Chicago and Southwest Florida certainly aren't surfing hotbeds. But that hasn't dissuaded Windy City native and Cape Coral resident Tony Adams from using surfboards as the canvas for his eye-catching mixed-media art.
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The curved edges of the boards provide “a whole new dynamic and such a cool look when colors run over them,” Adams said.
He creates decorative and functional Blue Monkey Boards in the garage of his Cape Coral home when not working as a sales manager for FOS Furniture.
The resin he mixes and then applies lets him “do things I can’t do with other composites, what turns out is pretty unique.
“You have to plan ahead as resin hardens quickly, can’t play with it too much," he added. "I previously tried pottery, mosaics and some other styles, but they didn’t work out, just too time-consuming for me.”
In only a year and a half, Adams has put acrylics, spray paint, paper, jewelry, graphics - including photos and logos - and much more on a dozen full-size fiberglass and 60-plus smaller bamboo surfboards. Some pieces herald music icons (including the Grateful Dead and Prince), college and pro sports teams and military service. Others are colorful, whimsical depictions of fish and turtles. There are also vacation vibe bottle openers, towel and key holders, address signs and more.
He also does custom commissioned pieces for individuals, organizations and businesses for special tributes, events and occasions.
Studying architecture in college served as a catalyst for his development as an artist, fostering “a greater sense for design and structure so I could more easily grasp abstract elements.”
He had a booth at the Cape Coral Arts & Music Festival in January.
“A few other artists were also working with surfboards, but I feel what I do is pretty unique,” Adams said. “I sold some of my smaller works and it told me to do more of them.”
An exhibit of some of his pieces was held in August at the Ollie Mack Gentry Photography Studio in downtown Fort Myers. He will show some of his work at the Babcock Ranch Art Show on Nov. 7, and hopes to return to the Cape Coral Art & Music Festival on Jan. 9-10, 2021.
Adams obtains most of the used surfboards for his art from an ex-Californian who moved to Fort Myers.
“I first clean off the wax and fill in some dents. There may be some marks on some at the end [of the process], but customers don’t mind ― it adds to the character of the piece.”
Next steps include painting the boards in various colors, applying resin and then choosing the other media for additional layers, often creating collages.
“I think there’s a place in our area for what I do,” he said, noting that buyers have favored their lawns, lanais and indoor walls as spots for his works.
For some of his upcoming pieces, he’s looking into attaching LED light fixtures to shine on them.
“I’ll keep making fun pieces, but I want to be edgy as well.”
For more information or to view or order his artwork, call 239-699-0453 or visit bluemonkeyboards.com.