Featured Artist with Ventana Surfboards & Supplies
November 5, 2022
Years ago when Ventana Surfboards & Supplies were just getting fired up I was still working as a freelance journalist in between field biology gigs. I wrote the first article about their incredibly beautiful and functional surfboards built with mostly reclaimed lumber. Since then they have grown and doubled down on their commitment to artisanship, social and environmental responsibility and adventure while I have transitioned from writer to artist. One way of fulfilling their philosophy of 'a rising tide lifts all boats' is to bring attention to artists and authors.
Beginning this November, I will be highlighted on their website and media as their Featured Artist. I'm thrilled to have this honor. Thank you Ventana!
Collaboration
Ventana Surfboards & Supplies and Haven Livingston team up to make this story come full circle.
Much of my work is focused on the ocean. It's my home, muse, first love. I love to be in and on the water, sailing, surfing, swimming, diving, fishing and because of this, I found a lot in common with the people at Ventana, who likewise set their clocks by the tides. Because of our shared relationships with the ocean, we wanted to do a little more than just feature my work, so we decided to create something together and tell our collective story.
Each of Ventana's surfboards tells a story. They have decked their boards with wood from all over - from Alaskan yellow cedar benches from the Monterey Bay Aquarium to original redwood from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
In 2016, Ventana acquired wood from the vessel Western Flyer as it underwent restoration. This vessel was made famous by John Steinbeck's book, The Log from the Sea of Cortez, in which he described a research trip he took with Ed Ricketts in the Sea of Cortez. You can read more about the Western Flyer's history here. The creative craftsman behind Ventana, Martijn Stiphout has his own history of exploring the Gulf of California with his dad and soon will return in his own handmade boat.
From 2002-2010, I was working as a marine biologist for University of California Santa Cruz, crawling around the intertidal identifying algae and slogging through tidepools counting invertebrates for a large scale research project that spanned the entire West coast from Alaska to Mexico. Part of our work retraced steps Ed Ricketts took in conducting biodiversity and abundance surveys in the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). It was an amazing trip and it felt good to contribute to the ongoing study that was started so many decades before.
Though I left my marine research job, I continued my love affair with the ocean. When I began creating mosaic and stained glass art in 2018, I leaned into what I knew best, the ocean. This year I began the Porthole View Collection.
When Ventana suggested a collaborative piece to kick off my time as a featured artist, I knew a wooden frame for these portholes would be perfect. Then they suggested using wood from the Western Flyer and all the other pieces of the story came together.
The Western Flyer was originally built in Tacoma, Washington. Because of the traveling nature of my partner's job I have been splitting my time between Santa Cruz and Tacoma. I loved the idea of bringing this wood full circle. Ventana built the porthole frames in Santa Cruz, I brought them back to Tacoma and filled them with colored glass. One holds the simple beauty of a strand of kelp. The other tells the story of the Western Flyer. The red and green glass in the top two screw holes for the frame represent the guiding lights ships would see when returning to harbor, "red, right, return" and the green light to the port side, signifying always being able to find your way home.
Read more about the restoration and future of the Western Flyer HERE.
This has been a deeply satisfying creative process and I'm so grateful to Ventana for this collaboration. Do you have an idea for a collaboration? I'd love to hear it!
This porthole view and others in the collection are now available online HERE