Artist Statement
What a once-in-a- lifetime experience it has been to collaborate on artwork with my all-time favorite movie star Owen Wilson, for an ocean charity I am passionate about!
I have had the pleasure of being friends with Owen for many years, as he spends most of his off-time from making movies on Maui, regenerating his spirit through surfing.
Suitably motivated by the success of my collaboration with Kai Lenny creating an art piece to raise money for Surfrider Foundation, I joined forces with Owen, who is also a dedicated surfer. The concept was to create a board that is uniquely Owen, combining his footprints and autograph with my design aesthetic, and bringing them to life on a gorgeous cherry red gun surfboard.
The red color represents the passion that Owen has for the ocean. The waves represent the wild sea that rejuvenates Owen’s spirit. And the stylized monkey? Owen's spirit animal is the monkey. He was born on the Year of the Monkey and thought it was perfect power animal to represent him on the surfboard, along with his footprints. Monkeys are also associated with surfers throughout the world; I imagine because of surfers' agility, unpredictability and athletic prowess on the waves, which remind viewers of the extraordinary abilities of monkeys.
Owen is delighted, as am I, to contribute 100% of the proceeds to Surfrider Foundation, to aid in the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches through a powerful activist network.
Join our team! Can you think of a better way to be part of the solution?
-Kim McDonald
