We hand-select individuals from our community to hear the stories behind their designs.
Hi Max, Welcome to the SurfPaints Interview Series!
1. Can you introduce yourself? Age, location, occupation, surfing experience?
My name is Max I'm a 64-year-old kid and after working as a Senior Project Manager in a multinational IT company I recently had the opportunity to retire. I have been windsurfing for 35 years and sup surfing for more than ten. I live in Rome (Italy) where we fortunately have the sea just a few kilometers away. Parallel to my passion for the sea, I am a lover of fine arts, I enjoy writing and taking pictures (I collaborate with SUPNEWSMAG magazine ) , making videos and especially painting. In the past I also had the opportunity to participate in exhibitions. Now that I have a little more time I collaborate with a nonprofit organization teaching creative painting to children and youth.
2. What made you want to paint your SUP?
I believe that creativity is a trait that we must always nurture in everything we do. I have always thought about how I could combine these two passions, surfing and painting, and when I saw some videos on using SurfPaint's, I knew it was time.
3. What SUP did you paint, and why that one?
The one I painted is my favourite board. It is a custom wave SUP board, "The Local" model 90 litres, very fast and maneuverable in the waves. It was custom-made for me by Maicol Pardini, the shaper of Two Elements. I wanted to customise it further with a design and colours that would make it even more unique
4. Where do you get your inspiration from?
I like dream subjects. What we dream is the result of the reworking of our emotions, what we do, and the emotions it brings to us. Being able to show them is like visualising these reworkings and making them visible.
5. How do you rate your artistic skills?
I have always enjoyed drawing and painting. Like all the things we like that give us emotions, I tried over time to deepen all aspects of it and gain experience. Painting, customising, making my board unique was an opportunity to combine two passions, surfing and painting, and explore this new
6. Roughly how long did it take to complete?
There are two phases to consider when approaching such an activity, even painting a surfboard. A creative phase and an operational phase. Initially, one focuses on the subject by thinking without limits about what one wants to paint and why. You draw some sketches and explain how to bring them back to the board. Painting a rough, clean board is different from painting a board (as in my case) already coloured. This is a phase for which it is not possible to estimate how long it will take because the idea comes to mind when you are not thinking about it, and that is why you have to fix it on a piece of paper right away.
Then we move on the operational phase where we deal with the painting technique (and here SurfPaints help so much) by adapting our design to the subject we are painting. In my case where the design is quite elaborate, it took me five sessions of about two hours each and another couple of hours for finishing.
7. Any tips for preparing the SUP before painting it?
It is essential to first clean the board thoroughly by removing wax and dirt. As a final step, after I have sanded with fine-grained paper the surface I am to paint (possibly drawing a pencil sketch of the design on the board first), I wipe an anti-silicone solvent, such as the one used by auto body store to clean the auto bodies before and after painting.
8. What was one tool or technique that helped you achieve this amazing design?
The way I prefer to paint surfaces such as those of a surfboard is not to cover the surface to be coloured entirely but to pass the marker quickly, leaving small gaps. In the second step, when the previous colour is dry, overlay another colour, thus obtaining shades. You can also use an additional colour at a later stage, for example, when finishing the subject.
Another interesting way I used was to quickly tap with the tip of one or two SurfPaint markers of different colours on a small surface to be coloured, leaving drops, and before they dry, use a sponge to distribute the paint, obtaining beautiful and incredible shades.
9. What is your favourite thing about using Surfpaints?
SurfPaints are, in my opinion, a powerful tool for colouring your board. You can use them by filling, for example, geometric spaces or simulating graphics. In this case, they should be used very slowly, thus filling the space to be coloured evenly. Alternatively, you can use them as I described earlier in a more creative way. I had recently used SurfPaints in one of the classes I taught to kids and found them an easy and creative tool. Seeing SurfPaints being used on the boards sparked my imagination. I received a few days ago a request to colour another board for a natural surfer and one to hang on a wall of a beach vacation home.
10. One piece of advice you would like to give others about painting a surfboard for their first time?
For the inexperienced, I suggest starting with non-major drawings and exploring the use of SurfPaints, starting with graphic subjects. This way, you can work on already coloured boards, customizing them to your liking.
The important thing is to think well about the subject you want to paint, taking inspiration from SurfPaint videos or otherwise from images on the net.
The Fundamental is to finish well with a clear acrylic coat so as to fix the colours.
If you would like to be featured in our Interviewer series email Mathew@surfpaints.com