IndoSurfLife.com | 6 July, 2012 | Uluwatu, Bali: Rip Curl has officially released the much-anticipated event artwork for the 2012 Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang Invitational. In just one month the event poster will be seen all over the island of Bali when the countdown to the “Ultimate Tuberiding Contest” begins (July 15 – Aug. 26, 2012).
“I think the best thing that surfing’s ever given to the world is a respect and love for the ocean.”
—Kevin Walsh, 2012 Rip Curl Artist of the Search.
Rip Curl releases Artist of the Search Uluwatu T-shirt collection to help protect legendary Bali surf spot
This year’s Padang Cup poster was created by American artist Kevin Walsh, 28, from Santa Cruz, California, a town rich in surfing heritage. Walsh’s artwork is well known and highly regarded in the surfing world. He has designed posters for such classic events as the World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach (part of the ASP Tour’s Triple Crown of Surfing) and the Cold Water Classic at Santa Cruz’s iconic pointbreak of Steamer Lane. Walsh has painted custom surfboards for some of the world’s top professional surfers, and on any massive swell at Teahupoo or Maverick’s you are bound to see a Stretch tow board bearing one of his ocean-inspired designs. Walsh has also designed rock posters for such musical acts as Jack Johnson and Metallica.
In addition to designing this year’s Padang Cup event artwork, Walsh has created three limited-edition Destination T-shirts based on Bali’s world famous surf spot of Uluwatu. To ensure that Walsh captured the essence of Uluwatu in his designs, Rip Curl flew him out to Bali from his home in Santa Cruz, CA and put him up at the Rip Curl Team House at the Uluwatu Surf Villas. For three weeks in May, Walsh lived, worked and surfed on the cliffs above Uluwatu, sketching in his notebook, painting surfboards, and dreaming up ideas for the ultimate Uluwatu-themed T-shirt for the Rip Curl “Artist of Search” collection.
“I’m getting more inspiration than I’ve ever gotten from a place,” Walsh said of staying at Uluwatu. “Pretty much from Day 1 I haven’t been on my computer, I’m just soaking it all in. I can sit at the table and draw and paint. If I see the waves getting good, I can run out and go surf and then get more inspiration by looking back up at the cliffs, the temple, the fish. This is the most mind-blowing place. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
It was Walsh’s first visit to Bali, and while he was blown away by the famed beauty of the island and its people, Walsh said he was also alarmed to see the serious pollution problem affecting southern Bali’s heavily trafficked beaches.
“I think the best thing that surfing’s ever given to the world is a respect and love for the ocean,” Walsh said. “It’s the one sport that teaches you to love the natural world. Why is this river here leading out to this beautiful coral reef littered with trash? You can’t give the locals grief about it because they have to take care of themselves and feed their families and take care of their own business. They need a system to properly dispose of the waste.”
A donation of sales from all three Kevin Walsh-designed Uluwatu Destination T-shirts will help fund Eco Surf Rescue Uluwatu, the environmental organization creating sustainable waste management solutions at Uluwatu beach. Last year Rip Curl donated IDR 54 million (US$5,465) to ESRU from the sale of the 2011 Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang Invitational event T-shirt.
“I think it’s smart of the surf industry to lend a helping hand,” Walsh said, “and help organize a way to change our way of doing things so that we don’t destroy this amazing place. In the long run it’s going to benefit everyone.”
All three Uluwatu Destination T-shirts designed by Kevin Walsh will be available for purchase in all Rip Curl Bali stores beginning August. Purchase your piece of surfing history and help us ensure that the perfect tubes of Uluwatu and nearby Padang Padang are clean and healthy for generations to come.
Kevin Walsh will return to Bali in July, 2012 for an art exhibit fund-raiser of his work at the Uluwatu Surf Villas on the evening of July 21st, during the opening week of the Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang Invitational holding period. The evening will feature live music and DJs, catered food and full bar service, all on the cliffs above Uluwatu.
All proceeds will go towards ESRU and ROLE Foundation. For more information on Eco Surf Rescue Uluwatu, go to: www.rolefoundation.org.
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