JOHN V AN HAMERSVELD From Endless Summer to Infinite Possibilities by Laurence Cohen
The “Endless Summer”is a seminal 1966 surf movie. Filmmaker/narrator Bruce Brown follows two surfers, Mike Hynson and Robert August, on a surfing trip around the world. They’re travels to surf spots around the globe blew my teenage mind. As a local LA surfer, it was inspiring and energizing. The artwork for the film’s poster was designed by a young artist, John Van Hamersveld. For many of my friends it was the icon of what it meant to be a serious surfer. We always carried our boards just like Mike and Robert after that! Now 52 years later that same artwork has become a powerful and ageless symbol of what it truly means to be one with the ocean. I want to thank my friend Laurence Cohen for bringing you, the reader this story about one of the most famous artist of his generation. - editor John Van Hamersveld is an American artist, designer, photographer, professor and author. Growing up in the So Cal surf scene, hippie counterculture and the rock n’ roll world, his impressive body of work reflects all those influences. Now six decades into his career, John Van Hamersveld was asked how he will best be remembered. His two-word response: “Endless Summer.” Created when John was barely in his 20’s, the iconic image of silhouetted surfers walking into a day glow sunset transcends time. Though he was originally paid only $150
for the art, he has negotiated rights in recent years to license the image to more than 300 entities worldwide. It is also featured in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and New York’s Museum of Modern Art. California Governor Jerry Brown recently declared surfing as the state’s official sport and the Endless Summer image as now available as a license plate. In these and so many more ways, 2018 is the year of John Van Hamersveld. To characterize him as a quintessential California artist is equal parts accurate and dismissive. Given his extensive arts education at Chouinard Art Institute, Art Center College of Design and California Institute of the Arts, he cites Bauhaus, Beaux Arts and Japanese Edo Woodblock works as influences. The time he spent surfing in his formative years also proved to be a formidable influence. At age 21, he landed a job as art director for Surfer magazine. He divided his time between the ocean, the magazine and an art studio in Dana Point. With the “Endless Summer” success, his design sensibilities soon presented him with attractive opportunities with Quicksilver and OP, “the” name brands in surf wear.
