Combining a simplistic approach and a sober palette, Wolfgang Bloch is one of the most celebrated surf artists, in part because of his uncanny eye for seeing waves in places most do not. He has incorporated all sorts of materials into his paintings including wood, magazines and newspaper, and even half a surfboard.

Bloch’s art has captivated surfers and non-surfers alike with his austere paintings that are imbued with the intensity of his Latin roots. The paintings are a culmination of his experiences as a surfer and artist combined with an unpretentious and rustic life lived in South America, which kickstarted his life as an artist. Moving away from what typifies surf art, his raw and ethereal paintings can cause you to ask yourself “would I surf that?”

The book contains a selection of Bloch’s photographs, some of his best paintings and his story as an artist brought to life in words by Mike Stice. From a childhood spent in Ecuador to working as a graphic designer for some of the biggest global surf companies, Stice recounts a revealing, interesting and personal journey.

If you aren’t able to collect the real thing but would like to explore Bloch’s life and work, then this book is a worthy investment – it’s so much more than your average surf-art coffee table fodder. Go get one!

Good strong espresso and another coffee table surf book.

This one is a photo essay by Chris Burkhard documenting a trip, border to border, down the coast of california, in a somewhat temperamental VW camper. This is no mag funded high rolling trip, it was in fact self funded by Burkhard and travelling partner Eric Soderquist, partly by Burkhard entering & winning a photographic contest and has a definate low budget feel. The reader is left believing that this experience is accessible to anyone with the desire to make it happen and that it’s something us normal people could do. There is, however,  nothing low budget about the book itself, it’s a quality printing with a cool cardboard “record sleeve” to protect it.

It’s packed with some awesome photos, mainly lifestyle type shots with a sprinkling of action pics too as well as some beautiful landscapes and line up shots (Burkhard studied landscape photography at college). Each new county crossing is introduced by some handwritten comments from Soderquist, giving an honest look into their less than glamorous life on the road.

It might suprise you just how big & varied a place California is. It’s easy to think of it being just the bit from LA to San Diego but actually almost half the state’s coastline is north of Santa Cruz. The northern areas are a complete contrast to the plastic world of “SoCal” and appear to be beautiful and less built up than you might expect. The pictures capture the landscape and small town feel well and give you the feeling you are seeing the sights from the van window alongside the photographer as each bend in the road unwinds. Tucked inside the back cover of the book is a short super8 DVD that was shot during the trip with a feel somewhat reminiscent of those old cine movies your dad made of family holidays in the 70′s. This only adds to the real world vibe of the journey.

It all adds up to a good use of your hard earned cash and is yet another prod to make you search outside your normal comfort zone (or lust after californian waves!), something I, for one, should do more of.

This particular book has been pretty much under the radar in the UK since it was published a couple of years ago. It’s basically a photo essay by Jeff Johnson documenting a trip by the Malloy brothers, and various friends, climbing in oregon then surfing the california coast from SF to the tip of the Baja peninsula. As with most things that Patagonia are involved with, there is an eco angle, this time the truck that makes the trip is powered by used cooking oil.

The cynics among you would say that it is just an extended Patagonia catalogue shoot and it is true that the trip was in part funded by Surfing to provide them with editorial. However some people will moan about anything! It is filled with some awesome photography, stunning landscapes, good surf shots, scrawled journal entries and cool lifestyle photos. Somehow you get a real feel for the trip (which looked fun) and it’s not the usual perfect weather/ surf deal that so often fills surf mags. Flicking through it always inspires me to think about getting the tent out for a trip outside the normal surf zone which is something we should all probably do more of (well i should anyway!) 

If you want to get hold of it check amazon.

Anyway, I managed to grab five minutes with Jaimal in order to seduce you all into buying a copy…

FOM: Since the release of the book have you been busy doing readings & signings?
Jaimal: Yeah, super busy, but it has been really fun. Over the last couple months I’ve toured all the way up to Vancouver Island, BC, and down to LA, hitting up little bookstores and surf shops. Oregon has been the best so far because my friends’ band, Nine Pound Shadow, toured with me and the south coast was getting a really good south. I scored some places around Gold Beach better than I ever expected. The locals were all incredibly friendly, which made it even better.

FOM: Do you still get time to surf?
Jaimal: Everyday; almost, anyway. The whole point of going on a coastal book tour is the surfing. Australia, Indonesia, and Hawaii are the next stops. Indo doesn’t really have infrastructure for book touring… so you can probably imagine my priorities.

FOM: What’s in your quiver?
Jaimal: My new favourite board is this 5’7″ twin-fin fish from the 1980s – one of those old Lipstix boards – which I picked up in Mexico more as a collectible. Turns out it still rides insanely well. I’ve also got a 6’3″ Danny Hess twinzer that I love, a 6’8″ Santa Cruz squash that’s great for travelling, a few beat-up boards I’m still sucking the life out of little by little, and an 8’10″ gun that mostly just intimidates me, although it did see a handful of days last winter.

FOM: Imagine ‘Saltwater Buddha’ is to be made into a film… Who would play you & what songs would have to be in the soundtrack?
Jaimal: I think Stallone and Keanu should play me at my different life stages. Keanu could wear a lot of makeup and be the young runaway and I’m looking more and more like Stallone in my old age so it’s a perfect fit. Michael Jackson soundtrack all the way. No – I really have no idea, but I’d love for that to be an issue : )
A documentary film is being made and I’ll play me in that. Jim Klar, who does the song on the mini doc Roberto Vezzone made, is composing music for it. My friends Bobby Martinez and the guys from Nine Pound Shadow will probably pitch in some tunes as well. I just sent Jack Johnson a book too. Maybe he’ll want to get involved. Please Jack?

FOM: Who inspires you in the surfing world?
Jaimal: I just wrote a ‘Surfer’s Journal’ piece about my former landlady, Carol Schuldt. She’s 75 and still bodysurfs in San Francisco everyday without a wetsuit. She has more energy than most 18 year olds. That kind of commitment and love for the sea is one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in the surf world. Seeing what Danny Hess is doing with his eco-friendly shaping and his commitment to fine-quality boards inspires me as well. I just hope he gives me a discount.

FOM: There are some stand-out moments in the book for me, like the guy shouting his way to the car park because of a drop in… What are yours?
Jaimal: Being sick on the winter fishing boat… I’m determined to get my sea legs and that trip still haunts me.

FOM: Is writing a book like writing a song, and did you feel a release when it was finished?
Jaimal: Something like that, a really long song. It was very, very cathartic at moments and a huge weight at others. I recommend memoir writing to everyone. It’s free therapy.

FOM: How can people get hold of the book?
Jaimal: My website is probably the best because you can click through to Amazon or your local bookstore, which I always try to support if I can. If you’re in Europe, Amazon is probably the easiest place, but anywhere in the world you can go directly through the publisher, Wisdom.

FOM: What’s next?
Jaimal: Besides travelling a lot in the coming months, I’m plotting my next book. It’s a little early to talk about though. I’ll keep you posted. Oh, and we’ll be making the ‘Saltwater Buddha’ documentary in Bali and Hawaii. That should be super fun.

FOM: Any thank yous, shout outs, etc?
Jaimal: My mom, dad, sister and friends have been so incredible supporting me in this. They just surprised me by pitching in to get me a new computer. (Mine was starting to rot.) I love you guys so much!

Thanks for dropping in Jaimal, all the best.

I have read a few surf novels, biographies and the like. There are many out there but a handful, only a handful, capture that feeling of contentedness, adventure, and spirit. Read this and you will realise that we all share something pretty unique.

Go seek and you will be rewarded

Buy ‘Saltwater Buddha’ direct here, or just stop by and say hello.

words: Richard esq
answers: Jaimal Yogis
photos: c/o Jaimal Yogis

Clearing out an old bookcase the other day, I came across ‘Caught Inside’ by Daniel Duane and was reminded quite how important a book it was to me at the start of my surfing obsession.

I came to surfing pretty late, after a mispent youth obsessed with skateboarding and snowboarding. Surfing had always appealed to me, but living over two hours from the ocean and not being a strong swimmer it always seemed an unobtainable pursuit. Fast-forward to the early nineties, around the time that ‘Caught Inside’ was published, I found myself with a job, a car and time to make it to the beach. Funny to think how those first few forays into the whitewater came to define my life thereafter so much.
The book itself chronicles Duane’s year after moving from Berekely to Santa Cruz to learn to surf. Once there he immerses himself in surfing, its history, and begins to meet some new friends – real surfers, not those chasing sponsorsip. Much about the book appealed to me, the descriptions of isolated NorCal beaches somehow sounding similar to our rugged coast, the agony and ecstasy of the learning curve, the way that surfing finds its way into your soul and the sense of community found between everyday surfers sharing waves.
I loved every page and have read it several times since. For me it described something I wanted to be part of, ultimately something I’ve since felt I had been searching for all along and it definately influenced me into prioritising moving to the coast.
I guess many of you will have read it already as it’s 10 years old, but if you haven’t, treat yourself to a cheap purchase from amazon and feel inspired.