Foreword by Gerry Lopez. Interview by Nathan Howe. Afterword by Drew Kampion.
John Severson (born 1933) revolutionized pop culture's vision of surfing and surf culture through his prolific artistic output that transverses decades and disciplines. He began his career as a painter, selling his canvases at Long Beach State College. These first works consisted of oil paintings, photographs, drawings and prints relating to Hawaiian and Californian surf culture. In 1958, Severson expanded his repertoire and created a series of popular surf movies, such as Surf Safari, Surf Fever, Big Wednesday and Pacific Vibrations. While his were among the first surf movies, it was the posters associated with them, hugely popular when issued in the 1950s and 1960s, that remain collector favorites today. Showcased in these early posters, his graphic skills translated easily to Surfer magazine, which he founded in 1960. The magazine was the first to celebrate and revolutionize the art and sport of surfing, establishing it as a powerful pop culture phenomenon. The first issue was a 36-page collection of black-and-white photos, cartoon sketches and short articles--every aspect of which was created by Severson himself. His photographs appeared in Life, Sports Illustrated, Paris Match and other print venues. John Severson's SURF explores Severson's surf odyssey through painting, photography, film and publishing. Featuring an interview with the artist by Nathan Howe, artist and curator at Puka Puka, Hawaii, foreword by Gerry Lopez, surfer and co-founder of Lightning Bolt surfboards and afterword by Drew Kampion, author and former editor of Surfer, John Severson's SURF documents the birth of surf culture and serves as a testament to our ocean.
Featured image, captioned "In 1957, $35.00 purchased John's Chrysler rig, 'Black Beauty,'" is reproduced from John Severson's SURF.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
The New York Times, Styles Section
Jim Rutenberg
"John Severson's Surf" is a book that presents the languid-meets-extreme-thrills lifestyle of surfing through paintings and vivid photography.
Presented mainly through Mr. Severson's paintings and photography, the book serves a dual purpose as a celebration of a Zeilg-like life to envy and as an implicit slap across the cheek of those status-conscious, white-collar elements that are getting ever fresher in their advances upon the wave-riding lifestyle that he helped start back in the 1950's.
BBC
Bill McKenna
John Severson has been documenting surfers in America for over 50 years. As the founder of Surfer Magazine, he's seen the sport go from an "outlaw" adventure banned by local townships to a multimillion dollar industry. While early American surfers might have trouble finding a partner to ride the waves, the biggest problem now is finding a clear patch of surf. He has published his photographers and original artwork in a new book, John Severson's Surf.
"In a psychedelic experience, I had briefly seen everything as atomic dots; I saw what we were made of. Well, I knew we were made of stardust." John Severson's 1975-77 acrylic Pacific Wave is reproduced from John Severson's SURF, the first book dedicated to the surfing legend known for his surf movies, magazine, illustrations and paintings. "As for the art, I don’t paint for critics and always felt that to do that was not getting closer to your heart or, in my case, my love of the ocean. I live my life on my own terms and paint with a passion for something that is quite incredible on this planet. Waves." continue to blog
Featured image, of freediver, acid prose writer and "mathemystician" Jim Loomis out of Haleakala, 1972, is reproduced from John Severson's SURF. "A friend introduced me to James Cook Loomis, who introduced me to macadamia nut pancakes. Afterwards we took a drive along the south shore, playing ukes and singing harmony. Jim, equipped with a brilliant and entertaining mind, would become a lifelong friend. Forty years later, we still meet for breakfasts… Jim was a dropout math teacher from California, dedicated to exploring simpler and richer forms of life, tree-house living, and less work. He lived in a canvas tree house, suspended over a waterfall. I painted Jim underwater communicating with the dolphins, and then with his girlfriend in the tree house amidst the tropic landscape and flora. He pushed me into my Island Dream period." continue to blog
“I took off on a bigger one. The bowl broke in front of me and planted me on the bottom through two waves. I saw stars, said my goodbyes and passed out… But somehow held my breath until I broke the surface.” – John Severson, founder of Surfer magazine. Read more about this the lifelong surfer and pioneering artist, designer, filmmaker and publisher who died last month at the age of 73, here. According to the Encyclopedia of Surfing, “before John Severson, there was no ‘surf media,’ no ‘surf industry’ and no ‘surf culture’—at least not in the way we understand it today.” continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 9.5 x 12.25 in. / 212 pgs / illustrated throughout. LIST PRICE: U.S. $45.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $60 ISBN: 9788862083263 PUBLISHER: Damiani/PUKA PUKA AVAILABLE: 9/30/2014 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Out of stock indefinitely AVAILABILITY: Not available TERRITORY: NA LA
Published by Damiani/PUKA PUKA. Foreword by Gerry Lopez. Interview by Nathan Howe. Afterword by Drew Kampion.
John Severson (born 1933) revolutionized pop culture's vision of surfing and surf culture through his prolific artistic output that transverses decades and disciplines. He began his career as a painter, selling his canvases at Long Beach State College. These first works consisted of oil paintings, photographs, drawings and prints relating to Hawaiian and Californian surf culture. In 1958, Severson expanded his repertoire and created a series of popular surf movies, such as Surf Safari, Surf Fever, Big Wednesday and Pacific Vibrations. While his were among the first surf movies, it was the posters associated with them, hugely popular when issued in the 1950s and 1960s, that remain collector favorites today. Showcased in these early posters, his graphic skills translated easily to Surfer magazine, which he founded in 1960. The magazine was the first to celebrate and revolutionize the art and sport of surfing, establishing it as a powerful pop culture phenomenon. The first issue was a 36-page collection of black-and-white photos, cartoon sketches and short articles--every aspect of which was created by Severson himself. His photographs appeared in Life, Sports Illustrated, Paris Match and other print venues. John Severson's SURF explores Severson's surf odyssey through painting, photography, film and publishing. Featuring an interview with the artist by Nathan Howe, artist and curator at Puka Puka, Hawaii, foreword by Gerry Lopez, surfer and co-founder of Lightning Bolt surfboards and afterword by Drew Kampion, author and former editor of Surfer, John Severson's SURF documents the birth of surf culture and serves as a testament to our ocean.
