stonewaves.net

Yep.

It’s out there.

Recently I was lucky enough to be down in the ‘deep south’.

I haven’t really looked around much down there – usually I’ll stick to the south west corner, Margs etc… It’s a bit more predictable…

The Southern Ocean.  Even on calm days its alive with an intensity that you can feel from the shore.  When you get in, its a rush of refreshment – a shot of adrenalin as the water is always a couple of degrees cooler than anywhere else – and so clean.  The coast is rugged and unforgiving.  Not much grows on the headlands.  The average weather for 3 quarters of the year is bitterly cold – southerlies that whip through, straight from the guts of Antarctica.  You need a beard, yes, even the ladies, and smelling like fish all the time is a given.  The tides, the currents, the freak waves that come from God-knows-where to lick fishermen off rocks as if they were never there… and then there’s the wildlife…

But, every now and then, she’s beautiful.

So, I consult my trusty map, look at the wind and make a call to follow some 4wd track to some isolated no-name beach, k’s from anywhere.  Its one of the roughest tracks I’ve ever seen.  It did cross my mind half way down a soft, heavily rutted, 45degree inclined hill that this could be a bad idea. I checked my phone. Yep. Nothin. Not one bar. So I kept going.

There were certain spots on the track which had thick black rubber layered for traction due to the soft hills.  I kept driving in 1st gear for about a half hour, occasionally stopping at junctions to try and work out where the f I was.  I followed my nose and as the sun started to dip, I came over a hill and saw the ocean.

First glimpse.

I’m like, woah.

The little car park, looked well used, but the view was amazing.

There was a small golden beach, about 100m long with rocky points at both ends. Undulating, scrub covered hills fell steeply to the sand.

 Spot my car.

And then, the waves…

from the hill above

I was sitting there, brew in one hand, camera in the other watching the waves I could hear my brother, Frog, saying “YOU WHAT??? YOU DIDN’T F**KING SURF THAT?? ARE YOU F**KING STUPID??”

He’s right.  But, I’ve found, with age comes sensibility (to a point).  I can and can’t say I’m disappointed, just indifferent I guess.  10 years ago, being in the same situation, I would’ve been in that water before the car had stopped.  Now, it’s not just me. There’s 3 more I have to consider.

And, as I sat in contemplation, 3rd brew in hand, camera still in the other with no phone reception and not a person for miles, I was thankful that I was able to be there just to witness that little blip in time.

And the waves kept coming…

The next morning, after a restless night of shattering breakers and sand blowing through my tent, it was still good.  The photos do it justice though, as I’m not showing the 8ft full  beach close outs.

There was a bronze cross that sat in the car park overlooking the beach. It said, RIP Craig ‘Bullfrog’ Noakes. Age 39.  I bet he was a good bloke.

Thanks South Coast and see you soon… and as for this location? Unless you’re prepared to do some searching, that stays between me and Bullfrog.

Cheers.

Life!  Blink, and you miss it!… or so they say…

Yep, it’s been busy lately but hopefully soon I can show you some of the designs I have been working on.

Hope you’re all happy and healthy, whoever you are!, and please keep checking back from time to time, or better still – drop me a line at stone@stonewaves.net

Or even better still, commission me to do a painting for you – I need the motivation..!!!!!

Cheers!

Yep. Summer. It’s upon us.

It’s weird. As I get older I tend to dred those 40 degree days when it’s too hot to even walk down the beach to the water. Or, if I forget to take the cover off the pool, I jump in expecting that delicious rush of refreshment but instead it feels like I’m swimming in my own wee.

I’m very much an Autumn and Spring guy. Those crystal clear deep blue offshore days which hover around the 25 degree mark – Perfect.  Which is what we got recently with our annual trip to Gracetown.  This year it was more of a family affair with Ezza, Penny, Jordi and Riley joining our family to fill up the house.  4am starts meant that we were paddling out and surfing on our own for a good 1 – 2 hours before we saw another person. It was small, but Frog, Ezz and me made the most of it and had a good time. 

Then followed the 2011 Roids at the Blackwood.  It was everything you’d expect from a Roids trip – Jerka and Balls barefooted their arses off, I attempted to barefoot with the ‘unofficial’ time I was on my feet fluctuating between 1.75 and 5 seconds, before crack-whoring (face planting) badly, Ezza hurt his knee….again, Boomer soaked up some rays (and fluids) and was good ballast in the boat…. and Daz? Well, lets just say the Roid Tribunal ensured that Daz would leave mental scars on everyone of us….

 

Heya everyone!

Yep, it’s been awhile between drinks here but I’m still alive and kicking… The footy season has finally finished for my team – we made the grand final only to go down to a better side in Scarborough – but a great effort from our boys… So followed 3 days of “drowning our sorrows” and now I’m back at work with the bloody flu!!

Now, with a lot more time on my hands, I’ve got some ideas which I’ve been working on periodically over the past 6-8 months so hopefully over the summer you’ll see some more designs and paintings coming to fruition… Not to mention the next movie release (S.T.) which will be hitting our small screens around the end of the year…!

So, I’m staying busy! Hope youre healthy and happy!

Stone.

Saturday, 11th June 2011.

The surf report was nothing too exciting. A long period 2.2meter SW swell and a gusty 20 knot NEasterly but it was my first Saturday off from playing footy so it was worth the punt.

A 5am leave time meant that Frog, Ezz and me were driving in the cold dark and, apart from a run-in with a particuarly stupid roo (who ran across the road, stopped then turned around and ran back across the road making Frog get on the brakes) it was a smooth trip.

We arrived at the break at 7 as the sun poked it’s head up over the dunes. It was freezing cold but there was no one to be seen and there were a few nice small ones rolling through. Ezz had brought his GoPro camera, which we mounted to my Dads gath helmet, and this was the first time we had put it through its paces. I wasnt expecting much, footage wise, as it is very dependant on the angle of the camera, the ability of the surfer (or lack of) and, obviously, what the waves are doing.

After about an hour, we decided to move down the beach a bit to where we thought it might be a bit more sheltered from the biting wind. It was. And the surf, although small, was fun and almost perfect beachies. We swapped the helmet cam between us for the whole morning and, after 3 and a half hours in the water, finally crawled back to Perth.

Knackered, and with wives and girlfriends well grumpy due to us being 3 hours late, we checked the footage. It’s AWESOME! Got some great barrel shots and Ive edited it all down to a 5min clip to be included in the next movie (due for release in December!)

It’s days like these that keep me going. 3 bro’s, whooping, singing, f**king around, havin fun and getting barrelled without another person to be seen.

Yep. Perfect.

This still frame was taken from the video footage… Nice shot Frog..!

Kiaora friends!,

Wow. You really don’t know what exhaustion is until you’ve travelled abroad with 2 kids under 2 years of age!

But don’t get me wrong, what an adventure – I think we’ve all gained so much from 3 weeks in beautiful New Zealand. It was just non-stop. We flew into Auckland, had a couple of days with our awesome Aunty Caryl, Uncle Wayne, cuzzies Jeremy, Dee Anne and cute baby Cora, Callum, Asher, Mary-anne and Carmillo.

Our awesome Auckland family!

Then came the nine hour drive to Mahia on the east coast. Surprisingly, the kids were amazing… slept and whinged minimally. Had 6 days in our favourite little red bach on the beach, Mokatahi. Joined briefly by Tanija, Manu, Katija and Mila we (Manu and I) spent the days between kids and scouring the many beaches for waves. The weather was perfect the waves were fun and it was very hard driving away – but school holidays were starting so our timing was right to leave the holiday destination. Our special thanks to cousin Winks for allowing us to stay in their bach.

Mum, Zeph and the view from Mokatahi...

Dad and Oceana. Sunset games.

Zephyr scopes the surf while Oceana is more interested in Hi-5 on her dvd player!

Mahia sunsets. Umm... whats the word for it..?

Back to Auckland via an overnight stop in Taupo to visit my 92 yr old Grandfather – sharp and witty as ever, then a stop in to see my other Grandfather on the Coromandel Peninsula.

A couple of recharge days back with the fam in Auckland then flew down to Queenstown as the other side of the family (Mums) all converged for a week of over indulgence…! Aunty George and Uncle Baz from Bali, Melo, Mark and baby Beau from Auckland, Trin, Rich, Harley and Meadow from Cromwell, Katrina down from Nelson, Lisa, Dean and Bailey from Christchurch and Alex and Deb spent 3 days over at Cecil Peak at a shearing station. The only way to access the station is by boat as there are no roads there, but as I discovered on arrival the station owners get to and from Q-town via chopper! Once upon a time it was available as a weekend getaway for tourists – to ‘get a feel’ for life on a shearing station in the rugged kiwi landscape. Now it’s been let go and the current caretakers don’t have the time (or patience!) to host the clueless city dwellers (like me!). But my Aunty George is a 20 year local of Queenstown and managed to get us all to stay there for free! Its who you know…! What an amazing place. Surrounded by green rolling hills, on the very edge of the lake staring at, what George and Baz affectionately refer to as, ‘The F**king Amazings’ (The Remarkables – with only a small spattering of snow at this time of year). The accommodation was rough, no heating for example, but the fact we had beautiful warm weather every day and were heavily intoxicated by bedtime, it really didn’t matter..! I will take this opportunity to make special mention of the Croqisloe Cup, the long running croquet rivalry between the Kiwis and the Aussies. There were some amazing skills on display, none better than Baz’s jump shot over Rich who was poison (ie: touch him and you die), through the final pin and hit the poison stick with next shot. Gold. For those of you who haven’t been subjected to the wonderful world of croquet, that all meant nothing to you, but get out there and discover your competitive edge..! And, I know you’re all bursting with anticipation to find out who won the esteemed Croqisloe Cup…well, yep, me the annoying sh*tdribbling flying Aussie cleaned the floor with those Kiwis on their home turf and retained the Croqisloe to add to my 3 straight Crystal Clear Club Croquet Cup Championship’s and my ever growing trophy collection… and, yes, the dribbling continues……!

Oceana points out the view of the F**king Amazings from Cecil Peak Station

Dad teaches the next generation of sh*tdribbling aussie's how it's done..!

Ahh the family....!

The water taxi - the only way in or out!

To recover from the craziness of Cecil Peak, we had a lovely couple days with cuzzie Trin, Rich, Harley and Meadow at their house in Cromwell – a sleepy little town just out of Queenstown. Then caught up with one of Seb’s best friends, Kate, who after a holiday to NZ a few years back from England, loved it so much that she’s moved there!

Thanks also to Mark’s folks Jan and Pete for letting us use their house as our base in Queenstown – especially for the foxtel with 5 sport channels – I got to see AFL for the first time in weeks! And the view..? well………

The view of Cecil Peak from Jan and Pete's place... The station is just around that point...

Then, after three weeks of perfection, on our last day we flew from Queenstown to Sydney en route back to Perth with a 3 hour lay over in Sydney, Oceana got sick. At 6pm she chundered in the terminal with our flight only an hour away. The duty manager came over and politely informed us that we weren’t allowed to fly as our daughter could pass something to the rest of the plane. We were exhausted and couldn’t believe it – so close! The duty manager was amazing. He put us up in the Mercure hotel, food and cab fares included. Oshe wasn’t well and slept most of the time. The next day we got a doctor’s clearance for Oshe and got on a 5pm flight home – with an upgrade to business class! It’s totally ruined flying for me as I never want to go back to economy…! Thanks a lot Qantas!

All in all, what a trip. It makes my realise how important family is in the scheme of life. It also makes me sad we live so far from them. I love the balance I get from my family – my Aunty Caryl and family have strong morals and family values and staying with them was such a delight as they welcomed us into their home. Oceana especially got so much out of the whole experience.

Just happy that our first family holiday was a success – Dad got waves, Mum got great photos (1285 to be exact! – of which you’ve seen only a few here) and the kids have grown up so much it’s unbelievable.

To EVERYONE that made our holiday such a memorable one – Thank you!

Stay tuned for some new artwork…

Stone.

Hi All,

Well, a wave of inspiration (or a ripple at the very least) washed over me on the weekend and I managed to get into the studio for the first time in a long time. My awesome wife is very encouraging and understanding and took the kids out for the day to give me some creative space. It took a few more nights after, but got it done…

I documented the process:

I broke all of the artist’s rules with this one. Normally you start at the back and work your way forward, working depth of field into the piece layer upon layer. But, hey, it’s my art and I’ll do whatever the hell I like! With a long piece like this (1.5m by 0.5m) and with the wave as the focus, I wanted to get it right before adding anything else.

The wave is starting to take shape. As always, when I start out on a new piece, it transforms almost immediately. Initially I wanted this to be a rather violent wave – rough and menacing – but I’ve got some new brushes that give a smooth polished finish and I quite liked it – hence the name of the piece – ‘L.A.G.O’. Frog, my bro, often talks about the hour before sunset as his favourite time to surf.

Last minute decision to add cliffs behind the wave to create a rugged, isolated feel to the piece. I rarely include surfers on my waves for two reasons: 1) For me, the perfect wave is the one that’s untouched or ‘unspoiled’ by human existence, and, 2) I’m really crap at figures and portraits…!

If you haven’t worked out by now I have an obsession for large, bright blocks of colour. Not sure where this comes from but I personally enjoy pieces which impact and challenge the observer.

The finished piece:

L.A.G.O (Late Arvo Glass Off) : Oil on Canvas. 150cm by 50cm.

FOR SALE!

Huzzah!

Yes, yes, I know, slack. I could sit here and crap on about how busy Ive been (honestly!) but slack sums it up in one word without the poor me bullshit.

The good news is that the idea’s and the inspiration are beginning to flow… I don’t know about everyone else but for me you can’t just turn this shit on and off like a tap. You have to wait for that itch, that urge of creativity. It can appear suddenly or be brought on by something – however it happens, it’s nice when it does.

Lately, the quality of the mainstream ‘surf movie’ has improved dramatically from previous years. Coming off the back of the biggest year in surfing history (since the invention of the shortboard) the improvements to documenting, equipment and general surfers abilities have taken surfing to a new level. In November Kelly Slater won his 10th World Surfing Title only one week after the tragic passing of his greatest rival in Andy Irons. A moment in history never to be surpassed. Once again I refer to the balance of life. Good and bad. Dark and light.

So I’m watching a documentary the other night called Waveriders from a couple of years back. It follows the history of surfing with a bloke named George Freeth who’s heritage is Irish. It is a fantastic watch and shows the love of surfing of the Irish who have to brave the freezing Atlantic to fulfill their passion. Kelly makes an appearance during the film and speaks, as always, humbly about his ability and what he has achieved. He joins his Irish buddies in a fun session and even in head to toe rubber, the man is a freak.

It’s documentary’s like this that give me inspiration. ‘Castles in the Sky’ is the latest from Taylor Steele, a now world renowned film maker. It is visually stunning as the film takes you on a journey through third world countries surfing never-been-surfed-before waves. The Rasta in India section is incredible as he surfs on his own and rides one wave through a pier with the locals above in hysterics! What is this walking on water..??! Gone are the days of wave after wave of shithot surfing to a heavy metal soundtrack. Instead, the modern day surf movie involves and invites the viewer to join the film maker and meander through his art.

If youre into this kind of shit check out Rasta’s ‘Life Like Liquid’ and the Malloy’s ‘Thicker Than Water’.

Anyway, once again, don’t fret – there are works in the pipeline…. Now, does anyone have a week of time I can borrow…? Hmmm, actually, make that a month……

Till then,

Hiya good people!,

Been awhile between drinks here. I’ve been working like a (particuarly lazy) whip dog constructing the kids playground in the backyard the last few weekends (all for having 4 days down south with the boys!). Sand pit, turf lawn, fence mural all with the unfortunately unhelpful kids who were at least having fun. Looks great and will hopefully shut them up for years!!

Got a few things in the pipeline, some new designs, paintings, so please keep checking back from time to time. As I’ve said before, this is all in it’s infancy so I would love some of your feedback/ suggestions/ ideas via a comment or email.

So, to my friends and family and anyone who’s bothered to check out the site, thanks, I hope you have a joyous chrissy with lots of sun and surf and an awesome 2011.

’till then, remember, the sea soothes the soul.

Stone.

P.S. If  you’re a sport fan check out nezzfl.com for a laugh so hard your spleen will pop out of your ear.

Yep, it’s been a shocking winter out here. I’m in Mukinbudin about 4 hours drive east of Perth and it’s as baron as the Fremantle Football Club’s trophy cabinet. Its sad to see the struggling farmers and low morale in the towns. It’s dark but the heat is still radiating out of the dry earth. And what’s the only thing I can think about? Yep,….

Hmmm….. 7 hours drive and a half hour walk and I could be back in there…..