Ripple Video

Pictures!

SNEAK PREVIEW OF RIPPLE PICTURES

I have been a little behind on putting pictures of the shows put will do so today!

Here are some wonderful pictures by the very talented James Walker and Bernadette.

Erik and his awesome live painting piece!

Comparing theories on Erik Abels work

James, Shane and Shane

Patron in Awe in front of Eriks installation

Black Tie & ... What Now?

I've been getting questions about the dress code for Friday night's Preview Party.

Lots of Surfrider events, especially in California, use the "black tie and baggies" theme. First Coast Chapter, in Jacksonville, holds a BT&B benefit every year (see photo, and photo set). Obviously it's not your standard DC cocktail circuit attire, but surfers aren't the standard DC demographic.

What does it mean? Well, some of the guys will in fact wear a suit or tux shirt/jacket/tie with boardshorts. And some I'm sure will be in Hawaiian shirts and khakis. Dresses, be they sun- or cocktail, are a-okay for the ladies. If you're feeling bold and want to dress up a bikini, you'll still fit right in.

This isn't Movie Night, and it's not a backyard kegger. Let's wash behind our ears and get a little fancy, but also be sure to have some fun.

"So, what can we bid on?"

Of course we aren't going to kill trees and hand out auction catalogs Friday night. That would be silly. But, you of course want to be prepared and start getting your hopes up, don't you?

I've already written about the package at Las Flores Surf Camp. So what else is there?

• a week's stay at a house in Costa Rica - just a mile from the waves at Playa Negra
  
• 4 nights in San Diego - take in the bays (Mission and San Diego), courtesy of Sheraton and Hilton
  
• 2 nights at any Omni Hotel in the continental U.S. - where are the waves looking good this weekend?
  
• 2 nights at any Marriott Hotel in the continental U.S. - where are the waves looking good next weekend?
  
• 2 nights at the Grand Hyatt Washington in D.C. - for the trendiest buzzword in eco leisure, the "stay-cation"
  
• dinner for 2 at Finn & Porter, DC
  
• dinner for 2 at Water Table, Baltimore
  
• his and hers travel goodies from Patagonia and Sephora - sunblock and skincare for days at the beach, fleeces for cool nights, and an awesome carry-on bag to stow it all in
  

Oasis Island Sounds

Local reggae and steel drum group Oasis Island Sounds will be joining us for Friday night's preview party, lending a terrific Caribbean flair to the night.

Cool fact: According to NOAA, the official moment of the summer solstice is 7:59 pm on June 20. So, as it starts at 8 pm, RIPPLE's preview party is in fact the true kickoff to summer!

A Toast to Twin Fin

The Surfrider Foundation has a national sponsor relationship with the good folks at Twin Fin Wines. It's from California's central coast, and it has a screw cap and a longboard on the label. Perfect. A range of varietals--Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, sunset rosé, Merlot, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon--for a range of tastes and moods.

Twin Fin has graciously donated all the wine for RIPPLE's opening weekend. (There will be beer, soda, and water at a cash bar, too.)

El Salvador, anyone?

The crown jewel of our silent auction:

Up to 5 days at Las Flores Surf Club, a 4-star boutique resort on the pristine black sands of Playa Las Flores.

An ocean view from your suite, meals, top of the line amenities. Daily boat trips and surf guides to help you track down the best swell. All included. For two.

Packing your bags already? You'll need to come to the Preview Party first.

Fish Out of Water Series

Something has been compelling me to paint fish. I've really been having fun with them. And this whole wood grain thing has my full attention at the moment. Here's a snapshot of two of them. I think my technique is loosening back up again too, part of the cycle I guess... tighten up - in control... get loose - get messy have fun... back in control... and over again.......... - Abel

I did this piece a few months ago and thought that it would look good in this show. For me it's been a long wet winter living in Oregon. So I am looking forward to more sunshine and fun days at the beach, and this captures that experience.  

Cranking Away

--
It's been a crazy year for me, moving around the country, not having a home, and trying to set up shop where ever I am. I just got back to California last month and still don't really have a home yet, but as always I make do with what I got.

More photos to come

A little sample of the new work...

Some new techniques...48"x36" on 3 panels.
24"x24"

-Abel

Revival

Local favorite Revival, part of the roster at Gypsy Eyes Records, will bring their guitar-saturated rock and postpunk sound to RIPPLE.

Fog Rolling In, from their album Horses of War.

The studio doesn't fit anymore

I need a warehouse... with a forklift to drive around, and a mini ramp to skate while I ponder my next painting, and a kegerator with Laurelwood Brew on tap, and a bunch of cute assistants to do what I tell them(mostly making me food and refilling my stein, perhaps a back rub here and there)... and just a little bit more space so I don't have to have things drying all over the floor. - Abel

Justin Trawick

Justin Trawick, a DC-area native who's played pretty much everywhere in town, will be playing at RIPPLE from 1 to 2 pm on Saturday, June 21. Check out a clip from a recent show at IOTA:



Justin and his band will be at IOTA in Arlington this Saturday, May 10, for a CD release show. Lots of other gigs coming up--check his website.

Downbeat Switch

Richmond funk group Downbeat Switch will be performing at RIPPLE on Saturday, June 21. The five guys from Mathews County in SE Virginia blend old-school funk riffs with rap, rock, and reggae.

The Laboratory

Gaining some ground in the studio lately... experimentation is a necessary part of the game. Exploring new techniques and ideas is the only way to steer clear from stagnating work, in my opinion. The studio is kinda like science lab right now... trying out different paints, washes, stains, glues, stencils, print block techniques... and there is actually stuff growing in jars on my window sill at the moment but I don't think they'll be making it to the show. -- Abel

Butts & Bottles

Since early April, DC Surfrider members have done four cleanups. Two here on land in DC, one on the Anacostia River in Prince George's County (MD), and one at our "adopted" beach in Delaware.

The city cleanups featured tons and tons of cigarette butts. My 15-pound bag at the Potomac River Watershed Cleanup was probably 10 pounds of butts and 5 pounds of other stuff. The ground is not a communal ashtray. And those filters are cellulose acetate, a manmade (plastic) fiber that never degrades.

The water cleanups were more about food. Chip bags, soda bottles, candy wrappers, plastic utensils, and so on. At the beach they wash up into the dunes during storms, and get stuck in the debris at the high-tide line daily. In the river they blow in from the streets or get washed down storm drains after rainfall. Lightweight trash ends up floating all the way down to the ocean, and in the future some other volunteer will collect it during another cleanup. Unless, of course, it ends up in a trash gyre.



I've been saving the caps from plastic bottles for a separate recycling program. When you actually put all those caps together in one place, it's both depressing and somehow inspiring. I was wondering if there was some meaningful art to be made from them--so many different colors and sizes. Maybe after the Aveda campaign is over I will keep collecting and see what I can come up with.

It's Snowing Sawdust

For me, most of the joy of making art is in the actual process of "making". The smell of fresh cut wood, being covered in sawdust, hand sanding every piece, mixing colors, admiring the dried collage of paint on the handle of a brush, discovering a small gem of a scribble in a sketchbook that inspires an entire body of work and exciting thoughts, being in that moment of creativity... that's what it's all about, not the finished product, not having somebody buy it, not having it hang on a gallery wall... just making art for the primal satisfaction, the energy it creates for me and the ability to remedy almost anything wrong in my world. I love every second of it!

Here's a pic from the wood shop along with the beginnings of a 6' tall sculpture...

The Sea

"Surfing soothes me, it's always been a kind of Zen experience for me. The ocean is so magnificent, peaceful, and awesome. The rest of the world disappears for me when I'm on a wave." - Paul Walker