Surf Hut Art Gallery

Surf Hut Art Gallery is such an inspirational art shop, from surf boards for the lovers of that sport/​passion/​modus vivendi to those who might not afford the $ to pay for those wonderful canvasses, but can definitively afford to get inspired here. At least I did! I almost got a headache trying to absorb that much blast of happiness coming to the customers in the shape of happy colors, brave sea, 60s car-​buses, cheerful palm trees and lots of sun.
Most watercolors are depicting that SoCal essence. I think a great gift to give to anyone who has a beach house is one of those large format watercolor prints showing a naïve map of Encinitas, with their little house, the 101, the shops, the sea, the surfers and the blond and tan beauty that abound in the area. Also, do not forget that you can always get the tourist shirts and hats and other stuff, so not be afraid to enter and contemplate art as well.

Definitely a place worth checking out if you want scenic photography shots of Northern San Diego County beach scenes or if you surf. There are small to large pieces of art to fit different budgets.
Although we did not purchase anything here, if I was looking for a large, ready to hang piece of art reminding me of where I live in this beach town, then this a place worth checking out or coming back again when I have saved up some money.

I get off in a real surf art gallery, instantly buzzed with the multi-​colored polished surfboards hanging from the ceiling to draw the eyes down to the oils, water colors, prints and photography… or visa-​versus. The art draws you into memories of waves you might’ve surfed on that particular day or wish you had. It takes the non-​surfer and imagines him or her astride a flying board carving across a beautiful green/​blue wall of water, adrenaline overdosing the mind and senses. It takes you from cold and dark northern blue waters to the warm aquas and turquoise of the tropics and gives you the mission of seeing yourself right there on the sand looking out at the perfection of Mother Nature.
This shop provides sensory overload for me, something very much welcome after a long drive down the coast and, schedules notwithstanding, I could spend hours in these places. And often, schedules take a back seat especially after the owner learns you’re a friend of an artist and he rings him up and you chat for a half hour on where ya been. Alan Casagrande has that artful gift to mix rock and roll iconography into the surf genre and I love his stuff. In one image, you see as Jimi bends to torch his surfboard, instantly bringing you to the Monterrey Pop Festival and a relatively unknown Hendrix making a nighttime Zippo-​fueled funeral pyre of his Fender guitar. Most Unilocalers weren’t even born then but it was a defining moment in our culture and it’s impact beyond measure. Jimi loved surfers, knew they were onto something, thought they were some kind of galactic messengers… Castles Made of Sand neath a Purple Haze. Jimi wished he could and Casagrande has captured that spirit well (see photo). Or,
.
Any surfer can relate to the visceral happiness (even joy?) he or she feels when they walk into a surf shop and smell the drying resin of a board in making or as they unwrap a fresh bar of Dr Zog’s Sex Wax before a paddle out at their favorite break. But witnessing the art of others who’ve tapped the waves and surfing lifestyle is the next best thing and this little shop rocks it.
P. S., I only wish the damn photographer had been a second faster to catch that full grown dolphin leap over me as I paddled into a Trestles line-​up late last year… that would’ve been an awesome (and lucrative) shot. Yeah sure, I get to live with the indelible memory of that once-​in-​a-​lifetime event and that’s good enough for most anybody. But still, if I could only paint…

Surf Hut is actually located in the back area of Shatto & Sons Custom T-​Shirts in Leucadia. This gallery features two artists, Bob Merson and Sterling King whose paintings and photographs beautifully represent San Diego’s surf culture, lifestyle and scenery.
Many pieces to choose from and peacefully displayed. A place where community can flourish.