Inspirations and dedication 8' x 6' triptych for Jamie O

A brief history....

So yeah, I get this call in August from Jamie O'Brien, indisputably one of the best Surfers in the world today....he was inquiring about doing a few more paintings for his house on Pipeline. Jamie has been a collector of my work since 2006-07. A few years after doing the murals at Pipeline Cafe' in Kaka'ako, Troy Alotis had introduced me to Jamie and MickO (Jamie's Dad) so I could start showing my work at what I like to call the "50-yard-line house" directly in front of Pipeline. Deborah, (my dear late wife) being from Australia along with Mick and Jamie's love for art, we all automatically became fast friends amongst the buzz of that yard. (full of competitors, shapers, filmers, industry folk, and well-wishers' during every Pipe contest) Now, that I live on the North Shore, I still go back to sit on Micko's deck most days that Pipe is firing.

The Commission 
The first painting Jamie ordered is the subject of this blog. An eight foot high by six wide triptych depicting the view of a twelve foot bomb at Teahupo'o, Tahiti....a challenge indeed. If you've followed my art you'd know that I've done a catalog of paintings of Pipe inside and out (as I've surfed it, fell in love with her, and made my peace with not being able to surf there anymore.) Now, to truly depict an experience that I have no intention of even dreaming about doing! Well, dreaming is OK. When he gave me the concept, I said "fukya, but I'm gonna need some guidance".

The first challenge was building the canvas....as it is custom fit to the ceiling in his house....

Custom built stretchers 8' on high side, 6' on the low side, 3-24" wide canvases. I've always reveled in the possibilities that a blank canvas holds, especially one you might feel you want to "walk" through or in this case, "ride" through.


And this is the beginning of a dream scape.
Once the canvas was built, Jamie agreed to come up to the studio and help lay down the initial sketch.....so he brings along Kalani Chapman. Another Teahupo'o expert....

Here we are going over some GoPro footage by Pete Hodgson. We also used references by Domenic Mosqueira,  Clark Little, Brent Bielmann, and footage from Jack McCoy's "A Deeper Shade of Blue" 

Mahalo to two of the world's best barrel riders. My two favorites indeed. To be able to have the insights (pun intended) of these two-made the difference toward the success of this work. I believe in transfer of energy, whether it's talking story or just being there to have one suggestion, it all affects the painting process. I think the more input and appreciation that a painting experiences while it's being created gives a piece power. It's amazing how certain people can feel this energy while looking at a completed piece without knowing the history of its inspirations. 

With the initial lines drawn, the next step was to refine, define, and align all the subtleties of this immense wave. 

The first color layer after laying down the initial sketch in Burnt Umber. By using a warm color instead of Black for the sketch, color theory comes into play when painting with translucent paint. Since the finished work will be predominantly Blue, by using its compliment, an orangey brown brings more life into the mix. Once the first color layer was applied, it mapped out where the textures were added.

Here it is in the afternoon sunlight coming into the studio at sunset time. The first layers of light layer glazing beginning to glow-showing promise....

At this point, Jamie and I were discussing how the bottom drops out of huge barreling waves and wanted to capture this movement. We turned the light blue reference lines at the bottom of the wave towards the mountain to create more draw off the reef.

Also, changing the lip line to a more horizontal line to widen the space between the lip and the viewer. We also took away most of the foam ball (the explosion caused by the lip of the wave to the right) to create more openness within the barrel. Once these references were addressed, the composition was set and  I could begin with the heavy glazing process.

"The science of play and dreams are more than half of the work. This is done using the tool of imagination".

....and the use of my room mate tool..... Seriously though, the talented Mr. Patrick Parker steps in for a few defining strokes. We always critique each others art as students do in art class. It keeps our art vocabulary straight forward and honest- bringing out the best in ours and others works. This is the gold of "the Plant Too Pupukea", it's facilitation of the creative and collaborative process thrives here....We are about to celebrate two years at this energetically magical place. So many artists have come here to paint and exchange ideas....So grateful for this place, Mahalo Ke Akua

Here, the mountain's details are laid down. At this point, there are twelve layers of glaze, paint and varnish with the paint layers getting thinner and the glaze layers thicker. This allows light to penetrate while bottom layers remain visible. This is the key to the painting's ability to change colors as lighting varies.

Detail shot of the Tahitian mountain range.

At this stage, translucent iridescent pigments were added throughout...thin layers of Gold, Violet, Magenta, Blue Green, and Silver.

After all the shiny stuff was laid down, yet another layer of translucent blues were added to calm down the reflective iridescent layer.

The painting was then moved to my usual painting space where I use dimmers to see rough areas. By raising and lowering the light levels I am able to connect the dots and smooth out transitions to match the changing light. 18 layers and counting.....

Here's a detail shot of the textures.

The completed piece done, a total of 22 layers of paint, glaze, and varnish. "A good days work never hurt anyone" was the caption of this photo. The sides of the painting were painted with the same color as the wall in Jamie's house to give it a clean floating effect....

Delivery and installation of the pieces into Jamie's house....

The most sturdy way to hang large pieces is to use an "Irish Cleat".

Once the cleats were installed on the painting and wall, it was easy as 1,2,3.

Mission accomplished. Stoke out one of the best barrel riders in the world....my job is pretty friken cool.

Ladles and Jellyspoons, may I present to you "The Jamie O'Brien Contemporary Museum of Modern Surf Art" featured on the far left, Banzai Pipeline, a 4' x 6' painting that he ordered last year after seeing the commission for Banzai Sushi Bar in 2013. 

I've known Jamie and MickO for a relatively short time, being closer to MickO through the years as our ages are closer, but it's this Teahupo'o piece that had grown my friendship with Jamie. Sharing a ton of laughs and insights about surfing and life throughout the span of this project. 

The North Shore is built not only by its waves and the droves of surfers that come here every year. It's built on healthy relationships and a love for this unique community. It's about humility, grace, and, hardships in the water and out. It takes years of these qualities to be a constant presence here....

People always ask, "How long did that painting take?" I always say, "about 37 years....."

Photos by Patrick Parker, Clark Takashima, and Christian Cook.