Surf boards

A fusion of surfboards and photography

smiling warmly, immersed in her colorful ojai workshop’s array of stunning surfboards that depict her photographs and neon creations, artist bobbi jo bennett greets intrigued visitors. she delights in sharing her creative space, which is full of energy and light.

“My sur oards are for your wall or the waves,” Bennett explains. “I have a line of deconstructed, hand-shaped boards featuring my original photography, and a neon line that has become very popular.” Bennett notes those works were very well-received at Aqua Art Miami this year.

Bennett, who grew up in Monterey, exudes an exuberant vibe innate to those immersed in surfing culture. After attending Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia, she explored various art forms, starting with photography.

“People went to bat for me as I began my career,” Bennett says. “I first got exposure by donating my works to charity events.”

Philanthropy remains important to her. “I always donate a percentage of all board sales to nonprofits,” Bennett says. She is committed to helping a number of organizations dealing with marine litter issues.

Bennett has always been grateful to her two primary mentors, photographers Cindy Sherman and Guy Webster. Cindy Sherman is one of the most prolific photographers of our time,” Bennett says. “Early in my career, I wrote her a letter, never expecting to hear back — she responded and made a world of di erence for me. Guy Webster gave me input for 20 years.” Webster pushed Bennett to embark on new endeavors, she says. “He told me that I had to shine more and extend my ego a little more.”

When Bennett won the 2016 LensCulture International Exposure Award, one of her most iconic photographs, “Fallen Angels,” was exhibited at the Louvre in Paris.

Bennett has, in a word, arrived. Throughout her career, she has reimagined and redefined her artistic seity and expressed her creativity through various media. As her career evolved, she began to merge her love of photography with her surfing passion, ultimately pioneering a new art medium. “At the time I started Stoked Sur oards, I was

story by BARBARA BURKE photos: MARIANA SCHULZE

the first female owner of a surf company in the U.S.,” Bennett said. Her photographs are mounted on restored, hand-selected, and rare vintage boards, often created by industry icons such as Al Merrick and Rockin’ Fig. The boards are coated with resin and torched, rendering a glasslike appearance. Bennett’s hand-shaped line of “art boards” are immensely popular.

Constantly evolving, Bennett notes that as she creates new sur oard series, “everything is trial and error.” As an artist, she innovates. “You just have to put your new ideas and your works out there,” she says. Bennett has delved into using her art for activism. “After the #MeToo movement, I created my Mermaid series about our oceans and women,” Bennett says. “It is a political series that has been a great success. The series involves sur oards with Gucci, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Armani, and Prada themes and other high-fashion brands. Because fashion designers get so much attention, I made the series a little campy and attractive.”

Bennett’s photographs and sur oards are in private collections in Ojai, throughout California, nationally, and internationally. Dennis Quaid, Miley Cyrus, the Grateful Dead’s Billy Kreutzmann and The Beach Boys’ Bruce Johnston, among others, have commissioned her works. Her photograph sur oards are usually ready for customers in four to six weeks, whereas ridables take eight weeks to complete.

Bennett also designs custom interiors and is an art consultant, creating commissioned works or designing interiors for boutiques, galleries, private homes, and businesses.

“I source works by established artists for clients and I also love designing home interiors,” Bennett says. “I focus on luxury residences and I really enjoy collaborating with other artists.”

“I fell in love the moment I walked into Bobbi’s studio,” customer Clarrisa Cornwell says. Bennett helped Cornwell decorate the interior of her new home as she and her family rebuilt after the Thomas Fire. “Bobbi put a smile on my face, and when I brought her up to visit the construction site of our new home, she totally got it,” Cornwell says. “Working together was a huge amount of fun. In the end, the new house is a bit of a love song to California, with beautiful artwork by John Nava and Guy Webster, and Bobbi’s wonderful pieces, which just pop with joy and light.”

Art collector Penny Gundry of Montecito agrees. “We love Bobbi’s works because they are something we haven’t seen in other homes,” she says. “Bobbi curated works that seamlessly flow aesthetically from interior to exterior. Whether it is her photography, her sur oards, including the neon sur oards, she is just so creative in so many genres.”

Bennett is also a gallerist and entrepreneur. For years, she has collaborated with her good friend, Laura Dinning, owner of Montecito’s luxury fashion boutique Allora by Laura. Over the years, Bennett has curated exhibits in Dinning’s boutique that focus on the nexus of fashion and photography.

“We introduced Allora Art with Bobbi’s Goddess series, which worked really well with fashion because there are goddesses of beauty, passion, and wisdom, and the ‘Fallen Angel Goddess,’ Bobbi’s award-winning photograph was featured in my store as well as the Louvre,” Dinning says. She notes that it is easy to combine Bennett’s energy with fashion: “You could go with bold colors and bold silhouettes to match her really large photographs that are applied to wood, titanium, and textiles.”

Bennett welcomes readers to visit her Ojai gallery by appointment. For more information, visit www.bobbibennett.com.