Third Occasional Surfing, Art & Culture of the Salish Sea

The “Third Occasional Surf Culture on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Salish Sea Event” is scheduled for Friday, June 30, 6:00 PM, Port Townsend Public Library. An eclectic mix of art will be on display, works created by an equally eclectic crew of artists. The artists are all from the loose-if-indeed-real Olympic Peninsula surf community, the works are their attempts to capture the moods and feel of our locale.

Eight artists are currently in the lineup (surf reference). In addition to the works of art on site, two screens and some number of laptops will be put to use displaying additional examples from each artist’s portfolio.  

There will be some snacks, some poetry recitation, some live classical music by Anabel Moore, and, because surfers are involved, there will be some amount of the traditional “Talking story.”  

The official line remains that there is no surf on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and even if there is, it is fickle, infrequent, and, yes, the water is so, so cold. Any surf enthusiast hoping for a dream session in local waters should prepare for a good skunking, with more time looking and/or waiting than scratching for waves. Still, there are surfers. And there are artists who attempt to capture the magic and the reality of their relationship with moving water, something deeper than the TV ads in which surfing is a metaphor for freedom.

Freedom and, perhaps, coolness, casualness. Three events in ten years, with one Zoom event during Covid; that sounds about right.

The event is being curated by local librarian/ripper Keith Darrock. The lineup for this session: Tim Nolan, Stephen R. Davis, Reggie Smart, Erwin Dence, Nam Siu, Jesse Joshua Watson, Christian Coxen, and Shayanne Hoffer. There is the real possibility a few more artists will drop in (yes, another surf reference).

It’s fluid. It’s loose. It will be fun.

Tim Nolan, renowned boat designer, has turned his skills toward an evocative mix of watercolors and photography. Stephen R. Davis works in oil and acrylic, capturing waves, and whales, and people with a combination of ultra-realism and impressionism, often on the same canvas. Reggie Smart blends indigenous Northwest themes with hip surf graphics. The preferred medium for Erwin Dence is pen-and-ink, moving between the kinetic and the calm. Nam Siu, a marine scientist, presents from-life images of Northwest fish, seaweed, other items dipped and pressed. Jesse Joshua Watson turns his skills in illustration and painting, to waves and surfing. Christian Coxen has been photographing from fishing boats and mysterious beaches. Shayanne Hoffer has advanced degrees in art. She is a more recent convert to sea-and-surfscapes.

Surfers are not alone in an artistic connection with the waters of our inland seas. The surf culture event is set to be part of a longer-term plan to present writers and artists and people among the many craftspeople and fisher-people and sailors who have stories to tell about their connections to the Salish Sea and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Darrock is actively seeking input from a wide variety of locals with the goal of having a major series of events, with, perhaps, a corresponding pamphlet, or book, possibly put together by one of the renowned local publishing houses. This event is most likely a year off.

According to Darrock, the past events have been deemed successful, and have definitely been fun. In the sometimes hectic event season, it might just be perfect to drop in and check out art and artists in a casual atmosphere. And, by definition, coolness is included.

Artist's Websites

Erwin Dence
Jesse Joshua Watson
Christian Coxen 
Shayanne Hoffer 
Nam Siu 
Reggie Smart 
Stephen Davis 
Tim Nolan