Sidetracked

I have to admit, when I bought my longboard a few years ago, I was fished in by the way it looked. After all, it has these colorful tropical fish near the nose and a retro-looking wood veneer on the back half.

Pretty cool.

But it’s not exactly a performance board. In fact, it’s super heavy, it’s clunky in the waves and paddles about as well as a knobby old log.

So perhaps I would have been better off buying a board that performed better that could be dressed up a bit. If only Charlie Clingman had offered a class back then . . .

Clingman, an artist/surfer, is offering a class on surfboard art through the San Luis Obispo Art Center, beginning August 11. Klingman is part of a collective called Forever Stoked, which — you might have guessed — produces ocean- and surf-related artwork. The painting at the top, of the Piedras Blancas lighthouse, is one Clingman created.

I also like this one he did of Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County:

Speaking of local surfers, tomorrow’s Ticket will feature two surfers. Sort of by coincidence, fellow features writer Sarah Linn and I each did a story on two bearded acoustic guitar musicians/surfers with Cayucos ties. Both Shane Stoneman, who works in Cayucos (see video of him here), and Joe Koenig, who lives there, have new CDs out this month.

And — to top it off — they look alike. Check it out. Here’s Stoneman:

 And here’s Koenig:

Photos of Stoneman and Koenig: Joe Johnston

Posted on August 6th, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: Surf stuff