years of Kicking Butt

The Surfrider Foundation is celebrating its 25th anniversary with an event in Los Angeles on Friday, October 9 that features an auction of ocean- and surf-inspired art. Get details on the Anniversary Gala on their website.

I Heart Mermaids

Along with a love of the sea, I have a special fondness for the myth of the mermaid and I post images of the sea sirens on my other blog. (Pictured, a mermaid among the surfers on the graffiti wall in Venice Beach.) A good summer read with a mermaid theme: "Republic of Love" by Carol Shields.--Stef McDonald

Seascapes

O.K. So I must admit I used to be at every break with my camera every time a decent swell rolled in. Now let's face it folks- "I'd rather be surfing." Just can not stay out of the waves and I used to tell myself "oh ya know, cool so you surf til you're exhausted then break out the camera. " WRONG. First I surf til I'm exhausted then, it's dark. Or I have somewhere to be, like sailing or dinner.

These are currently available in different forms check out various items here and for framed prints e-mail me. Thanks for dropping by and surf steady.