NORTH SHORE ANY WEEKEND AFTERNOON!

like Morgan Freeman in Shawshank on his way to Mexico!

A career in art was a secret dream that I didn't even tell myself out loud until I was in my mid-twenties.  At the time I was traveling around the surf destinations of the world wondering what I was meant to do with the abyss of time in front of me.  It was a white fog that I did everything I could to avoid staring into.

The panicky feeling started after I graduated, I didn't know what to do with myself: I had a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting, possibly the most useless piece of paper anyone has ever paid tuition for.  I knew I wasn't an actor after second year but at my family's urging I finished my degree.   I traveled abroad in the summers to surf, skate and see what else was out there.  (those summers are another story, which deserve a whole entry)

At that time in my mid-twenties when I discovered I wanted to be an artist I was living on the North Shore of Oahu surfing and cleaning vacation rentals for free rent.  I budgeted $50 a week for food and shared a shack with 5 boys, 4 cats and bedbugs.
Life was so  great when it was good:  I got to surf and skate and live like ferrel teenager.  Most of the rest of the time wasn't fun: it rained for a biblical 48 days straight my first winter so no matter what time of day or night, everything was damp, the surf was big and messy forEVER, the vacation rentals were over crowded so there was twice the work just to pay for the bed in a shack and on top of everything my food money was running out.

There was this pivotal day I got a call from my boss about a complaint that I didn't scrub a toilet to the guest's standards and I would have to go back and do it again.  As I scrubbed the inside rim of the uptight Norwegian guest's toilet, trying to explain that it wasn't a bad job, rather the old toilet had been stained because the porcelain was worn away... I started wondering if this was the best I could do in life.  A panicky feeling welled up inside and without knowing what I was going to do or say, I walked to the office with a combination of seething anger and utter defeat.

The lady that owned the vacation rentals always seemed cold to me, and I got the feeling she didn't really care to hear problems unless they were disrupting business.  I opened the door and said something to the effect of "I can't do this anymore.  I work twice as hard as the boys do because I'm the only one who does a decent job, on any given week my mattress is either full of bedbugs or full of bug poison, I'm living off the food left by your guests when they leave and no matter how hard I scrub the oldest toilet in the world, it will NEVER appear clean!"  She took a moment, looked me over and asked "can you drive?"

I ended up driving her 13 year old son to his private school in Honolulu 4 days a week, a job which afforded me my own room and $100 a week!  I was so happy with my good fortune that I didn't even notice that my 6 months were up and I was supposed to go back to Canada.. besides  I couldn't!  Not now!  I was finally living comfortably and the winds of destiny were blowing in my direction, what if I missed that special once in a lifetime discovery that would change the course of my existence?!!

In the year I drove Conner to school, I spent a lot of afternoons killing time in Honolulu waiting to pick him up.  I didn't lay around on the beach or shop. Waikiki wasn't my thing and I had no money for shopping so I spent most afternoons in the university library looking up books on favorite artists and how-to books on figure drawing... I figured I had some good stories that would work in autobiographical comic form but I just needed some artistic skills to pull them off.  I'd never been to school for art, but I'd been drawing my whole life, it was just something I was compelled to do.   I had stacks of sketchbooks at home in Canada and with this new windfall of $100 a week, picked up some supplies and started drawing again.  This time it was different though because I had a whole day to devote to it and I treated those afternoons like school.  When I picked up Conner, I'd ask him what he learned that day and he'd look through my book to see how my drawing was coming along.  I think having someone to answer to at the end of the day was the biggest motivator to gain the technical skills and start executing my own original ideas.  He was a creative kid himself and I really valued his opinion.   Not long after, I started doing sweet graphics for his surfboards. Next came a little series of paintings inspired by our after school surf sessions (some I joined in on if the surf was small, and some I stayed on the shore taking in the beauty of North Shore life as an observer).  He told me I should get my work up at the Pupukea Starbucks, which I asked about but I was told it was the domain of a local artist.   Fate stepped in:  not 3 days later, I got a call from Starbucks telling me the local artist was moving to Maui and the space was available!  After that things moved pretty fast, the owner of Wyland Galleries noticed my work and I got an offer to hang at the gallery, Freesurf did an article on me and I was being commissioned by people I never dreamed I'd meet in real life!   It seemed pretty clear that it was the beginning of a career in art.

Eventually I did have to go home to Canada and face the music regarding my massive overstay in America, but I've made it work for the last couple years by commuting back and forth as much as I can, trying not to miss anything important, (but sometimes feeling painfully out of the loop).  Although it's a struggle to keep the momentum going, I've managed in the mean time to become an official Triple Crown Artist, do shows as far away as Brazil and Denmark, and get my work published in several magazines.  Fate gave me a huge series of opportunities and I'm not going to let it go easily.  I just got back from the North Shore a couple weeks ago and I've made the decision that I'll do whatever it takes get back to the place where my life as an artist began so I can see where it takes me next!

-SHINN

I finally got back to Oahu after 4 months of Canadian winter and everything was magical again. The drive to the North Shore (which I usually ignore because I'm in mid afternoon traffic) seemed so beautiful and bright...After months of getting used to the gray and the mysterious historic misty muddy beauty of Canada, Hawaii was like a Pantone chart of colours or a photoshop world where the saturation was turned up to 100.
After sleeping off my jetlag, my friend Conner and I went over to Cholo Steve's place who has a pool (skate kind) in his backyard. (the one in the painting below). He's the guy in the picture skating. He bought the original painting so that was sweet. Plus Jay Adams,was the one taking the picture in the painting, I got to meet him and he's been my ultimate skate hero since I started skating! I didn't know I was going to meet him that day and coincidently I was wearing my "Jay Adams" shirt (blue plaid like the one he wore on the poster of Dogtown & Z-Boys). I wish I could go back in time to the day I bought it and started wearing it so I could tell myself "Hay guess what, 8 years from now you'll be wearing that shirt when you meet him in person!" Made my whole trip. 
The next days was a shark dive tour organized as a belated birthday present.  It was one of those activities that I just never did because it was a tourista thing, but after an unbeleavable half hour in the water with 20-25 16 foot Galapagos sharks, I was convinced.  I went to the Wyland gallery right after to set up for the weekend's show and it was really exciting to get my new work up on the wall! I finally got my own full wall all to myself!  I've been working hard for a long time to make happen and it was nice to take a moment and enjoy the result!
Show time was the Saturday of Easter weekend and i was nervous as usual.  I was there early and it didn't take long to fill up.The art party was also the after party for the Tidal 9 Women's Pipeline Pro. There were a lot of pros from the contest and I was nervous to circulate, but pretty soon the awesome girls at the gallery were getting me talking to people.  (I'm not good in crowds, I get shy).  I even got to talk to Rochelle Ballard, who I've seen around the North Shore for ages but never had a good reason to introduce myself.  I used "hay, I'm a Piper Girls ambassador too!" as my excuse and pretty soon I was talking it up with a long time hero!
I had another show in Waikiki, which was a bit last minute and not very well advertised.   I didn't put much hope in the results of the show, but it was actually pretty good!  While it may not have been advertized, you can always count on Waikiki for walk by traffic.  I stayed over at the Wyland hotel and after a couple post show beers, ended my long standing Karaoke virginity.  The chosen song was America by Simon and Garfunkel (a tribute to a country that has given me so much magic).  It seemed like I was just settling in and it was time to fly back to Canada (sadly, the authorities only gave me 2 weeks this trip, which still happens every once in a while as a result of an over-stay years ago).  It was expecially tough to say goodbye to my hanai family this time because my visit was so short, but it also gave me big incentive to get in line at the US embassy when I got back to Canada and file for the proper papers so I can stick around and make art!  Meh, enough of that boring stuff...
I got back to Toronto in the middle of a wind storm and slept for 16 hours.  I woke up just in time to get to my next show at The Bait Shop Gallery, a wicked art gallery with a half pipe in it!  The show was a display of 20 different artist's work on skate decks for sale to benefit the Princess Margret Cancer Hospital.  I got to meet some art heros and got some really nice feedback on my deck. 
Although it's sad that the shows are over for now, my favorite part of the end is the beginning.  I'm now excited to get back to my studio and start the whole process over again!

I'm spending my last 5 days in Canada in 65 degree wet rainy springtime mudpuddly weather and I kind of love it.  This is the first year I actually spent most of the winter in Canada so I paid my dues to be able to watch springtime unfold.  The rich brown mud and dead grass will soon be sprouting with the green shoots of the brightest most fragrent flowers of the year.  I've tapped the last of the maple trees and have been boiling all weekend to make maple syrup.  For those who don't have a chance to enjoy this process, the maple trees are tapped for the early spring sap which is clear and watery with a slight sugary taste.  That is boiled down until 96% of the water has evaporated (an all day process) and what's left is a dark amber coloured liquid that tastes great on pancakes!  If you boil it down too much, you get maple sugar, which is great on ice cream. 
Although the syrup could be purchaced at the grocery store for much less than the time it takes to make... there's something magical about the process.  What I like the most is the feeling of connection I get to the people who enjoyed the land before me by following this ancient springtime ritual.
In 5 days I'll be drinking young coconuts and enjoying guava butter on toast, but until then I'll be having a great time mucking around in the wind and rain looking around for signs of spring.

Here is my interpretation of sap collecting:






For those who are in the area, here are some upcoming shows:


WYLAND NORTH SHORE- ALL GIRL'S SURF ART SHOW- APRIL 11-12

Wyland Gallery, North Shore in Haleiwa will be holding a women's surf art show in conjunction with the Tidal 9 Women's Pipeline Pro. SHINN along with other female surf artists will be around the gallery on the 11th-12th, painting, meeting, greeting and...eating. If you're in the area, stop by to check out the new work and snag some pupus.

*JUMPING FLEA- CHINATOWN BOARDROOM, HONOLULU - APRIL 1ST*

Along with a select group of surf artists, SHINN is proud to have been chosen to paint a custom ukelele for the JUMPING FLEA show at the CHINATOWN BOARDROOM GALLERY. The show will be up for the month of April.

Show Dates
April 1st - 25th, 2009

Opening Reception
Wednesday April 1st, 2009 6 - 8 pm

Gallery Hours
Tues. - Sat., 11am - 4 pm

Chinatown Boardroom
1160 Nuuanu Ave., Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
808.585.7200
www.chinatownboardroom.com

TRIPLE CROWN 2008




After all the months of preparation and design time, the endless emails to print houses and sponsor companies, the worrying and wondering about the end product...  In a few short weeks, I went from being an official "Triple Crown Artist" to being a fromer "Triple Crown Artist".  it was a bit sad to watch the last of the tents pack up and the crowds move on, but occuring in that small space of time between the Ali'i and Pipemasters were some of the most surreal and unbelievable moments of my life.  In fact, after all the looking to the future I've been doing for years, this winter I did a lot of looking back at where I started from on the island.
Signing autographs as the Ali'l contest was a day I never thought I'd experience!  It was only 5 years ago that I was reveling at the opportunity to help add the judges scores for a Menehune contest with my boss's daughter.  It was actually the first time I felt invited behind the curtian of everyday North Shore.  This year, sitting in the VANS booth with my friend (and fellow Triple Crown artist Heather Brown), a perfect view of the contest and a constant flow of autograph seekers, caused me to stiffle a huge open mouthed grin most of the afternoon.
Living near Sunset, I stopped by the contest site everyday.  Randy (Triple Crown producer) was kind enough to get me hooked up with a VIP pass.  Though I was told I could go anywhere with it, it took me all day of milling about the contestent area to get the courage to walk in.  I met this girl Hanalei from Tahiti a couple days before and we'd been hanging out a lot.  She mentioned she was meeting her friend Pedro who just flew in from Mexico at the contest so she'd walk over with me... without even thinking I said "What's his last name?"  Turns out it's the same Pedro I hadn't seen in years and just like that I have a friend in common with a girl I just met from Tahiti.  Seriously though, how many Pedros are in the world?  We became fast friends that week, spending many days surfing, eating 'cereals' (which sounds so adorable in a french accent), painting googly eyes on our toenails... it just seemed natural that we would know the same Pedro.
Back to the contest, Hanalei forced me to stop being a chicken shit and we watched the contest with the contestants and their friends.  Her being the surf princess of Tahiti, she introduced me to some of my favorites, including my biggest surf hero Taj Burrow.  Taj and his coach invited us for a game of shuffleboard at Turtle Bay!  Looking back 5 years ago when I cleaned hotel rooms, I found a book about surfing written by Taj that someone had left behind.  I took it home and it became a text book for surfing and a friend when I didn't have one.  Meeting the real Taj all I wanted to do was yell Ron Burgundy-like "I READ YOUR BOOK, YOU'RE MY PRETEND FRIEND, I LOVE YOUUUUU not romantically but I wish you were my friend in real LIIIIFE".  An instinct I'm glad to have surpressed.  This was the one person in all of surfdom that I never thought I'd actually meet in real life.  Life is so funny that way, especially on the North Shore.  I've lost track of the amount of coincidental circumstances I end up involved in a long time ago.
Anyway back to Sunset...  Hanalei and I cheered for her new boyfriend, Patrick Gadakas, we drank MANY Rockstar Energy Drinks made new friends.  As an artist, I spend a lot of time in seclusion...that day made up for every party I missed out on during the year!  That night I went all or nothing and hit up a house party!  I don't even remember how I found out about it but basically 5 of us showed up with beers and ready to get rowdy.... we walk up to the main floor and realize that it's a grom party.  ALL groms.  Like if someone set off a bomb in there, they would literally kill the future of pro surfing.  We decided to go upstairs and start an adult party.  A word of caution if you're ever in this position: don't leave your beer in the fridge with a room full of eleventeen year olds.  It will not be there when you get back and you'll be forced to drink Wiskey and lo-carb Rockstar. 
It wasn't long before the adult party took over all three floors of the house and things got rowdy.  I decided that my semi-hermit lifestyle was over and I was going to keep the party going for the rest of my life!!  Until the next morning... when I was awakened by the teenage boys I'd promised to go hiking with the next day.  Early.  This wasn't just any hike, this was scaling Pupukea on a hunt for wild boar... another story for another time though.  My favorite experience of the whole year needs it's own entry. 

Thanks for following along, hope you enjoyed!  I won't leave you hanging for long so keep checking back!!


SHINN

 
This week has been full of "hellos"... hello to the North Shore after being away 3 months, hello to my hanai family, the big waves and humid air, hello again to love and heartache, hello to secret places and hideouts, to chilly nights, a house full of puppies, to the trail of sand that follows me everywhere I go....
I got my big box of Triple Crown shirts this week (my design was chosen as official Triple Crown merchandise) and even though I was given a generous amount to give away to friends and family, I'm already running out!  The design printed well and I'm very happy with it.  Unfortunately the towel design ended up with a very large white border around it for some reason.  I'm not stressing about it too much though, I'm already mentally gunning for next years design.  
This weekend I will be painting at the Wyland Gallery North Shore with my good friend Heather Brown (designer of the Women's Triple Crown poster).  If you're in the area, please stop by and say hello we'd love to meet you.  It's the Wyland in Haleiwa (North Shore Marketplace across from Quicksilver)
Much aloha...

Christie

Hay everyone, the show's this friday and I'll be pulling an all nighter tonight and probably a late night tomorrow to get everything ready!  Below are some new pieces I've been working hard on. 

I'm leaving for the Island again at the end of the month, but I'll be doing one last show at the Castle Gallery in Toronto (24th Oct).  For anyone visiting the city at that time, it should be an awesome show with lots of beer, wine and art.  (I will post more deails soon)  Here's a small preview of that will be up that night: