First Customers

These two hats were for my first customer. My friend Jeff bought these for himself and his girl friend. They were super stoked on the hats and Jeff said he has been getting a bunch of compliments on it since he has started wearing it. Thanks for the support Jeff!

New Exploration

Here is a new 5'9'' single fin I am shaping for a good friend of mine. This is going to be the 8th board I have shaped and I just want to say I have the greatest respect for anyone who shape surfboards. The first board I shaped awhile back was more out of curiosity than anything else, just to see how the process of making a surfboard really worked. After hacking out my first board my curiosity grew because I knew what I did wrong the first time (which was just about everything imaginable) and wanted to correct it on the next one. So this curiosity has now brought me up to board #8 and I still have many more mistakes to correct. But shaping a board is a lot of fun for me because there is constant learning involved and the satisfaction of finishing a large project like this is feels good. Slowly but surely my baords are getting a little better each time, almost to the point where I can pass them off as functioning surfboards...

My good friend was brave enough to let me shape him a board so we have collaborated and came up with this, 5'9'' round tail single fin, with a double concave on the deck. We were inspired with the idea of a concave deck after watching a clip of Ryan Birch riding a fish with a single concave deck www.http://www.korduroy.tv/2009/ryan-burch-pink-fish-pt-1 found on korduroy.tv As he explains, the whole idea is the same concept as a skateboard deck, there is a more grippy and connected feeling with the board because of the curved surface of the deck. As of now the board just needs to go through finish sanding and it will be ready for the funnest and by fun I mean most stressful part for me, glassing.

Stay tuned for more updates on the production of this board!

Crow Quill Pen & Ink

This is an assignment I recently finished for my Rendering class. The assignment was entitle Metaphorical Self Portrait. I used a crow quill pen (pictured below) with regular black calligraphy ink. Old technology with beautiful results. 14" x 16" hot press illustration board.

Surfboard Art

This is what first got me interested in the idea of functional art. All of my boards looked the same, white foam with a sand finish. I wanted to personalized my surfboards so they did not look just like everyone else's, so I decided to paint them. Surfboards are a great canvas and this was a fun and easy way to incorporate art into my daily life. I realized art does not have to be a delicate oil painting stuck on a wall, it can be tangible and common without depreciating the value and beauty of the work. I believe art should be interacted with and a surfboard is a great example of just that. So I will stop myself there from going on a huge tangent. But, here are some of the surfboards i have painted over the past couple of years. Three of the boards are mine and the sword fish and crane bird are my friends' boards. Last I heard the sword fish board was snapped in half and left in Tahiti somewhere. Not a bad place be.

Enjoy.

They are Up!!!

Brand new surf inspired hand painted trucker hats are now available at www.cruxsurf.com. Check them out! They are painted to order so its as custom as it gets.

***COMING SOON!!!***

A few of my hand painted hats will soon be available on www.cruxsurf.com. Crux Surf is a new up and coming website dedicated to catering to the core surfer, the true hero that has made the surf industry into what it is today, not the masses. Crux Surf is all about only carrying local grassroots surf brands. For an easy way to get the gear you need without shuffling through all of the mainstream logo infested products that are at your local mall, check out cruxsurf.com! The online store for surfers and by surfers.

Don't forget to check back for more news about Designs by Bowman hats at cruxsurf.com!

New Hat!

Just finished a new hat this weekend. Only in our dreams off shore and no one out. If this really existed there would be 100 guys in the water, a charter boat out the back, and resorts lining the beach.........

But it is the on going search of finding this dream that keeps many surfers, including myself, getting back into the ocean day in and day out.

Hand Painted Hats

All hats are adjustable trucker hats. I hand paint these hats using acrylic paint with a UV and waterproof coating. They are weather proof and ready for action. I am very interested in the idea of functional art. Wearing something original is a nice change from the logo and branded life we live in now. These one of a kind hats are an exploration of this idea. My hats are an inexpensive way to enjoy art and look stylish! If you like any of the hats above they are available between $20-$25. To keep in the spirit of uniqueness the hats are painted to order. I will paint any ocean or nature inspired idea you might have, for example, your favorite surf spot or sea animal. Personalized hats are available for the same price. Here are a few of the newest hats I have been working on.