Peter Spacek is a seasoned fine artist and illustrator with credits in esteemed publications such as The Surfer's Journal and The New York Times. He embarked on his artistic journey from Eastern Europe, immigrating to the United States with his family at the age of two. Raised in Santa Barbara and later educated at the Art Center in Pasadena, he has dedicated much of his life to chasing waves across the globe and translating his passion into art.

      We first met Peter outside one of our favorite local spots,
Nomad Surf Shop. He was showcasing some of the most incredible surfboard art we had ever seen. As surfers, we crane our necks every time we see a unique surfboard, and Peter’s was no exception. Except it wasn’t that we could envision ourselves riding his boards; it was more the myriad of questions they spurred.

Peter is exactly the kind of artist you hope to meet one day: a genuine purveyor of stories and ideas from legendary beach towns whose perspective on the world is carefully crafted and always appreciated. This is why it makes perfect sense we caught up with him a few hundred yards from shore on the sloop he’s preparing to sail to the Bahamas.

After a brief tour, we went below deck and settled into the cozy salon to learn more about what it takes to repurpose surfboards into beautiful works of art for people who have never surfed and wanted to hang them on their walls.

      Peter has pioneered a process where one can use scrimshaw on mediums other than bone. This innovative approach has enabled him to produce captivating and evocative works of art, appealing to both surfers and non-surfers alike.

Tarpon vs Shrimp, Scrimshaw Etching, India Ink, Resin

      While focusing on surfing, he incorporated a more conventional/literal imagery into the art. He refers to this as "modern scrimshaw," and his pieces exude a contemporary aesthetic, yet bear a sense of history owing to the aged fiberglass substrate and salt that accumulates on and into these surfboards. Their luminosity and weathered texture, acquired through years of exposure to the elements, lend them a unique character.

      Peter strives to maintain the fluidity of his initial sketches. Any deviation from this vision results in discarding the piece, while a personal connection and sense of fulfillment indicate its completion.

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Raising the voices of Indonesian women to restore their homeland’s coral reefs