Wood Part 1
Volume 8 - The Wood in Wood Water Soul
Addicted to Joy is an adventure that has many threads. One of the stars in the documentary is the wood. The next few newsletters will present the many parts of the wood story.
From the first time I saw these exquisite wooden boards hanging on the studio ceiling where I was photographing, I was captivated. The surfboards were gorgeous. The grain patterns were either perfectly straight or wildly figured. Their shapes were graceful and fluid. I could immediately feel the historical significance and I knew the story had to told.
Three different things hit me about their construction - the wood of course (old-growth redwood and giant sequoia), the design, and the love the shaper put into each board. I had to know more, so I jumped to the deep end of their stories.
The surfboards that captured me were part of a project started by Larry Fuller. Larry is a master surfboard builder who wants to work with the world's most innovative shapers. A unique aspect of those boards' heritage was that he wanted to supply the rarest wood he could acquire for the project.
And acquire he did. The majority of the project's boards were built from two specific salvaged wood sources, a giant sequoia that toppled in 1964, and some original Mirassou Vineyard red wine tanks built from 1850's first-growth redwood.
During a trip I made with Larry and master waterman Tom "Pohaku" Stone, Tom related to me that Hawaiian Kings would assign a lookout for floating trees from Northern California because the redwood and giant sequoia trees that washed out to sea were highly prized wood for surfboards.
I don't want to give away too much, but two men harvested that giant sequoia from Whitaker’s Forest in the California Sierras. Two men! It's a story as incredible as riding a 100 foot wave. Here is a short video I put together on images of early California logging.
Next time I'll tell you about the incredible wine vats from 1850s old-growth redwood. As shaper Juan Rodriquez says, "When I sand these surfboards, it's as if I am opening a tomb in Egypt; I'm breathing air from 3000 years ago".
If you want to see the whole story, watch the documentary Addicted to Joy.
I look forward to our next time together.
If you enjoy the stories, share this with your friends!