Big Waves, Little Cars and Dolls. Surf art prints by Justin Prough.

Warm and sunny, good waves, beautiful beaches and paddling out with 200+ of your closest friends can make surfing in Southern California a mixed bag – chock full of nuts, egos, plastic and facades. Yet, if you were to ask how my last surf was, I’d reply, “pretty great.” and then go into detail about one specific moment. The flaws are overlooked. You hold on to the perfection. You romanticize a moment — fact or fiction – that becomes, for you, reality. And these moments of adrenalin, Zen and laughter mentally grow into myth.

The places, people and experiences are real, but what interests me are the stories — remembered, idealized and fictionalized. I photograph various props, dolls and cars in real locations to make a rough photo composite. From the composite, I digitally paint the photographed scene. I enjoy printing on wood veneers to enhance the fictionalized moment and its sunny, beach-day color palette. Collapsed are the distinctions between reality and fantasy.

 – Justin Prough