Local Vibes
Ken’s Day Off
Spanish House
Co-workers
My Art
I do editorial and children’s book illustrations, murals, etc, and my work is on mugs, t-shirts, and more. I am really hoping to paint a surfboard one day soon.
Manta
Artist’s Corner
Lea Wells
AGE: I think I’ve reached middle age YEARS AS AN ARTIST: I can’t remember not doing art. YEARS SURFING: I grew up surfing, and still do it whenever I can get to an ocean. | HOMEBREAK: Indialantic, FL
In the Beginning
I grew up on a barrier island- part of Kennedy Space Center, so being in the ocean everyday and surfing was part of life. I learned to surf on an ancient longboard that lived in the garage of a neighbor, and later on a Capri tri fin. I’ve been making art forever. When you are in the ocean or on a mountaintop, you are struck by how small you are in the universe. Art has always been my attempt to express that feeling of awe I have with life and especially nature. As a child, I got in trouble in 1st grade, on my first day of school, for drawing all over my desk with a green crayon. I couldn’t understand why it wasn’t appreciated. When I was 7, I discovered that hibiscus flower petals make a beautiful stain, so I did a mural on the side of our white house. That didn’t fly with my parents. But they encouraged me most of the time and are very artistic themselves.
108 | womenssurfstyle.com | wSSm
Most of my art is ocean and nature inspired, especially those moments when human and animal encounter each other in the wild. Someone once told me my art has tiny characters with big emotion, and I like that description.
My 3 Favorite Pieces
MANTA - This piece embodies all the feels I have for being in the ocean and meeting other life there. KEN’S DAY OFF - I did this piece of my brother and it makes me happy because it sums up how it feels to be heading to the ocean with a buddy and a board. COWORKERS - This reminds me of how the danger involved is part of the adrenaline we love when we go out into the ocean or a forest.
Community Outreach
I have donated a lot of art and time to various environmental organizations, especially ocean conservation ones. I also teach an art program for special needs adults and children. These special needs citizens inspire me to live in the moment.
Future Plans
I hope to continue doing art and having adventures in and out of the ocean with the people I love. I have a lot of art career goals, but I especially want to spread awareness of ocean conservation. The ocean is the heart of our planet, with 70% of our oxygen produced by marine plants. And that is just the beginning of how important the ocean is to us. F
Learn More & Follow
Instagram: instagram.com/lea_wells Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/LeaWellsStudio
Local Vibes
Emy Knowles
Artist’s Corner
AGE: 46 YEARS AS AN ARTIST: 2 HOMEBREAK: Indian Rocks Beach, FL
In the Beginning
I don’t surf, but I want to learn. For the first half of my life, I lived in fear of the unseen and unknown (like sharks looming nearby), but for the second half of my life, I am living beyond fear. I am embracing all the things I have always wanted to do. That’s why I have only really been painting for two years. And that’s why I am hoping to get my first surf lesson this summer. I have always privately painted. My first painting I remember was actually mixed media: crayon and acrylic paint. I was six years old, and my piece was a snapshot of Under the Ocean. The puffer fish was my favorite to draw. I tried to become an artist in college, but my professor told me I would never make it. I believed him, so I changed my major. About ten years later, I found out I am slightly colorblind. I think that might have been why my professor didn’t like my work. After twenty years in a safe career, I quit my job, built a studio, and started painting. Life goal—fulfilled! As a child I didn’t draw on everything, except as a baby, I’d smear things on the walls and myself. For example, when I was two, I painted myself and the fireplace hearth in fluff and cold ash. I’m not sure where my mom was at the time. Maybe she was watching me and supporting my process. My mom has always been one of my loudest cheerleaders. When I turned ten, she dropped me off at drawing class, but I was too scared of life to go back the second time. She also brought me to the local art shop on a regular basis, thus grew my addiction to art supplies. My dad was a macrame artist and a woodworker, and he built my first easel. He also built a cabinet that I painted a rabbit on. This stands in my studio today. For years, my dad cut out any wooden shape and cutting boards aplenty for me to paint on.
Little Wave
110 | womenssurfstyle.com | wSSm
My Art
I recently started painting on shoes. I know it’s trendy, and the market is saturated, but it’s fun! One branch of my art is all about having fun. I have different styles, but I would say all my art is emotional, whether it be fun and happy, slow and depressed, or uplifting and inspirational. Through my art, I try to bring, love, light, and compassion to everyone who views it. That is my hope.
My 3 Favorite Pieces
HIS HAND - This was the first painting that I went into a deep meditation with. I didn’t know what the result would be. I only knew I was starting with green. I popped on some jazz music, and let the spirit take me. HERE COMES THE SUN - My nephew, Ezra Mathieu, was visiting over break. He is an avid snowboarder, skateboarder, and skim boarder. His kind soul inspires me. I climbed the stairs to my studio, closed the door, switched on Bob Marley, and picked up some yellow paint. During these dark days of the last year, I am reminded the sun is always shining behind the clouds. We just have to be patient and wait for them to part. LITTLE WAVE - This is my first wave painting. Last fall, I spent a lot of time on the Gulf Coast in Florida. Even though I was super careful in November, I contracted Covid.Thankfully, I didn’t get terribly sick. I was alone, so I quarantined and started learning about waves. I have completed a whole series of painted waves now, and I am still painting them. By the way, waves are what I also painted on my shoes! Painting waves is so much fun, and it is healing too. Over the last seven years, I have learned to live with grief (I am a widow), and the one thing my grief counselor told me that still resonates was, “Ride the Wave.” I have counseled my loved ones, who have also lost a partner, to try this as well. “Ride the wave, so it won’t crash over you.” This metaphor helps me through the dark times, as does painting waves. F
Learn More & Follow
Website: www.emilyknowles-artist.com Instagram: instagram.com/emilyknowles_artist Facebook: facebook.com/emilyknowlesartist
Here Comes the Sun
His Hand
Local Vibes
Artist’s Corner
Mel Patterson
Beach Calling
In the Beginning
I was probably about 5 years old when I started drawing. I realized I had an obsession with colors. Did I drive my parents crazy by drawing on everything in sight? Probably! Lol! I always had paint stains all over the house and my clothes. There’s still some blue acrylic paint on my childhood room floor that my dad refuses to sand out, because of the memories. My family has always been amazingly supportive. They’re my biggest cheerleaders.
My Art
I’ve taken classes my whole life, and received a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. During the pandemic I was missing the beach like crazy, while the beaches were closed. I started painting again out of boredom, and the only thing I ever felt like painting was the beach. The first item I worked on was a skateboard for myself, and I got a lot of great feedback. I decided to do more, eventually expanding to other canvases.
Mini Surfboards
Sun Daze
My 3 Favorite Pieces
It’s hard to choose just 3, but these are some of my favorites. The first one is called “SUN DAZE” and is meant to capture the hypnotic glare from the sun shining on the ocean. It’s a vibe. The second one is called BEACH CALLING. This one I love, because it takes me back to my first trip to Hanalei Bay. And lastly, the 3 MINI SURFBOARDS are my favorite. I love this set and the colors. It’s perfect for any beach cottage. F
Learn More & Follow
Insta @art.x.mel | Etsy: www.Etsy.com/shop/artxmel
I love painting skate decks, and I also paint mini wood surfboards, and surfboard bottle openers. I would describe my art as happy, vibrant, and colorful, with a mix of meticulous line work. I get compared to Heather Brown, and while I LOVE her work… My inspiration actually came from a Japanese artist named, Tamo. Right now I have some work at the Huntington Beach Art Center, and I hope to get more of my work into galleries.
112 | womenssurfstyle.com | wSSm
AGE: 38 | YEARS AS AN ARTIST: 20 HOMEBREAK: San Diego, California