Nice profile of Greg by Mike Reynolds on NJ.com:
http://www.nj.com/shore/blogs/surfing/index.ssf/2010/01/nj_surf_artist_greg_beck.html***************************
Like a true NJ artist, Greg Beck defies categorization. Co-owner of Surfers Supplies in Ocean City by day. Artist and serious oenophile by night. Mellow, but not beyond a kinetic energy that fills the space around him with a kind of bouncy rhythm (usually appears when talking board design). Small town roots barely hint at his deep affinity for certain, oversized European breaks. And while his loyalty to Bonzers seems unyielding, the truth is that he’s ridden just about every design that’s come through his shop’s racks. Greg’s that rare individual who’s not beholden to doing anything based on what people will think of him. And that openness defines his art.
Moving effortlessly between various styles and mediums, his inspirations (besides surfing & travel, of course) are the modern classics like Degas, Cezanne, Giacometti and Jasper Johns. "[The art] just goes on its own." Greg said. "I have an idea, but sometimes I don't see it as a finished piece or what I want it to look like” (which is, by the way, how many writers talk about their character and plot development). He’s always taken a sketch pad with him on surf trips (as vital to him as his heavily-stamped passport) and says that he’s drawn to exaggerated body english-trying to depict the soulfulness he sees in people’s styles and the feel of riding a wave. Right now, he’s focusing on mixing materials--mostly acrylics & watercolors--with various mediums like collages and painting on wood. But who knows where the experimentation will take his unbridled approach...
Greg’s work has appeared in various galleries around the area and he’s regularly showcased at the annual The Art of Surfing Festival at the Music Pier in Ocean City. While the commercial aspect is a nice result, he told me that he doesn’t do it to appeal to anybody. “[The work] is for the enjoyment. It’s a release....cathartic.” He’s stoked just when people take the time to see what he’s done. And it doesn’t get more pure than that.
So, do yourself a favor and cruise down to Surfers Supplies (3101 Asbury Avenue Ocean City, NJ 609-399-8399) and ask for Greg. He’s just about always there and will be pumped to show you his work. You never quite know what gems just came off the end of his brush.
Cheers,
Mike.
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Topic: New Jersey Surf Artist Greg Beck (Read 200 times)
January 06, 2009, 04:40:10 PM
