Surf Artist – Scott Snell
I have been extremely fortunate to have lived the first two-thirds of my life along side, and sometimes right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. My father was a United States Naval officer, which afforded me the opportunity to reside up and down the West Coast from San Diego to Seattle, and across the sunny Pacific to Midway Island, Guam and Oahu.
Yet, when I was ready to go off to college in the fall of 1987, I completely “land-locked” myself by enrolling at Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska. I received my B.A. in Communications, Advertising, Public Relations and Studio Art in the spring of 1991 and am currently employed as Entrepreneurship Center Director at Central Community College-Hastings.
Now please don’t get me wrong, Nebraska is a wonderful place, but I’m still a distant 1,403 miles away from the Pacific Ocean surf. I began feeling a little bit like a “fish-out-of-water.”
The shape, design, curvature, smoothness, color and graphics of surfboards are inherently unique to the art and sport of surfing. The challenge of building surfurniture is to harness these harmonious aesthetics into a remodeled art form by complimenting the board’s existing features. I have chosen tubular steel (‘tubular’…no pun intended) and bamboo as construction materials. The steel, apart from its outstanding tinsel strength, evokes the metallically, mirrored sheen of calm seas. Equally, bamboo is amazingly strong and capable of withstanding heavy torque loads, as well as bringing a natural and tropical serenity to my surfurniture.
I sincerely hope that you receive as much pleasure from using my surfurniture as I do in creating it. Each piece I build has a story…a story of how I found each board, who surfed with it and where. I continually have pieces ready for purchase from my studio. Or, if you would prefer, I can customize your favorite board into a piece of your choosing…consider our mutual collaboration “surfboard taxidermy.”
I am glad that you took the time to visit my website and please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you have…it is my hope that you are able to catch that perfect wave from your own living room, den, deck, or office.
Mahalo and peace to you,
Scott Snell