The inspiration behind this piece is two-fold.
It started as a possible commission that didn’t pan-out after completing some sketches. No hard feelings. There are those instances within which I can’t – or won’t – force my artistic process in order to make a client’s idea come to fruition through bending wood.
And since I never use paint or tinted stain on my wood surfboards, I realized the client’s desire for bold double helices of D.N.A. would be better expressed by a painter.
Shortly thereafter, I started seeing shapes similar to D.N.A. strands – everywhere! You know how when you get a new car – and then all of a sudden you see the same car everywhere. It was like that.
I decided to move forward with my own designs – if for no other reason than to just get it out of my head. There’s only so much room in this ol’ noggin for wood surfboard ideas.
If you look at this piece, now – with the story in mind – I think you’ll be able to see stylized, yet very subtle, strands of DNA-like designs being pulled through – and up to – the crest of a single breaking ocean wave.
On the deck of this surfboard, I used curly redwood, paulownia, redwood, maple, and butternut. For the D.N.A. strand design elements, I used some green-ish poplar that I picked-up, as scrap, from a local cabinet shop, and also some thin strips of maple.
On the bottom, I used mahogany, redwood, maple, and basswood.
It is a Fun shape surfboard with glassed-on fins.
It measures 7’ x 22” x 3.”
