Foam E-Z's fuNKy FieldTrip To Drew Brophy's Studio In The Surf Ghetto

It’s been a little while since we took a Funky Field Trip but this one is definitely worth the wait… We headed down to the San Clemente Surf Ghetto and popped in to see Drew Brophy.  Drew welcomed us with open arms and lots of story.  As we walked through the door prominently displayed was the Foam E-Z 20 Year Anniversary board that Drew painted as a present for us.  My first thought and feeling was of all the colorful paintings on the walls and other Brophy paraphernalia perched throughout his studio. 

As we entered he showed us his studio where all his amazing paintings get created.  From there we headed into Maria’s (Drew's wife and business partner) office/meeting room, this is where all the Brophy product samples get QC’d, and the business ideas come to life.  In this room were Converse Allstar shoes, skateboard grip tape, IPhone cases, water bottles, skateboards, body boards, motocycle helmets, and more, all with Drew’s art displayed on them.  Pretty amazing stuff for someone who first hit the seen as the artist who did “pen art” on LOST Surfboards.  As we made our way through his building we came to a kind of “catch all” room where the Brophy’s keep their inventory, stretch canvases and pack and ship stuff.  Last but not least we were invited into Drew’s office.  The walls were layered with some of most brightly colored and unique artwork I have seen.  Not to mention the size of the original pieces, some had to be 4’ by 6’ or bigger, simply overwhelming to the eye and brain.  In addition to the artwork Drew had his computer where he answers emails and does all of his computer stuff. 

As we meandered through the building Drew talked about his business, the inspiration for his different art pieces, the history of how he got to where he is today, his motivations behind his artwork, his amazing travels, and basically chatted about all things life.  Drew told us stories of the early years of painting the LOST boards and how it helped influence a number of today’s surfboard artists.   Drew and his family travel quite a bit for work and play often spending time in the mountains as well as taking surf trips.

I really want to thank Drew for taking the time to show us around his shop.  Also, thanks for the incredible 20 Year Anniversary paint job on my board.  That was an awesome field trip, I'm still trying to get my head around all the amazing artwork!!!