Surfers travel to where the surf is. Likewise, art enthusiasts travel to where the art is. And sometimes, people are lucky enough to be able to do both.
On a recent weekend, the marriage of three circumstances—falling gas prices, dismal weather, and an ever-present feeling of wanderlust—led us to pack up and take a drive down the coast to WetSand, a Ventura surf shop displaying an exhibit titled Photo Green.
The day was a little dreary with a bit of a sprinkle here and there, which, for some reason, made it a perfect day to take a scenic drive without missing the beach. Rincon had a swell, and as we drove past, we watched the surfers in the lineup in their slick, black wetsuits, like seals dotting the coast. My husband, Ron, watched too, which was scary because he was driving.
My boys expressed regret that they didn’t bring their boards—but whenever we hit the freeway, they always say they should’ve brought their boards. Next came the discussion on why I hadn’t re-packed the emergency beach bag, the one on hand for those impromptu beach stops. That’s the way it is in a family of males: If I don’t do it, it doesn’t get done.
We assuaged the boys by telling them about the surf exhibit. That started a whole series of “Are we there yet?” questions, which were asked ridiculously close together. It reminded me of the Šs cartoon, The Smurfs, in which the little blue guys would always annoyingly ask the same thing of Papa Smurf. (You know, that Smurfette also lived with a family of males. I wonder if she was in charge of doing all the remembering.)
After reaching Ventura, we opened our car door and out spilled our three boys like little puppies ready to run like mad. So a short leg stretch later, we walked into WetSand and the boys fell silent as they studied the photos for a while—until a bird flew by the window, or something like that, and lured their attention.
The exhibit is made up of photos by three of surfing’s most influential photographers: Steve Bissell, George Greenough, and Alby Falzon. The collection expresses not only a historical perspective on the Golden Era of surfing in Australia, but also a passion for photography that is so strong, it can be appreciated by surfers and non-surfers alike.
Strong colors, exotic locations, and, of course, plenty of waves round out the exhibit.
Born in Panama, Bissell always had an interest in the brilliant colors and exotic creatures of the tropics, prompting him to feel a need to record and preserve the things he saw. His love of photography led him to move his family to Santa Barbara, where he met George Greenough, who’s been called one of the most influential people in the evolution of modern surfing. Greenough has been credited as the inspiration for the modern surfboard fin, in-the-tube water photography, and the shortboard revolution. Bissell’s photographs document his friendship and travels with Greenough.
Born in Santa Barbara, Greenough now lives near Byron Bay, Australia, and his current ongoing film project is a documentary on dolphins, for which he crafted a housing shaped like a baby dolphin to keep pace with the creatures underwater.
Greenough’s own images in the Photo Green exhibit were destined, along with Falzon’s, for an art exhibition at the Driftwood Gallery in Newquay in Cornwall, England, in August 2007. Then the images were couriered to Ventura for the Photo Green show.
The photos were selected to represent a broad spectrum of Greenough’s passion for photography and filmmaking. All of the images were printed in Australia and signed at Greenough’s house, before being couriered to the U.K., to the Driftwood Gallery. The Falzon images were selected by the photographer and represent some of the more collectable images from the era surrounded his 1972 film, Morning of the Earth.
Though there were offers from aficionados in England to purchase the entire collection, the exhibition came to California in a move that would work well for the DVD release date of Greenough’s 1969 look at the evolution of shortboard surfing, Inner Most Limits of Pure Fun.
We marveled at the photos, did a little shopping in Ventura’s retro-shopping area on Main Street, and, after getting our ocean fix through the eyes of a trio of excellent artists, headed for home.
INFOBOX: Hit the photographic waves
Photo Green will be on display at WetSand surf shop, 446 E. Main St., in Ventura through mid-December. After that, the images will be online and available for purchase. For more information call 1-800-750-7501 or visit www.wetsand.com
Arts Editor Shelly Cone is in charge of all of the remembering around the office, too. Contact her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 13-20, 2008.