Surf culture can be traced back to Polynesia and other Pacific pre-modern times. It has been popular in Hawai’i for at least 1,500 years and was part of spiritual practices as well as a status symbol with the best surfing spots reserved for royalty who also rode longer boards.
In the early 1900s, surfing migrated to other coastal locations like the United States, Australia and New Zealand, where the cult following continued. Surfing is largely dictated by environmental factors, and dedicated followers of the sport were often known as surf bums or surf bunnies for the commitment to the surf lifestyle as well as the sport itself.
Moving onto Land
Surfers began chasing the waves rather than just waiting for the conditions to be right. This ultimately led to the creation of skateboarding in the mid 1900s, when California surfers developed a way to surf on land. The skateboard culture rose out of resourceful creativity and a do-it-yourself spirit. As a way to carry the surf culture with them into the new land-surfing movement, early skateboard art generally depicted nature scenes of waves, palm trees and the beach.
As skateboarding gained popularity, its art influence adapted and soon became a poster-board for street art and the punk movement. Much like skateboarding, snowboarding morphed out of the skateboarding movement as a way to carry the sport from season to season. The spirit of surf culture moved from the water to the streets and soon to the mountains, carrying with it a spirit of creativity and experimentation.
Snapshots of Joy
Rebekah Hayden is no stranger to creativity and experimentation, as she has been engaged in some sort of artistic endeavor for most of her life. Her main form of artistic expression these days is acrylic on canvas under her brand Sunshine & Laurel Art, but she found herself in a unique space recently after embracing a philosophy of saying "yes" to any opportunity with which she is presented.
Hayden loves the outdoors and has naturally gravitated toward nature in her personal artistic style. She loves to capture “fleeting moments of beauty” in her pieces as she feels a particular sense of peace in creating a snapshot of joy to be cherished. Witnessing a ray of sunshine right before it fades behind the horizon is a gift to those who take the time to slow down and pay attention to the world around them.
Having been a participant in local events like the Commonwheel Art Festival and Vintage Market Days as well as having her art on display at galleries like Auric, Kinship and soon to show at LookUp Gallery, Hayden is familiar with the Colorado Springs art scene. It was when she was presented with an out-of-the-box opportunity that she found herself displaying her art in a less-than-conventional manner.
Paddleboard Art
Paddleboarding, like surfing, has been around for many years. It found a unique resurgence during the COVID pandemic of 2020 when people realized it was a great way for people of all ages and skill levels to be active and exercise while still being socially distanced. As the sport was realizing its rebirth and the demand for paddleboards increased, a friend of Hayden's approached her about printing her artwork on the bottom of the board.
It makes sense if you think about it, Hayden said, skateboards and snowboards have cool artwork, but paddleboards were still a bit boring. She said yes to the opportunity and soon found her Pikes Peak/Garden of the Gods painting being printed on vinyl and used on the underside of the board. She noted after some initial apprehension, she was really happy with the end result. The print is high definition to the point where even the brush strokes are visible on the board.
The custom-printed paddleboards were soon picked up by Scheels and are currently on sale in the Colorado Springs store, making them completely functional while supporting local art. Hayden notes she is thrilled to be able to “recognize that at any age, there is a vein of creativity that needs to be tapped into” and this is her way of being able to put something beautiful into the world.
Website: https://sunshineandlaurelart.com/
Facebook: @SunshineLaurelArt
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