Surfers Paradise and Bamboo Beach Are Back : 30 Years of Surf Art

Our next Vintage Art Release features two artworks that go together: Surfers Paradise and Bamboo Beach.

These two paintings were created in the early 2000s. Looking back now, I realize they weren't just paintings—they captured a moment when everything in my life as an artist was about to change.

At the time, Maria and I were starting life in our little house in San Clemente with our new baby, Dylan. Maria still had a "real job," but all we wanted was for her to be home with us. We had a dream, but no roadmap. Just faith, a good work ethic, and the belief that somehow my art could become something bigger.

I would paint in my little back yard while Dylan played in the dirt beside me. We made simple little 11”x14” art prints of the paintings and sold them for $20 each. Every single one was made on our kitchen table. We’d mat them in black, attach my bio and website to the back, slide them into clear bags, and ship them off to surf shops all over the country.

The sales took off and to this day, I still walk into people's homes and find one hanging on the wall. I'm always amazed they still look so good after all these years.

Until then, most people knew me as the guy who painted surfboards. These prints introduced them to something new; whimsical, colorful ocean landscapes filled with the joy I felt every time I looked at the sea.

Between painting sessions, the three of us would load up and tour the coastlines visiting friends, doing live paintings at surf shops and surfing, living the dream.

Then something happened that changed everything.

The internet was brand new. Most people didn't even own a computer yet, but we were one of the first artists to have a website, thanks to our friend Joe Parsons, who built me a website just for fun. Every print had our website printed on the back, and people were excited just to discover cool websites.

Almost overnight, orders started coming in online.

Everything got faster.

Every day we were shipping stacks of prints to surf shops and fans. Our little house turned into a factory. Foam core, mats, prints, bags, glue sticks... every room became part of the assembly line. Even the people at the post office couldn't believe how much we were shipping.

Then came the moment I'll never forget.

Our first real big customer was Swell.com. Back then they mailed printed catalogs that directed people to order online. They featured four of my art prints.

One day, the fax machine rang.

An order for 400 prints of one design came through.

Maria and I looked at each other and jumped for joy.

Before we could even celebrate, the fax machine started printing again.

Another order.

600 prints of the second design.

Then another order printed for 1,200.

And then another and another!

The machine kept going off. We had hit on something big.

All four designs sold over 1,200 prints each that weekend.

We stood there staring at that machine, completely floored. In that moment we both knew — this wasn't a hobby anymore, this was a business. We were going to need more space. And Maria was finally going to quit her job.

Just like that, everything changed.

And, we knew we weren't just making art anymore—we were building a life that would allow us to travel the world together, on our own terms.

I was 31 at the time, and only six years earlier, when I was 25, I had visualized this exact life. Watching it unfold was one of the greatest feelings I've ever experienced.

These two paintings remind me of that season—the uncertainty, the excitement, the long days, the big dreams, and the moment those dreams started becoming reality.

Surfer’s Paradise and Bamboo Beach is available now on canvas in two sizes for the first time in twenty years! 18”x24” and 24”x32” signed and numbered of 25. I am also hand signing 14”x18” Vintage paper prints that we have kept in my achieves from 25 years ago, there not many left so get them while they last.

I hope you liked this story - it was fun to reflect on.

Life is Good.

—Drew