Reflections on My First Surfside Studio Tour

Participating in my first surfside studio tour as an artist was a major step in my creative journey. I shared the space with three other talented artists ( Carolyn Clegg / Amanda Cashin Photography / Muddy Squirrel Studios ) and together we invited the local community into our world of art. For me, this was more than just an opportunity to showcase my work—it was a chance to connect with people who are passionate about creativity, and to step out of my comfort zone.

For the tour, I focused on a brand-new collection of paintings. As is common with my work, the pieces were inspired by my love of surfing and the dynamic movement of waves, which are central to my work. Surfing, for me, is a major source of inspiration that drives many aspects of my creative process. I often think of my paintings as an extension of that experience, capturing the energy, flow, and freedom that come with riding waves. Through my ongoing series, which I call “Themwaves”, I try to bring that sense of movement and adventure into my art, whether it's through a crashing wave or the subtle curves of a surfboard slicing through water.

In addition to my paintings, I also prepared a range of other products for the tour. I created stickers, postcards, limited edition prints, and a small run of t-shirts and long sleeve shirts, which offered visitors a different way to engage with my work. It was important to me to make my art accessible in a variety of formats, whether people were looking for a large, impactful piece or something more personal and portable. I loved seeing people connect with my work in these different forms.

As an introvert, agreeing to take part in this studio tour wasn’t easy. I’ve always found comfort in the quiet solitude of creating art, so the idea of putting myself out there is often a challenge, but one I continually make efforts to overcome, and this case was no different. The day turned out to be an incredibly rewarding experience. Meeting local supporters of my art, as well as people who were seeing my work for the first time, gave me new insights and perspectives. The feedback and conversations helped me see my art through the eyes of others, which was both inspiring and energizing.

What made this experience especially meaningful was how it reinforced the balance I’ve built between my art and my everyday life. For me, it's important to maintain a lifestyle that allows time for both my creative work and my love of surfing. Whether I’m painting or catching waves, both activities feed into one another and give me the space to grow artistically. This balance between work and play has always been important to me, and participating in this tour reminded me of how interconnected these two aspects of my life are.

Looking ahead, I’m excited to participate in more events like this. For now, most of the products I featured in the tour are available in my online shop, but I’m planning to do more in-person events in the future.

Waves of Inspiration

The ocean has always been a part of who I am. Growing up by the coast, I was surrounded by its rhythms, mysteries, and sheer power, which shaped my earliest memories and fueled my imagination. I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, and my influences have always been all over the map—everything from cartoons to the surreal worlds of Twin Peaks and even the raw emotion you find in Francis Bacon’s work. But it wasn’t until I spent over 15 years living in a landlocked area, far from the coast, that I really understood just how much the ocean meant to me. During that time, I started traveling to surf as often as I could, and I found myself constantly drawing ocean scenes and what I now call "Themwaves"—my love letter to the sea when I couldn’t be close to it.

My creative process is a lot like the waves I draw—always shifting, never still. I move between digital and traditional mediums pretty seamlessly, depending on what feels right in the moment. There’s something about the flexibility and vibrancy of digital tools that really lets me push the boundaries and experiment. I love playing with bold, sometimes unusual color combos and trying to create work that feels different but still belongs in a universe that’s consistent, even if it’s not quite our own. But I also have a deep love for the tactile side of creating—there’s nothing quite like drawing or painting and feeling the texture of the paper under your fingers. It’s grounding and reminds me why I do this in the first place.

When I sit down to draw, inspiration comes from all over—some of it’s pretty obvious, but a lot of it is subtle. Sometimes a photo in a magazine or a random scene from a movie will kickstart an idea, but other times, it’s the quirks of Garfield or Inspector Gadget that sneak their way in. I’ve also spent years w̶a̶r̶p̶i̶n̶g̶ m̶y̶ m̶i̶n̶d̶ listening to Coast to Coast and watching The X-Files, and those influences definitely add layers and little hidden elements to my work. I like to think that each piece I create is a mix of all these elements, even if I’m not always aware of it at the time.

In the end, my goal is always to create something that resonates on a few different levels. Whether I’m working digitally or traditionally, I want my art to be colorful and bright, full of life, and to spark a sense of wonder and curiosity—just like the universe itself.

themwaves and ufos?

Surfing and art have always been inseparable for me, and it's no wonder that waves and fun-loving UFOs keep showing up in my work. There's something about the flow of the ocean and the idea of these playful, otherworldly beings cruising through the cosmos that just clicks. It's like capturing that perfect wave – a blend of exhilaration and peace. Drawing these scenes feels like tapping into the same energy I get from being out on the water, where the coast’s endless horizon stretches out in front of me.

When I'm on the coast, whether it's catching waves or simply soaking in the ocean's vibe, I feel a connection to something bigger than myself. Surfing isn't just a sport; it's an art form in its own right. It's about balance, timing, and creativity – the same things that go into making art. Just like you have to read the ocean to find the best wave, I try to read my own creative currents to see where my imagination takes me. Sometimes that means drawing waves, other times it's about bringing in those UFOs, adding a bit of cosmic fun to the mix.

The coast, with its raw beauty and ever-changing moods, serves as a constant source of inspiration. The waves here aren't always perfect, but that's part of the charm. Each one is different, just like each piece of art I create. The coast teaches you to go with the flow, to adapt and find beauty in the unexpected. That’s what I try to capture in my drawings – that sense of freedom and spontaneity that comes from being open to whatever the ocean (or the universe) throws your way.

In a way, surfing and drawing are both about chasing a feeling. When I'm out on the water, it's that moment when you’re in sync with the wave, riding it effortlessly. In art, it’s when a piece starts to come together, when the lines, colors, and ideas all start to align. The UFOs I draw represent that playful, exploratory spirit – If they’re out there, they are cruising the star systems, just like surfers on a wave. It's about enjoying the ride, wherever it may take you.

Ultimately, my art is a reflection of my love for the ocean, the joy of surfing, and the thrill of letting my imagination run wild. The waves and UFOs might seem like an odd combo to some, but for me, they represent the perfect blend of earthly and cosmic adventures. Whether I’m sketching a gnarly wave or a cheeky alien catching some cosmic rays, it's all about embracing the fun, the unknown, and the endless possibilities that both art and the coast offer.

What the heck is a lobsterwolf?

In the annals of East Coast Canadian folklore, the Lobsterwolf emerges as a chilling enigma that first captured public imagination in 1978. According to local lore, this creature blends the massive claws of a lobster with the sleek, agile form of a wolf, surfacing from the tempestuous waters off the rugged Atlantic coastline during stormy nights. The 1978 sightings, reported by fishermen and sailors, described eerie encounters with glowing eyes piercing the darkness and a haunting howl that resonated with the roar of the ocean. These reports, steeped in mystery and tinged with fear, painted a picture of the Lobsterwolf as both a fearsome beast and an otherworldly guardian.

The legend of the Lobsterwolf quickly wove itself into the fabric of East Coast lore, with locals speculating that the creature was a sentinel of ancient maritime secrets or a spectral protector of the coast. Its unique blend of terrestrial and marine elements, combined with its supernatural presence, evokes a haunting sense of mystery. The story of the Lobsterwolf captures the imagination by merging the primal fear of a werewolf with the eerie, unexplored depths of the Atlantic, reflecting a compelling intersection of nature and myth that continues to fascinate and unsettle.

them driftwood waves

If i am not in the ocean, there is a strong possibility I am wandering the shoreline or a forrest nearby.

Walking the shoreline is different than walking in the woods though. Other than the obvious reasons, the beach never really feels the same. The magic of the ever changing tide keeps you on your toes. One day there is sand, the next day its gone and the cobblestones emerge, and its with these ebs and flows of the seas that the natural transportation of unique pieces of wood takes place.

My beach walks always seem to reveal “treasures” of all sorts. Mother nature seems to consistently find a way to provide pieces that speak to me. Not every piece is worth taking home, and that’s where the magic lives. I know as soon as i see a piece, whether it will work or not, and with that being the case, i usually have an armful pretty quick.

I have been painting “them dritwood waves” for a few years now, and usually I leave them behind in special places or end up gifting them as thank-you pieces. To date, I have amassed quite a collection and will be starting to make some of them available for sale in my webshop very soon.

Lawrencetown Surf Co. Mural

In recent years I have been fortunate to take on a few mural projects that have allowed me the opportunity to take my art to a bigger scale. It is a major shift to go from a 8x10 inch sketchbook to a 10 foot wide wall, and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t intimidating. That being said, I enjoy a challenge, and its been fun to explore the process and refine it over a few walls.

I was recently contacted by the awesome folks at Lawrencetown Surf Co. about a mural project they had in mind for a wall in the surf shop. I was stoked to dive in, and got to work drafting some concepts based on a photo of the wall. After some initial rough sketches, we all met up at the shop to get into the details. Its always fun to connect and collaborate with passionate folks like Nico and Jill, and after we shared some ideas and a few laughs, I left with a solid plan.

Mural work is all about the logistics, and the first step is to get the concept on the wall, which can be easier said then done. Doodle grids, and expensive projectors seem to be the standard approach but I wanted to try a quicker, cheaper approach with the awarness that it might not be perfect. I just wanted a way to get my sketch on the wall, so I could then tweak it as needed. I used a sheet of 8” x10” plastic and a sharpie to draw the concept, and then turned out the lights. I propped up my phone on the ladder and used the flashlight to project the delicately balanced artwork. It was a janky setup, but it did the trick.

Once the pencil work was on the wall, I started in with some paint markers. My plan was to paint the line art and color it all in like a large colouring book page.

I split up my time on the wall over a week, a few hours at a time, and it was so rad to be in and around the shop on a regular basis. The staff are all great and were super supportive of the work I was doing. I was stoked to hear all the positive feedback about the piece. looking forward to the next one.

A few still frames from the week:

Web shop is open

This past weekend we swung open the virtual doors at my webshop. Its been a long time coming. Like the blog I started the process multiple times, I just wasn’t able to finish the job for various reasons/excuses.

The shop will be open from time to time throughout the year as I work on new projects and collections. Primarily it will be merchandise products like t-shirts, postcards, stickers and prints, plus a few other unique products too. I also plan to occasionally make original artwork available.

If interested in shop opening and closing times, I will be making those announcements over on my instagram account @sisc_daily.

thanks again for the interest in my work.

Plank Design - 25th Anniversary Artwork

I wanted to take a minute to highlight another project from 2023. I was fortunate to be asked to take part in the 25th anniversary festivities of Plank, a design firm in Montreal, Canada. They were asking some of their favourite artists to re imagine their logo/name.

Usually my process starts with some freestyle drawing to see where my initial impulses would take me. The first word that came to mind when considering the project was “growth” as I had followed Plank’s work and watched their team expand over the years.

My first drawing was a very literal approach to the word, and after exploring multiple other drawings, that original attempt actually ended up being the final artwork that I presented.

I was humbled to be one of the selected artists to take part, and I would recommend checking out the other artworks that were created, and the biographies of each artist.

Waves and Woods magazine - artist profile

A few months back, the good folks at Waves and Woods magazine were in touch to ask if I would be interested in an artist profile for one of their upcoming issues. I was honored to receive an invite to grace the pages of such a beautiful magazine. The team does an amazing job at crafting these curated gems. Fortunately, I have my artwork displayed on multiple-page spreads and a write-up where I answered some of the foundational questions they routinely ask their featured artists. 

The issue (#35) was just released recently, and if interested, they are available for purchase on their website.

Bike Trip - Prince Edward Island End to End (307 KM)

2023 has come and gone, I wanted to take a few minutes to document five of those 365 days that stand out when I think back on the year.

Back in September, my wife and I biked across Prince Edward Island. As recreational bikers, it was an accomplishment to complete the 307km trip over 5-days. Growing up on the island, biking from tip to tip wasn’t really something I thought about or even heard of people doing. Once I started researching it, I learned it was a popular trek for some hikers and bikers alike and multiple operators offer guided and self-guided tours. We opted to plan it on our own, so we got to work to determine the best daily distances for us and booked some rooms at hotels along that route. We then set a training schedule to help us build up our endurance incrementally until we were comfortably doing longer rides.

Here is a quick breakdown of the route we took …

Day 1 - North Point to Mill River - 56KM

Having never attempted a bike trip like this, we were both excited as well as a little apprehensive. We wondered what the next five days would hold. Would our bikes make it? Would our bodies hold up? Unfortunately, these weren’t the only concerns on our minds because the evening before we set off, a news bulletin broke with the story of a sword wielding assailant who had attacked some beachgoers in the exact location where we would be starting our journey. Local authorities were advising people to be vigilant in that location because the suspect was still at large. We made a point to “shift gears" (see what I did there?) and focus on our nervous excitement and set up our bikes for the trip. We hit the road around 9 am and made our way along the main road to the town of Tignish where there is a trailhead that marks the official starting point of the trail. The first day distance was 56km and while it was quiet on the route we made multiple stops for snacks and lunch,and arrived in Mill River around 3pm, and I am thankful to report there were no sword encounters to document, but to this day that suspect is still at large, and its a story will be talked about for many years to come.

Day 2 - Mill River to Summerside - 72 KM

Started the day with a hotel breakfast and a good stretch session. Back on the trail and the weather was again cooperating with the sun and just a slight breeze. The day was primarily flat and we made stops for rests, snacks, and lunch. In the final part of the day where we started the approach into Summerside, the terrain shifted to have a longer gradual uphill section, that felt even more uphill seeing that it was the end of the day. A great challenge to cap off day 2 of the trip.

Day 3 - Summerside to Charlottetown - 67 KM

Another hotel breakfast and a stop at a local sandwich shop to pickup our packed lunches and we were on our way. We were staying in the heart of downtown Summerside, and it’s great that the trail goes right through town, so you have a lot of food options to load up on as need be. A nice cool start to the day, but eventually it turned into another perfect late summer day and 15 degrees. The terrain was flat leaving Summerside which made for a nice experience while biking past large farm fields and forests. This leg eventually would have some nice gradual downhill sections, especially leaving Kensington and approaching Hunter River which made for a great morning ride. We arrived in Charlottetown in the late afternoon. I was having some issues with my bike so, thankfully MacQueens (a local bike shop) was able to make some much-needed, last-minute repairs and get my bike trail ready again. We stayed with family and refueled on great food and hospitality and were reading to tackle day 4.

Day4 - Charlottetown to St. Peters - 57 KM

Another early start to the day, and were happy to be back on the trail. We were feeling good and made great time on this day. The entire trail offers lots of great views of island life, but this leg of the trek arguably offers some of the best vistas of the tip-to-tip journey. That section entering St. Peters Bay is quintessential PEI. We stayed the night at the MYSA spa which was a nice way to wrap up the day and soak some sore muscles.

Day 5 - St. Peters to East Point - 55 KM

The final leg of our five day journey. We made a quick stop at the Black and White cafe to load up on goodies (scones, muffins…so good@) and we also packed some of their sandwiches for later in the day and hit the trail. We were energized by the thought of accomplishing our goal today and set a good pace. We stopped for lunch at the official end point of the trail in Elmira to mark the official trail section and continued on the road to the end of the road at the East Point Lighthouse. Happy to be able to mark this achievement and we look forward to tackling more of these kinds of trips in the future.

Photography is a "sometimes" thing for me

Drawing is a daily routine of mine. Some might call it a habit or an addiction at this point, hence the name sisc_daily.

The drawing will continue, there really is no way around that one, but another medium I have always played around with over the last 20 years is photography.

I probably started with one of those disposable cameras. They were always so fun to take on a weekend road trip. 27 exposures meant you had to choose wisely. It was so fun to drop that thing off and wait to get the pictures developed. Most of the time there were 3 photos with a finger in front of the lens, and 4 were blank for some reason. but sometimes there would be that one unintended gem in the mix. I am grateful to have spent a bunch of years in the days of film to appreciate what was to come with the digital invasion.

For better or worse, the digital camera showed up on the scene, and I was all in. I remember saving up to get a Kodak DC3400 back in the year 2000, that thing was a tank, and surprisingly took really good low-light photographs. I would take it to shows and I would be the guy asking the band to take a selfie (before that was even a thing).

While artwork takes a lot of my time, I am still taking photos occasionally, and if interested, I have started a separate Instagram account where I share them sometimes, hence the account name @sisc_sometimes.

Sporadic in nature

Wow, I did it! I actually published this thing. turns out it wasn’t that tough after all. I think I have attempted to launch this “blog” about nine times now.

I have written articles with the intention of regularly publishing them over the years, but for one reason or another, I haven’t ever actually pushed the button to make it happen. I think I have actually had “start a blog” as a New Year’s resolution for the past four years. Apparently, I am not much for resolutions.

I named the blog “Sporadic Musings” to set some realistic expectations for this venture. Thoughts and ideas come and go and I will usually save them in my phone. They range from art project ideas, stories, poems, book recommendations, music reviews, dreams, and a bunch of other random stuff. I am going to use this as the foundation for this blog.

No schedules, no themes, just sporadic musings…