You should all know by now that our Surf Art Market brought to you by SurfStitch is a true celebration of all things Surf Culture. From fashion to food, industry experts to one of a kind artisans who can’t wait to show you their unique creative ideas.
But the common denominator among all of us here, is our love for the sea. So today’s EDM is all about the surfboards, the shapers, the surf accessories and the surf saviours who we haven’t had a chance to mention yet in our regular newsletters. Let’s meet them shall we?
BOARD SHAPERS GALORE:
There are 17 surfboard shapers at the Surf Art Markets, including…
Dead Kooks
Dead Kooks Surfboards has evolved over the past 9-10 years from a backyard hobby making boards to a full-time job working with world champions and a string of worlds top surfers. Drawing inspiration from shapes of old, the boards that Eden Saul makes are anything but retro. Everything is designed, shaped and further refined with performance in mind, tackling everything from 12ft gliders, paddle guns for Jaws to refined modern logs, fish, singles and shorties.
Joel Fitzgerald
www.joelfitzgerald.com.au
@joelfitz_boards
Joel has a deep appreciation for the organic slowed down life and takes care in all he does. He is a soul surfer fused with big wave charger, known amongst his respected peers and fellow shapers as an innovator and talented surfboard craftsman. Each board is hand crafted by Joel for your enjoyment.
McTavish
www.mctavish.com.au
@mctavishsurf
McTavish Surfboards is a high quality surfboard manufacturer based in Byron Bay, Australia. The brand was founded by Bob McTavish in 1962, with boards bearing the McTavish name in production ever since. Bob’s loveable larrikin personality and his contributions to surf design and culture form the basis of what McTavish is all about – design excellence, excitement, fun and adventure.
Robin Kegel
Robin Kegel is the founder and board shaper at Gato Herói, an innovative longboard surf company based in Capistrano Beach, CA. The name Gato Herói (“Cat Hero”) emphasizes Robin’s unique sense of humor, along with his love of honest, casual surfing. the Californian shaping savant behind spends 2-3 months each year living and working out of Wild Things Gallery, the home base of Gato in Australia. He travels here to surf, shape and to refine the models in his range for Australian conditions and test them with the local surfers.
Morning of the Earth
www.morningoftheearthsurfboards.com
@morningoftheearthsurfboards
Simon Jones of Morning of the Earth Surfboards handcrafts and shapes the finest seventies inspired retro surfboards in his backyard right here in the hills of Byron. Combining retro plan shapes, fin templates, & rocker with contemporary bottom shapes & rail configurations Simon produces beautiful classic shapes that you will love to surf.
Hannah Magnall
Hannah is a local gurf who humbly is tinkering away on some beautiful hand-shaped surfboards. Her crafts, mostly logs and mid-lengths, are filled with creativity, playfulness and an explorative style.
Bryan Bates
www.bryanbates.com.au
@bryanbatessurfboards
For 20 years now, I’ve been making completely handmade surfboards from start to finish. I shape, glass, sand finish and make the fins on every board. Artwork and colour on my boards all in the resin (tints and pigments). My inspiration comes from classic designs from the 60s 70’s and 80’s, and then I look at applying what we’ve learned in modern design elements to the bottom shape, rails, foil and fins. I use only the absolute best materials and build every board to last, and the most important aspect is listening and tuning into the customer to create a board that they can truly connect with.
Corey Munn
The whole process; from blank selection, shaping, laminating, finishing right the way through to foiling the fins…it’s all him. These hand crafted traditional boards are truly superb.
Images c’wise from left; @mctavish, @bryanbatessurfboards, @coreymunnsurfcraft, @deadkooks
EVEN MORE SHAPERS:
Josh Hall
www.joshhallsurfboards.com
@joshhallsurfboards
His boards are truly, 100% hand-shaped, custom built surfboards. The only machines he uses are the Skil 100 and Accurate power planes along with his own two hands. He truly means 100% hand shaped because that is what they are, no shaping machines used and no ghost shapers. “One order, one blank, one custom at a time.”
Thomas Surfboards
www.thomassurfboards.com
@thomassurfboards
Thomas Bexon’s one-of-a-kind boards aren’t just your typical white 6’1 thrusters, but uniquely recognisable boards that ride like a dream. He makes his boards out of a factory with a rich history of Australian surfing, as he learns from the amazing people in the shaping bay and in the water.
Thomas Surf Boards have teamed up with Captain Sip Sop’s Barber Shop where you can give those salty locks a bit of much needed loving.
Jye Byrnes
www.jyebyrnessurfboards.com.au
@jyebyrnessurfboards
Jye has been shaping boards for 20 years and can shape any kind of board you can think of. He makes his boards from theories about the waves and how they are shaped – making boards for a vast range of ages and abilities.
Gary McNeill Concepts
www.garymcneillconcepts.com.au
@garymcneillconcepts
Gary’s signature is the use of uniquely cosmic and eye-catching artwork birthed out of the sacred geometrical musings of artist and cosmologist Jonathan Quinton. Gary has built custom craft for surfers from physicist Nassim Haramein to musician Jack Johnson to filmmaker Taylor Steele and plenty of sleds for Rasta too! Gary McNeil – making “surfboards for cosmic people.”
Chris Garrett
www.chrisgarrettshapes.com.au
@chrisgarrettshapes
Chris Garrett, self-taught custom board builder thrives on being the interface between you and the waves. He can and does make all sorts of unique, eclectic and high-peformance boards to help you surf beyond your ability, be it at the elite level or just starting out. Both Nick Wallace and Dave ‘Rasta’ Rastovich won junior world titles while riding his boards, while Neridah Falconer won the Hawaiian Triple Crown riding onr of his boards.
PLUS:
Mitch Surman
www.mssurfboards.com
@mssurfboards
IN THE WOODSHED:
Wooden Anchor
www.woodenanchor.com.au
@wooden_anchor
A small, family-owned environmentally conscious sawmill and timber business, that has been made in Byron Bay since 1976. All their products are made from locally-grown, Northern Rivers timber before being sustainably harvested and milled at their Shire workshop. Their team then handcrafts these timbers into unique furniture, homewares, and surf products such as wooden anchor paddles, body-surfing hand planes, engraved food boards and surfboards!
Bound by Sea
www.boundbysea.com.au
@boundbysea
Handmade, hand-drawn, and one-of-a-kind illustrations in which artist James Robinson engraves raw slabs of wood with his fantastical, oceanic drawings of sea goddesses, fisherman, sea creatures, and the like. Robinson only uses sustainable Australian Paulownia that is planted, grown, and milled by a NSW North Coast family before he handshapes each piece, from start to finish.
PLUS:
Grant Newby
www.surfboardsbygrantnewby.blogspot.com.au
Nobby Wood Surfboards
www.nobbywoodsurfboards.com
Images c’wise from left; @thomassurfboards, @jyebyrnessurfboards, @garymcneillconcepts, @chrisgarrettshapes
FINS FOR DAYS:
Finatics
Finatics is a line of custom-designed fins available as sup or longboards, either framed or as a set of 3. Fins are emblazoned with her 70’s-inspired designs such as mandalas, peace signs, flowers, and her own beautifully trippy patterns. She also frames the fins, for a unique touch of art for your home.
Pratt Racing Skis
Superior surf skis from Lance OConnor who has over 40 years of experience in the boat building industry and is passionate about exceeding your expectations.
PLUS:
Classic Surf Co Surf Memorabilia with local surf legend Dick Hoole
Images; @thefinatics
FOR THE LOVE OF THE OCEAN:
Featured in the Marine Conservation Hub presented by the Australian Marine Debris:
Take 3
www.take3.org.au
@take3forthesea
If you’re concerned about the state of the world’s oceans, there has never been a more important time to act to reduce plastic pollution. We believe lots of small individual actions, like taking 3 pieces of rubbish with you every time you leave the beach, can have a big impact on the planet. The more people who join our tribe and take action, the more we can do for the world’s oceans!
Positive Change for Marine Life
www.pcfml.org.au
@positivechangeformarinelife
Founded in Byron Bay, Australia in 2012 on the principles of creating long-term profitable change in regards to marine conservation issues worldwide. Through their core values of understanding, education and respect – their mission is to collaborate with communities to ensure practices and systems are geared toward conserving vital marine ecosystems, whilst ensuring viable livelihoods for the people who depend upon them. They aim to effectively minimise and reverse the impact that we are collectively having on the ocean.
Australian Seabird Rescue
A grass-roots community group with a passion for coastal wildlife rescue and conservation. With branches along the coastline of New South Wales and sister-groups around the country, ASRs strategic objective is to reduce the human impact on wildlife through rescue, research and education. Their work has also effected change in legislation, with the introduction of a ban on the mass release of helium balloons in NSW and the establishment of an oiled wildlife network in NSW.
Clean Coast Collective
www.cleancoastcollective.org
@cleancoastcollective
Clean Coast Collective would like to know when we started diminishing our worth for the sake of convenience. Their products ditch the cheap, disposable aspects of our daily routines and redefine them – a touch of gold in your smoothie or gin, some bamboo for your bathroom. It’s time to put some luxury back into our everyday lives while also donating all their product sales to funding plastic clean-up projects and awareness campaigns.
More marine conservation organisations:
Free the Reef
www.freethereef.org
@freethereef
Free the Reef is a part of SMARTIVISM, the next level of collective change combining conscious business (SMART), inspired artists (ARTISAN) and purposeful organisations (ACTIVISM) to cut through, raise funds and facilitate change.
Sea Shepherd
www.seashepherd.org.au
@seasheperdaustralia
Sea Shepherd Australia is a non-profit conservation organisation whose mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. By safeguarding the biodiversity of our delicately balanced oceanic ecosystems, Sea Shepherd Australia works to ensure their survival for future generations.
Shark Watch NSW Inc.
Shark Watch NSW is a volunteer organisation aimed at providing a real-time warning system to alert ocean users to the presence of sharks. It is based on a successful South African program, which has been operating in Cape Town since 2004. The program uses trained spotters and drones to scan the ocean looking for shark activity. When a shark is sighted within close proximity to bathers/surfers, a warning system will alert those in the water to leave and remain in place until the coast is considered ‘clear’.
Dolphin Research Australia
www.dolphinresearchaustralia.com
@dolphin_research_australia
They are a marine conservation, education and research not-for-profit organisation. Their work is dedicated to improving the understanding of dolphin ecology, status and health and promoting awareness, change and action to help protect and conserve them and their habitats.
Project Aware & Clif Bar
www.projectaware.org
@projectaware
Project AWARE has achieved major successes in protecting marine wildlife and fragile marine habitats through science, education, influence and community action. Today, Project AWARE empowers thousands of divers in more than 180 countries by providing them with the tools, resources and inspiration to take actions – large and small – that contribute to advancing the health of the ocean.
These guys are working together at the Surf Art Market with… CLIF BAR!
They are committed to creating delicious, healthy food made in a way that respects and protects the places where people live, work and play. In addition to using only the highest quality ingredients available, they do not use artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives or ingredients sourced from genetically-modified organisms. Even better, on a journey towards sustainability, Clif Bar work diligently to reduce our environmental footprint in all areas of the business from the field to the final product. Yum.
PLUS:
Five Oceans will be showcasing a special plastic sculpture in the Patagonia Yurt.
Images c’wise from left; @take3forthesea, @positivechangeformarinelife, @projectaware, @clifbar
OTHER COOL GOODIES:
Valor
www.shavewithvalor.com
@men_with_valor
These mens shaving and beard products use no palm oil, no synthetic fragrances, no parabens, sulphates or dodgy preservatives. All their products are safe for our waterways and septic systems… so get shaving!
@men_with_valor
For all your accomodation needs visit byronbayaccom.net