Surf Artist Andy Davis and His Hawaiian South Shore Collaboration Surfing has long been a community of free thinkers and creatives, yet the number of surf artists whose work has stood the test of time can probably be counted on two hands. The simple reality is that it is difficult to make a living as an artist in our society, and the surf market is so small (relatively speaking) that it makes it virtually impossible to be financially successful when making surf-inspired art. One person who has been able to turn surf art into a sustainable lifestyle is Andy Davis. Born in Southern California and currently living in Leucadia (north of San Diego), Davis has been making art for as long as he can remember. His minimalist style fit perfectly into the hipster-influenced Ride Anything movement of the early 2000s, and his long, unique lines and creative surf paintings have been a mainstay of our culture for decades. Davis’s work has been featured throughout the surf media, including in Thomas Campbell’s epoch-defining films. He has done collaborations with Billabong, Roxy, Vans, Captain Fin Co., the Surfrider Foundation…and even Hawaiian South Shore! Two decades ago, when Andy Davis was at the...

Paul Naude & The History Of Vissla Many people know about the brand Vissla—it has gone from being a boutique cottage brand to an industry staple over the past five years—but few people know the story of how it started. But The Surfer’s Journal recently ran an article about Paul Naude that gives a great history behind the brand. I suggest that anyone interested in Vissla or surf history in general take a look at the article—but if you don’t have time, here are Cliff Notes!* Paul Naude grew up in Durban, South Africa, and was part of the Shaun Thomson generation. Rather than going to college as his parents had planned, he started working in a shaping bay taking orders and doing ding repair, and eventually graduated to laminating, sanding, and shaping boards. In the meantime, he was becoming a decent surfer himself, and soon followed Shaun Thomson and the other South Africans to the North Shore, where he crashed with Randy Rarick and enjoyed a successful pro career (including a win at Sunset and a third-place finish at the Pipe Masters).  In the meantime, Naude was becoming more involved in the surf industry. He ended up learning the...