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Frank Errickson

Surf Artist

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Frank Errickson

New Jersey, USA

Hello, I'm Frank Errickson, I'm a young artist and surfer, and I live in New Jersey. I come from a very artistic family. My dad is a homebuilder, woodworker, and plays guitar and steel drum. My mom is an intensive care nurse, and makes jewelry using abalone, coral, and pearls. My older brother, also a gifted musician, is finishing grad school. He's running an organic farm at the University of New Hampshire with his fiancée, Lauren. They are involved in promoting sustainable building and agriculture.

I guess it was only natural that I turned out artistic as well. But before I ever got into art, I was surfing. I had a strong urge to travel from an early age and get out into some big surf. Since we don't get it here on the east coast, I eventually took my first trip out to the North Shore. I've been to other places in the world as well, but the North Shore is where I love to be. The caring, loving, and generous spirit of the people, the big, warm barrels, and the natural beauty of the island are all what essentially inspire me to keep creating works of art.

As far as my background in art goes, it was pretty simple. When I was young, I was always creating something. My parents kept encouraging me, and provided me with a constant supply of raw material and tools. That was basically it. I never had any formal training; I just experimented and tried new things. At first art was just a little side gig I had that would let me surf whenever I wanted and kept me from getting an after-school job. I got bored easily so I tried everything... painting, carving, stained glass, inlaying, etc. Slowly, though, I realized I might be able to pursue it more seriously, and after a while things started to take off. At first it was local recognition by selling copies of my paintings in surf shops. Tom Spader, a talented surf photographer of Localswell.com would show my work on his surfing site. I was featured in a number of newspaper articles, and then magazines. While participating in juried art shows, I started getting commissions for custom work from individuals and businesses. I just finished a window for the Sagemore Surf Art Gallery, in Ocean City, NJ. Currently, I'm working on some stained glass windows for the Wyland Gallery in Haleiwa, on the island of Oahu. I'll be participating in an art show for them in November during the Triple Crown.

Another thing I inherited from my parents, besides the artistic talent, is an understanding of how fortunate we all are compared to others around the world and how important it is to respect people, cultures, and the environment. I've been given a gift, while so many others in the world have so little. Whatever money I make in my life (whether it be from art or something else later on), I'd like to see that some good comes from it. I'm not doing this for publicity or to try and get others to see the world as I do, I'm just simply doing what I think is right. I'd like to mention a few of the things I've been involved in lately that I think are important. I recently joined 1% For The Planet (a group of businesses that donate at least 1% of their profits to environmental organizations), I donated a painting to the New Jersey chapter of the Surfrider Foundation to be used as a t-shirt print, and the Sagemore Gallery agreed to donate a portion of their profits from my work to local foodbanks and shelters. Sure, I'm not going to change the world with this, but if I can affect some people in a positive way, then I've made a difference. Hopefully in the future though, my contributions can become more significant and I can make a greater difference. Aloha.

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