Friday, August 16, 2013




"CUSTOM SAILFISH SUPs" FOR THE BEST CLIENTS OF ALL-TIME, TAMPA

Amazing how the fruition of these custom SUPs came about.  These are hands down, the most awesome clients of all-time!  They saw me sporting a custom hand-painted Columbia Fishing shirt I painted "my Aquatic style" of Mahi on the back.  A few months later, I get a call from them requesting if I have ever painted SUPs/Surfboards before.  Like anything, I took on the challenge and it just so happened that I grew up with an insanely talented Surfboard Shaper (DEC Surf) out of the Dania Beach area.  They loved my Custom Mahi so much, they wanted a similar-styled Sailfish on the bottom of 2 customized SUPs (sizes 13' and 11') for his wife and himself.  He also wanted custom bamboo on the tops.  Once I received all the specs required, I hit the designing.  I always aim to knock custom innovative designs out of the park, so instead of just a basic Sailfish on the bottom of each SUP, I offered to make it even more unique.  Since these will be installed and displayed on their bedroom wall, why not make a diptych out of the design where both displayed on top of each other would be one cohesive bad ass mural!  Then, they could just use them in the channel in their backyard.  The epitome of Functional Art!  So, I designed a skool of fish (blue runners, ballyhoo, etc.) being hunted by a skool of Sailfish!  When I sketched the idea up, the clients were blown away!  The way I design these Aquatic pieces, the line work is set in stone, but the colors are completely spontaneous and done right on the spot.  Once painted completely, DEC Surf added the bamboo decking and custom Sailfish logo to thew tops.  To add an innovative way to insert my signature, I actually burned by sig onto the nose of each SUPs bamboo deck.  Then DEC Surf glassed both and installed pads and fins.  Still to this day, there is not a SUP in the world that looks like this.  As you can see, they ride just perfect!  I had a chance to test them myself.  By far, one of my favorite Art Reveals to Clients of all time!  They were just in awe!

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