A portrait of the artist, Phil Goodrich.
My style is a blend of what I originally set out to do, what people told me I should do, and the compromise in between.
1983. My crew of 12-year-old dreamers were discussing the possibility of entering our first surfing competition. We rode our bikes down to Melbourne Beach where an ESA contest was in full swing. The Menehune division final was in the water and our minds were blown away by a tiny, dark-skinned prodigy on a fluorescent Kechele surfboard. For the next six years, until he joined the World Tour, Kelly Slater dominated us in every way. My childhood bedroom is littered with 4th and 5th place trophies and it took me a long time to come to grips with the fact that I would never make it as a professional surfer.
I decided to move to California and attend university to study art. Developing a fluid, effortless style in and out of the water became paramount. Studying portrait artists like Gustav Klimt and John Singer Sargent was like watching Kelly Slater surf. I didn’t reach their level of mastery, but developing a recognizable style was my way of carving out a niche in the world.
For many years, I tried portraiture and figurative painting using pastels on wood. In 2005, I switched to oil paint and continued with various types of figures on wood. I was able to sell some paintings but it was never easy and the question always came: “Do you paint waves?”
For whatever reason, I wasn’t interested in surf art. In late 2010, my wife and mother talked me into attempting a wave painting. I started with a small 10″ x 10″ painting of Lance’s Right on wood and posted it to Facebook. The response was relatively immediate. I got more “likes” than ever before and it sold within 24 hours. For the last three years, I’ve enjoyed exploring the genre of surf art. I am thankful to the photographers that have allowed me to base paintings on their photos. Recently, I have been experimenting with combining portraits and surf art.
See more of Phil’s work at www.philgoodrich.com, check out his Facebook page, and see more of his work and what inspires him on Instagram: @phil_goodrich_art
