This is my very first surfboard award!! I remember being shocked since I didn’t even know they gave awards away at the show. There are 5 businesses that make the “Best of Show” selections.


The Balboa Island Artwalk is 1 mile of artists (about 100) and 3 bands along the way. It is a fun day in the sun (usually – that’s another story). Setup begins at 6 am so we would always get there at 5 because Balboa Island is also known for very narrow streets with houses practically joined together with very little parking. I have been to some of these houses and “they are beautiful”. It sits in the bay and has this wonderful walkway with a short breakwater wall which is also a bench - all around the edge of the island.

In addition to getting my picture in the local Newport Beach newspaper, KUDOS MAGAZINE gifted me with free advertising. (First add created for my surfboards).

The first surfboard I did is this one. I named the board “AWAKEN” because I really felt the creativity of working on Recycled Surfboards to AWAKEN my calling to a new art direction. Now over 400 boards later…I was right.
I used my SOFTCARVING TECHNIQUE, METALLICS, ACRYLICS, SHELLS and RESIN. I painted the “fin” side of the board since I didn’t know there were other options – like cutting them off so that the board could lay flatter on the wall. But if I cut them off this would never have happened…on the left bottom the design look like the noses of orca whales and the fins look like they are on the orcas!! I was sooooo lucky to pull this off. Whew!

I was named as the Featured Artist for the 16th annual event featuring  200 juried artists from 25 countries, 20 states, and prestigious institutions. My celestial mixed media painting Midnight Bloom (39"w x 54"h) commissioned as the festival s commemorative print. Midnight Bloom captures the splendor of the desert night sky and blooming cacti against a glowing galaxy. Inspired by the sense of connectedness in the universe and nature.