Surf Industry Interviews - ON THE FLY WITH JAY ALDERS: Interviews

ON THE FLY WITH JAY ALDERS [15.01.2010]Industry

If you haven't heard of Jay Alders yet then I suggest you check out our Jay Alders interview. Jay is our brother from another mother, and is one talented frother. We like to touch base with our family, you know keep the support alive and kickin'. We dropped a line to Jay to check in and see how life's tickin' in 2010...

Yo Jay, it’s been a while bro, what’s been shakin’?
Whewwww..A lot. Since our last interview, I had a great summer of travel, art, painting, great press, surfing, skating, working out, family and friend time. All good stuff brotha'!

One busy dude. So what's the latest in the world of Jay Alders art?
Well besides painting a whole lot for my own personal work, I've done some sweet freelance work for some companies I really enjoy working with. I did some shirt designs for Billabong which I think will be out in Spring line. One of which is for Donavon's line which is of him surfing this tube all crouched down playing guitar. The other is this crazy tripped out wave scene which I also had a blast doing. Both of them were painted all digitally using a pressure sensitive pen tablet which is super cool.

Donavon and Billabong also made my painting of him into a shirt which was so rad to see for the first time at his merch' table at his shows this past summer.

As for other higher profile work, I also did a new illustrative logo for Ted Shred's Surf Wax Candles which should be coming out within the month.

I also painted a cover for Echo Movement who are an amazing original reggae band that I'm real good friends with. They just got back from Vans Warp tour and are killin' it, I'm real proud of them.

I had my work featured in SIMA's 2010 Calendar (Surf Industry Manufacturers Assoc) which was a huge honor. I went to Surf Expo in Orlando and am going again in January with my own booth, stoked on that!

There's a bunch of other stuff that's been going on, I've been very blessed to be so busy. I wake up with gratitude everyday. Which leads me to my philanthropic work. It is my honor and duty to contribute time, money and my talents which is why I passionately pursue my charitable work with groups such as SurfAid, Surfrider, ASPCA, Clean Ocean Action, Surfer's Healing, NORML and PETA.

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jay alders, surf artist, surf art, jay alders interview

I saw that you made it into the world of jigsaws. How’s that been? Instant stardom right?
That was one of the cooler opportunities that has come to me recently for sure. Barnes & Noble specifically expressed interest in my work to the puzzle company, Endless Games and they bought thousands of them on pre-order before they were even made. Not a bad way to start a new nationally distributed product.

We were down in Florida for SurfExpo and saw them in stores which really stoked me out. Any opportunity to maintain the integrity of my artwork , make some dough and simultaneously get exposure to the mass public is a good thing.

And how’s the surfing going bro? Getting a few waves East side?
Yes sir! We've had a pretty phenomenal handful of swells to roll through here in the past few months. I've had some of the best sessions ever and making steady progress and having a great time.

Hurricane Bill was the most epic which brought Andy Irons and other big names through our local New Jersey beach community. Earlier in the summer Donavon surfed with us and had the entire beach in awe.

Lately we've had our fair share of fall/winter swells coming to visit but with the water getting colder by the day, it's just never enough.

Beats here dude. Summer has started very very poorly. So where are you residing and working at the moment?
I'm still in the same ol' place, a nice beach town in New Jersey called Belmar. It's an hour from New York City and an hour from Philly and 90 minutes from the mountains. So despite the crowds and freezing winters, it's a cool place with lots to do and a good core scene.

We're looking to move soon though, a few towns north which we love. Our town now is great but just totally overrun by New York and North Jersey tourists which stereotypically are the least desired brand of beach tourists to have.

Got an ideal place you want to live one day?
It's so hard to say because there's tons of destinations that I still need to check out. That being said, my family and friends are super important to me, so I couldn't stray too far from them which is why Chelsea and I travel so often. We try and go somewhere every month or two which is a nice balance. If I could pick up my loved ones and take them with me, I'd move to Southern Cali' or Hawaii tomorrow. It's way more "me" than where I am now.

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What's helping you keep the stoke alive these days?
If you seek out and focus on happiness, beauty and gratitude, then everything becomes inspiring. It could be the shape of a cloud, the curve in a woman's body, the colors in the shadow of a seagull flying overhead, a piece of great music or studying the dynamics of a water droplet while in the line up. There is love around us everyday if we take time and interest enough to notice it.

Got any rad plans for the near future?
Sure, doesn't everyone?…Well I want to get back to Hawaii soon, I am frothing to be back out there and I also hugely want to spend some time in Australia,NZ and Tas'. I have been working on getting a Surf Art Show/Tour to Hawaii and 'down under', trying to wrangle up some quality sponsors for this too. I have a lot of friends and supporters whom I'd love to see and share my art with. I also am always seeking new licensing opportunities with some more core products. There's so many opportunities out there and most of all I want to do all this and have fun at the same time.

I am super stoked about pushing my art in new directions. Just like with surfing, it's all about the individualistic approach, pushing oneself beyond ones comfort zones and refining new techniques and styles, experimenting with new genres and creative processes.

Jay, it's always a pleasure chatting. Looking forward to seeing more of your work and we’ll touch base again soon brother.
My absolute honor as always. Thank you for the support and continued great vibes!

User comments (1)

[20.01.2010] Posted by Sean Davey

Yeah Jay! My brother from another mother! Can't wit to get back on the road again with you bro..

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