Smorgasboarder_23_Feb_2016-s

LATEST: ARTISTS & GENERALLY CREATIVE FOLKS
CRAIG BAIRD
1.
DESCRIBE YOUR ULTIMATE ART
CREATION SETUP...
4.
WHAT’S YOUR MOST
MEMORABLE SURFING MOMENT?
WHO IS CRAIG?
Now Curator of Australian National Surfing Museum, Craig
“Gonzo” Baird was inspired by art early on and began doing
commercial art for people while still at school.
“I think my first commission was for a band’s drum kit, and
since then I’ve painted a diverse range of objects from dune
buggies, hot rods, race cars, skateboards, guitars, garden
gnomes, helmets, tool boxes to about 15,000 surfboards
during a 26-year career as a surfboard artist.”
Most of Craig’s time was spent in the pit at the Rip Curl/
Moonlight factory in Torquay but he worked for other Vicco
shapers and labels including Watercooled, Maurice Cole,
Dave Boyd, Southern Soul Surfboards, Cruise Control, Rousa,
etc, and a curious Jan Juc label Pink Bits.
“Not all of my art has been on boards I have also had a few
solo and group exhibitions in local galleries and have work
hanging in people’s homes around Oz and overseas.”
WHERE DO YOU FIND HIS WORK?
Drop in and visit craig in person at the Australian National
Surfing Museum at 77 Beach Road in Torquay, or for more
info on the museum see the website www.surfworld.com.au.
2.
3.
For me now, getting into the spray
room feels a bit like a familiar bit
of furniture, and it is a kind of zen
thing to put your brain in neutral,
get your hands busy, trust your
talent and just see what comes
out at the end.
WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST
MOTIVATION WHEN IT COMES
TO CREATING ART?
It is good to get fired up about
projects and ride that wave of
creative energy. Sometimes I just
feel compelled to create but it
can be a bit of a double edged
sword. It is like the inspiration
for each work comes with its
own little packet of energy and a
window of time in which it has to
be completed, sad to say I have
a bunch of half finished works at
home.
YOUR MOST MEMORABLE ART
CAREER MOMENT?
... a rush order for Japan the day
before my brother’s wedding.
Sprayed 24 boards in 24 hours,
was a zombie on the big day but
got it done! Lots of Bertlemanninspired
swirls from what I can
remember.
5.
I guess, one of those days that
most surfers dream of. Picked a
change in conditions and caught
a dropping tide at my favourite
spot. Not a drop of water out of
place, sunlit overhead surf, gentle
offshore, surfed better than ever
before (or since probably) with
not another soul around. Paddling
back out you could see cutback
trails on the water . . .
IF YOU COULD HAVE LUNCH
WITH ONE ARTIST IN THE
WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE
AND WHY?
There are lots of artists I would
love to have met but I get the
feeling many of them might not
be great company. I love Howard
Arkley’s work but he didn’t
seem like a happy or
chatty bloke, so I’d go
with Salvador Dali,
I’m picking it would
be memorable and
probably some
pretty good food
to go along
with it?
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SMORGASBOARDER | SUMMER 2016