Rui: You started out in the surfboard business packing boards for Christenson. Did that mark the beginning of your interest in shaping, or what it something you had already considered?
Jeff: For sure, from the very beginning, even before Christenson, I wanted to shape. I just didn’t have access to the necessary means. But once I got into Chris’s place it was on; shaping really consumed my life, I lost a lot of sleep thinking about boards. But it’s hard to get the opportunities I had – I was really lucky. So I try to help out people who are into it when I can, trying to share the stoke.

Rui: Was Christenson was a big influence on the kind of surfboards you make now?
Jeff: Yeah, he was a big influence, just because I learned so much from him. I got into his place right when he started the alternative thing, and all I rode was alternative boards so I fitted in well there. I learned a lot from Chris, and that has been a big part of what I create. But when I moved on to do my own thing, my influences began to spread more and more, and are still spreading today.

Rui: You’re from San Diego, home of the fish, yet you only shape ‘alternative’ surfboards. How come you don’t do fish? Just not your thing, or is it that you want to go beyond that?
Jeff: I was into fish for a little bit, and made some I really liked, but once I was over it I never looked back. I guess they aren’t my thing, but that comes from wanting something better. This is partly because being taller (I’m 6’3”), I was riding bigger fish (around 5’10”), but I believe for traditional fish to work as they are designed or how I want them to work they need to be small – like 5’6” and under. That’s where the Quagg came from. I learned how to surf on singlefin eggs, and then transitioned to fish, but felt the parallel rails would gag and not be as fluid. So I went back to the egg – it was gonna be a singlefin but I had been reading about quads and went for it. So I made a 5’10” and the thing was insane. Everyone that rode it wanted one. It wasn’t ever shaped that well, but the idea worked so I knew they would only get better.

Rui: Since you made your first Mini-Simmons it has become a pretty common design. How did you came up with that, and do you think it’s just hype or does the design really work?
Jeff: The first Mini-Simmons was Casper. It was shaped by Joe Bauguess for RK, and they’ll tell you that they each came up with it. But I saw that one and did some research on Bob Simmons and decided to make my idea of the Simmons so I made the second one ever. Casper was painted all-white so I made mine all-black, which fitted well, since I got so much shit for making those boards in the beginning ’cause those guys were claiming it as theirs. When in reality it is a Simmons design that has been resurrected. So mine was the Black Sheep of the Simmons, which I kind of like. I think it’s rad that so many people are making and riding them now, and it’s even better to see the variations people are coming up with. I think the design works really well, but they are the type of board that – to get what you want out of them – you have to commit to them. But they are for real, for sure.

Rui: You say that your New B model is “designed for the ultimate performance while not a shortboard”. Do you think you’ve pushed your designs to the limit?
Jeff: The New B is a relatively new design for me, and in the last year I’ve been refining it to get it there in terms of performance. The deck and rail design allows you to ride a smaller, thinner board than your standard alternative board and still maintain all the paddle. Yet its thinness and progressive rail retains the performance. I was doing it for a long time, but have now refined it – I always knew it worked but now I understand how and why, and how far I can push it without losing anything.

Rui: You’re not only a great shaper but also a great glasser known for the quality and attention for detail. Do you still glass a lot of boards yourself or are you concentrating on shaping right now?
Jeff: Right now I’m concentrating on shaping, but all my boards are glassed under my roof. I have built a small team that shares my passion for the details and are amazingly skilled. But I still enjoy getting in the resin. I’m gonna start a solo series for which I will do every step, from start to finish. I still do 90% of all the resin colour on my boards.

Rui: Shaping or surfing? What comes first? And what board do you usually ride on your daily sessions?
Jeff: It used to be surfing, but in the last few years shaping has become more of a priority. I still check the waves everyday, but I pick my days better. I enjoy the big days the most, so I try to get my work done when it’s small so that when the waves are pumping I can be on it. But this season was really small so I’ve been spending more time freediving and spearfishing.

Rui: What are your expectations about Europe? Do you think the European surfer is much different from the US ones?
Jeff: I expect Europe to be rad – I think the European surfer has a better understanding of what they want and what they appreciate. I’m looking forward to getting some boards over there and getting people stoked.

A couple of weeks after this interview, Jeff was in France at the UWL factory where he shaped some boards and got everybody stoked.

www.mccallumsurfboards.com

- Jeff, começaste a trabalhar na indústria do Surf a embalar pranchas para o Chris Christenson. Foi aí que tudo começou ou já era algo que tinhas em mente?

Claro, desde o início, mesmo antes do Chris queria ser shaper. Eu apenas não tinha acesso aos meios necessários. Mas assim que cheguei ao Chris, estava lançado. O shape consumia todo o meu tempo, a minha vida. Perdi muitas noites a pensar em pranchas de surf. È muito difícil ter as oportunidades que eu tive, fui muito sortudo. Por isso eu tento ajudar aqueles que estão interessados, sempre que tenho oportunidade, partilhando a minha paixão.

- O Christenson foi uma grande influência no tipo de pranchas que fazes agora?

Sim, ele foi uma grande influência, logo pelo facto de que eu aprendi tanto com ele. Eu cheguei quando ele começou a cena alternativa e tudo o que surfava eram shapes alternativos por isso eu encaixava bem aí. Eu aprendi muito com o Chris e isso é visível em grande parte do que criei. Mas quando me mudei para a minha própria marca, as minhas influências alargaram-se e continuam até hoje.

- Tu és de San Diego, origem do design Fish e apenas fazes pranchas alternativas, mas nenhuma Fish. Porquê? Não é a tua linha ou quiseste ir além disso?

Eu estive ligado ás Fish por algum tempo e fiz algumas que gostei bastante, mas assim que segui em frente nunca mais voltei atrás. Não são a minha onda, mas isso vem de eu querer algo melhor. Penso que sendo alto, com 2 m, eu estava a surfar com Fish maiores, á volta de 5’10, mas eu acredito que para uma Fish tradicional funcionar como são desenhadas ou como eu quero que funcionem, têm de ser pequenas, tipo 5’6 ou menos. Foi aí que a Quagg nasceu. Eu aprendi a surfar em Eggs Single Fin e passei para as Fish, mas sentia que os rails paralelos não eram tão fluidos. Então voltei ás Egg e o que seria mais uma single fin acabou por ficar quad pois andava a ler muito sobre isso. Então fiz uma 5’10 que era uma loucura. Todos os que surfaram com ela queriam uma. Nunca foi assim tão boa mas a ideia funcionava e eu sabia que apenas a podia melhorar.

- Desde que fizeste a tua primeira Mini-Simmons, o design tornou-se muito popular. De onde veio a ideia e acreditas que o design funciona mesmo ou é apenas uma moda?

A primeira Mini-Simmons foi a Casper, feita pelo Joe Baguess para o RK e eles vão ambos dizer-te que a ideia foi sua. Eu vi uma e fiz alguma pesquisa acerca do Bob Simmons e daí decidi fazer a minha visão da Simmons e acabei fazendo a segunda Mini-Simmons de sempre. A Casper foi toda pintada de branco por isso eu fiz a minha toda preta, o que fazia sentido, pois eu passei por tanta coisa ao faze-las no inicio porque aqueles tipos reclamavam que era ideia deles. Na realidade é um design do Simmons que foi ressuscitado. Então a minha era a ovelha negra das Mini-Simmons, algo que de certo modo me agradava! Agora tanta gente está a fazê-las e a surfar com elas, o que acho fantástico. È ainda melhor ver as variações que as pessoas têm feito! Eu penso que o design funciona muito bem, mas são um tipo de prancha ao qual tens de te comprometer para conseguires dela o que queres. Mas são mesmo a sério!

- Tu dizes acerca da New B que é “desenhada para a máxima performance sem ser uma shortboard”. Pensas que levaste os teus designs ao limite?

A New B é um design relativamente novo para mim, que tenho vindo a refinar ao longo do último ano, para a levar até aí em termos de performance. O design do deck e rails permite que surfes com uma prancha mais pequena e fina que a tua prancha alternativa normal mas mantendo a facilidade de remada. A pouca espessura e os rails progressivos mantêm a performance. Eu já fazia isso há algum tempo mas agora refinei a coisa. Eu sempre soube que funcionava mas agora percebo como e porquê e até onde posso levar o design sem perder nada.

- Não és apenas um grande shaper, mas também um excelente laminador conhecido pela qualidade e atenção aos detalhes. Ainda laminas muitas pranchas ou preferes concentrar-te no shape agora?

Agora eu estou mais concentrado no shape mas todas as minhas pranchas são laminadas debaixo do meu tecto. Eu criei uma pequena equipa que partilha a minha paixão pelos detalhes e que é incrivelmente talentosa. Mas eu ainda gosto de mexer na resina. Eu vou iniciar uma Solo Series na qual irei fazer tudo sozinho do princípio ao fim. Eu ainda faço 90% dos pigmentos coloridos nas minhas pranchas.

- Shape ou Surfar? O que vem primeiro? E com que pranchas surfas habitualmente?

Costumava ser surf mas nos últimos anos o shape tem-se tornado mais uma prioridade. Eu ainda verifico as ondas todos os dias mas escolho os meus dias melhor. Eu gosto mais dos dias maiores por isso tento fazer o meu trabalho quando o mar está pequeno para que quando as ondas estão boas eu possa ir. Esta época foi realmente pequena por isso tenho passado mais tempo a fazer mergulho ou caça submarina.

-Quais são as tuas expectativas acerca da Europa? Pensas que os surfistas europeus são muito diferentes dos americanos?

Eu espero que a Europa seja incrível. Penso que os surfistas Europeus têm um melhor entendimento do que eles querem e do que eles apreciam. Estou desejoso de fazer ter algumas pranchas aí e apaixonar as pessoas.

Algumas semanas depois desta entrevista, o Jeff esteve em França, na UWL, onde fez algumas pranchas e muito sucesso.

www.mccallumsurfboards.com

magic-quiver.blogspot.com

Drift: For those who don’t know you, please introduce yourself…
Meegan Feori: Meegan Rene Feori. Meegan, from a Blood Sweat and Tears’ song, ‘Meagan’s Gypsy Eyes’. But since my mother is a school teacher, its spelling changed to a double E which phonetically makes more sense in English. Rene is my grandfather’s middle name. Feori really should be fiore or fiori, flower or flowers in Italian, but its spelling was changed when my family immigrated to the United States.
I was born in San Diego, California and I grew up going to the beach in La Jolla, a Friday night and Sunday morning family tradition. Then in high school my father taught me to surf in Pacific Beach. I attended University of California, San Diego, where I studied Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts, a practical way to put my creative tendencies to use.
Since graduating I have been working as a lifeguard in the summer and doing some apparel graphic design and freelance illustration during the off-season to support myself. I have been lucky enough to travel to Costa Rica for the past two years to paint and surf. I am currently back home in San Diego working, painting and surfing.

Drift: When did you first realise that you could create art professionally?
MF: The first time I realised that living as an artist was possible was while I was in Italy visiting my friends, Esther Seidel and Patrick Steiner, who are both sculptors. I met them surfing in San Diego the previous winter. Seeing how they live and work helped me to realise that being a professional artist is possible. I really made the decision to become an artist when I was in Costa. It was the first time in my life when making art was a priority, and I didn’t have to work or attend classes. The ability to focus and create as well as the encouragement of my friends opened my eyes to the decision I had already made in my heart. Right now I see myself as an artist with training wheels because I am learning and growing. Also because I am not self-sufficient just selling my work.

Drift: What inspires you to be creative?
MF: I am inspired by the world where land and the ocean meet and by moments I share and witness that are emotionally charged. I hope that my paintings impact people in a positive way by revealing what is overlooked or difficult to express.
I believe in a world-wide commune of surf culture. It is a bit like music and dance, a common ground from which to begin. Surf culture and surfers are conscious and dynamic. Out of the water hanging out with surfers from my own city and around the world sharing stories, watching movies, listening to music, reading books and magazines, participating groups like Andrew Couldwell’s Club of the Waves and WildCoast help me to connect. But really all I have to do is enter the ocean to feel a part of something greater than myself.

Drift: Can you describe the difference between surfing and painting?
MF: Surfing is a series of beautiful ephemeral moments. Experiencing one for a short while, letting it go and then finding it in another wave in a different moment. Painting, for me, crystallises these transient moments of surfing and life, making them tangible.

Drift: What is the key to the perfect picture?
MF: My paintings, once finished, always feel complete. Perfect isn’t the right word to describe them. So instead, the key to completing a painting for me is understanding its meaning in relation to myself. My paintings illustrate narratives that serve as a beginning and are finished based upon personal experience. Once I figure out my personal story for a painting the physical process of creation flows, things fall into place and the painting completes itself.

Drift: What do you think you will be doing in maybe 10 years?
MF: I would like be living in a small beach town with my own family, supporting myself through what I create, travelling to metropolitan areas for art shows and business. Except friends tell me that in 10 years you end up doing something that you never expected and it is better than what you planned. So I am open to what will happen and will enjoy it as it comes.

Drift: Do you have a motto by which you live your life?
MF: It isn’t tangible, I express it through my actions, how I live. It is based upon integrity, respect and dedication. But since you asked for one, and I figure that I should have one, I came up with this: Dream to create, create to dream. It seems more like an artists’ statement though and could really be create to dream, dream to create…

www.meeganfeori.com