Yonder via Waterlogged

The Dear & Yonder film showing at the Byron Community Centre was a successful night thanks to the organisers from Waterlogged events, keen logger Vanessa Thompson and her biz partner, artist Tracy Brown. Everything you'd love was there including film, music and art. One thing that was missing was Kath from 'food by Kath'. At the last one of these nights she homemade the fresh Chai and organic juice, but this time we missed her cause she was a lil' sick. Dallas Chong from The Grains turned up and played some cool acoustic while the 80 or so gathered guests listened in and checked out the art I had on display.



First up on the big screen was The Blue Yonder short film, which Mick Waters and I made back in 2004. Tracy introduced the whole show and then called me down to say a few words to the crowd about my film, which was cool cause I got to explain how and why the Blue Yonder short film came about. The short and sweet of it is; I released the Blue Yonder Short Film in 2005 as a companion to my book, Blue Yonder, a journey into the heart of surf culture.



I met Mick Waters through Andrew Kidman along the Blue Yonder discovery trail back in 2001. He was keen to document what I was pursuing with my book. We got together and surfed and talked. The loose idea we worked off was the true story of mine; believing in something enough to turn your back on the seemingly futile, and instead, open up to adventure and discovery. Six months later we ended up with a cinematic journey of surfing sequences, lifestyle images, voiceovers and some soul-touching music from Andrew Kidman. Film locations were NSW Central Coast, Byron Shire and Indonesia. The film is a revealing glimpse at one alternative surfing journey, that hasn’t yet finished. Surfers included are: James McMillan, Derek Hynd, Ozzie Wright & Andrew Kidman. contact me on macjimmymac@yahoo.com if you'd like a copy for $15 incl postage. Thanks Waterlogged :-)




filmgrabs from Blue Yonder




grommets selling my soul for me




Dallas Chong of The Grains

Dear and Yonder

Easter Saturday

This session was straight out front of my place. I can't say where cause the locals will blow up my letterbox. The waves were 4-6ft and there was the added buzz of having huge boulders right in front of every wave I caught. Lisa took the photos and I rode my 6'4 Darcy thruster with the snapped nose - it happened three days prior at this same spot when the bottom dropped out of a wave that I thought was a sure tuberide...I remember being perched in the lip on my feet in a super low stance and looking left, about 20 metres down the line. The wave was about 5ft and in the motions of going vertical and tubular. In my mind i was about to get tubed, meanwhile in reality the wave doubled-up, sucked-out and heaved forward. I was under the lip so I didn't get pitched, but there was no back to the wave, and to my absolute surprise I dropped straight onto the flats. The last thing my left eye saw was that circular tube rifling off without me. Not often you get a view from that far back in the tube. Probably the best moment of my session. I'll never forget it.

An Easter Friday at The Wreck

Wind was up from the south so Lisa and I headed to The Wreck. Lisa took photos I enjoyed surfing a few small waves. One tube was so small it clipped me in the forehead. It's always really cool at Main Beach of an arvo...the sun setting over the coastal mountains. Some locals call it Golden Hour for obvious reasons. The Indonesian guy in the band photo is always up there leading the way for any drum slappers that wanna join in and celebrate Byron Bay.













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Harvest Cafe Artist Nights

Harvest Cafe at Newrybar, which is just in the hills behind Byron, has been holding dinner/artsist nights in conjunction with retrospect galleries in Byron Bay. Sometime Early in March before the opening of the exhibition El Mar Mi Alma (the sea, my soul) they invited myself, Alberto Sanchez, and Stephen Jones with tatiana Velasco, to talk about our lives and our art. The place slowly packed out and after an awesome meal via their fine food chefs and an outdoor barbie we were on. I was first up cause i had to bolt north and pick up my kids. Bree introduced me to the 100 or so people gathered and I began talking, hesitantly at first. As the minutes passed I actually began enjoying it because Bree asked me how I first started with my art, and that was perfect opportune for me to talk about being a kid, freedom, growing up in Cronulla, surfing, travelling, starving, writing, photography and painting. A couple other people asked questions too, which was really cool. I'd totally recommend Harvest for a meal too.




'sundaze' 2009


Harvestelmaretro

BOOTLEG

Dan Hannaford has a new CD out. It's called Bootleg and the cover and disc photo is one that I took of him at the Rails Hotel in Byron a few months back. The back cover photo is one I took of him after some beach strumming near Burleigh Heads. The song 'Try Try Try' is a cracker and one that I associate with.

El Mar openingo!

The opening night for El Mar Mi Alma at Retrospect Galleries Byron Bay. Was cool. All the heads were there and it was nice seeing the mix of painting, photography and history on the walls. I was a happy artist because one of my bigger pieces 'hometree' sold as soon as the doors opened...so now I can buy more canvas and paint. All had fun and then afterwards I went over the road to the Byron Community centre and watched The Sea of Darkness. It's the dark story of the early days of the G-Land surf camp in Java Indonesia. I was interested because I first went there in 1988 when I was 17, just ten years after it was discovered by Mike Boyum. One night while in bed at G-Land I overheard some old guys talking about a surf spot called Desert Point. I snuck down my ladder and from a distance managed to get a photo of the mud map they were checking out. I went there the next year and camped in a fishermans hut for 2 weeks. 5 of us enjoyed the best barrels of our lives.



'hometree' 2009


Al Sanchez


Hewy looking, Al Knost kicking


Simmons inspired wood and waves
by Ryan Heywood


Ian Burrell

The Sea my Soul (El Mar Mi Alma)

Retrospect Galleries in Byron Bay opened El Mar Mi Alma on the 11th of March 2010. The first thing I did when I left school (besides letting down Mr Gearin's tyres and surfing for a year) was a carpentry trade. Lately I've been enjoying mixing wood into my artmaking. For this particular show I did a few varied and different pieces and sizes. Included was the timber swallow tail below, using plywood, cedar and driftwood. It's part of a new collection I'm doing called 'waterbird collection'. More bout that later.

See retrospectgalleries.com to check out more of El Mar...

Tom

This is my mate Tom from New Earth Tribe. He designs and prints his own Tees called 'from tom'.

birdies and waves

This is my newest favourite bird photo. The usual camera I use is an AF Canon 500D. At the time of this photo it was in for a service so I was shooting with an old Nikon Manual focus. Big Deal - I say, as I write this - I shot the whole of Blue Yonder on manual focus and slide film. Yeah but after a little while the auto focus is just so nice to use for action, but i'll tell ya what, the manual focus is definitely more satisfying. I shot the wave photo about a week later...and guess what, it's my new favourite wave photo.

Little Black Wheels

Mick Waters has a new film out. Check it out at littlehouseproductions.com.au. Mick Invited me to be in the film which led to Johnny Abegg and I lucking into a couple of fully sick sessions while filming around our local hood




Mick JAb & Jim


Jim


JAb


one goofyfooter


two goofyfooter

Inretrospect 10

Retrospect Galleries in Byron have a neat new book out called inretrospect 10. It features all their freaky artsists. Bree, the gallery owner, asked me a few questions and showed my answers and some of my art in the book. I'm pretty sure the book is $20 from the gallery or the retrospect website.

Q&A

Right now I am…
Listening to the clock tick and watching shadows move across the floor as the sun rises

The person who has most influenced my art is….
My Dad…He painted western scenes, and the next day he sculpted abstract vases. His paintings were photo perfect realism and his vases were total freedom

My favourite artist is …
More than one - My son Blake…He wakes up at 6am and starts drawing tigers on skateboards and horses surfing. I love my sisters’ early paintings of mountains and trees. My son Colby’s awesome self-portraits. My nephew Luke’s street graffiti

I am at my most creative/productive when…
Creative – when something dramatic happens in my life. Productive – When there are no other people around and it’s midnight

I usually start my day by…
Waking an hour before I need to get up. I lie in bed and stare out the window thinking about my dreams. I like letting my mind go for a walk

I am currently reading….
The Bible, Juxtapoz and The Surfers Journal. That’s all I ever read

The book that changed my life is…
Scuffy the Tugboat

My favourite album of all time is…
There isn’t one, It changes every few years. ’84 was Led Zeppelin, How the west was won, ’94 was Beastie Boys, Check Your Head, 2004 was Ray Lamontagne, Trouble

When I am working I like to listen to…
Birdies chirping

It makes me smile when…
I see my sons happy. When I finish a painting. When I give away money. When Lisa smiles

I get angry about…
Misplacing things. People trying to talk to me when I’m singing

My three most valued possessions are…
My tent, my diaries, my laptop (I think)

The three things in life I could never give up are …
Camping, vegemite on toast, daydreaming

If I was stranded on a desert island I would want…
Nothing. Being stranded is something I’ve enjoyed in life. I once slept in a chicken pen for 2 days when I was stranded on the island of Lombok

If I could travel anywhere back and forth in time, I would go …
To Heaven on Thursdays to visit my Dad. To Spain on Fridays to hang out with Salvador Dali

My dream dinner party of six would include….
Aside from my family, I’d have; Duke Kahanamoku, Michael Angelo, Jesus, Sir Edmund Hillary, Brett Whiteley, Dorothy McGee (my faux Grandma from Vaucluse in Sydney)

If it were my party, I would serve…
Homemade pizza and ginger beer, and I’d invite the local homeless people

The achievement I am most proud of is…
Not going crazy. Writing a best selling book

My most embarrassing moment was…
There have been many embarrassing moments, but I love them. Embarrassment is such a cool emotion. It’s very humbling and it passes so quickly

The craziest thing I have ever done was…
Walk and hitch hike across Australia with no money and no food. I got kidnapped

When I die, I would like my gravestone to say…
He was an awesome Dad

I wish I had listened when my parents (my Mum) told me…
Not to listen to Slayer. Note to youth of today: Add a bit of soul to your playlist

I hope my art.….
Is more than just pretty pictures staring back at you

My legacy to the world will be…
My art and books

If I wasn’t an artist I would like to be….
A drifting missionary in Africa


'balance' 2006

Harry

It was the weekend of Splendour in the Grass 2009 and Bree from Retrospect had an idea to host an artist do a live painting out front of the gallery. I'd done this type of thing before, on stage with Dave Rastovich at Twin Towns Coolangatta and as well at Splendour '08. It can be an interesting process interacting with the public and the art as it gets created. I like it. It kinda gives the art life as it evolves.  On this day lots of festival peeps stopped by for a chat and a comment on what I was creating. Amongst the art I purposely included a dollar sign, a crucifix, a heart and a surfboard. I then asked, mostly under 30's, what they would choose. Unfortunately money won. Sometime after lunch Harry the Hat walked by with red sunnies on like mine.

Day of the Dead

Retrospect Galleries in Byron Bay is my artwork home in NSW. They recently had an exhibition called 'Day of the Dead'. The theme was around death and religion. I had 3 days to do a painting for the show. I thought if I stayed up for 2 nights and got to work with my brushes I'd be pretty much dead by the second night and therefore be connected with the theme. I really liked my finished work. I titled it 'sundays (gettin' high on)'. It sold to a young family on opening night. Yeeew!


'sundays (gettin' high on)'

Splendour in The Grass Byron Bay 2008

This was a cool event to be part of. The Splendour honcho's asked four local artists to paint a mural whilst the festival was in full swing. They supplied our gear and gave us a free ticket in (I got my groms in too, they loved it!) I did this piece called 'love is the new drug'. It turned lots of heads and caused a few outbursts.