Drew Brophy
Drew Brophy is an American artist born in 1971. Known as a "surf artist" Brophy is best known for his surfboard paintings and distinctive painting style, using Uni-Posca water-based paint pens.
Biography
[edit]A self-taught artist, Brophy began painting on surfboards when he first began to surf in his native South Carolina.[1] Originally, Brophy set out to be a professional surfer, and he traveled internationally using artwork to help pay for his surf adventures. He was comissioned multiple artworks and became a professional.
After living and surfing in Hawaii in the 1990s, Brophy moved to California in 1996 as a career decision. He now lives with his wife and their son.
In 2018 Brophy's Autobiography titled Painting Surfboards and Chasing Waves was released on Amazon.[2]
Art
[edit]McFly's Dougie Poynter plays a Music Man Sterling Bass, featuring a custom paint job by Brophy.[3]
In spring of 2011, Crystal Cove Media Production Company produced a television show called The Paint Shop with Drew Brophy, which aired on Southern California local television channels, including Cox and Time Warner. [4] The Paint Shop is a reality show which takes the viewers behind the scenes of Drew's art studio and projects.[5]
In 2012 Brophy featured in the seminal book Surf Graphics.[6]
Surfing
[edit]In May 2011, Brophy teamed up with whitewater expert and film-maker Seth Warren, to become the first ever to standup paddleboard the entire length of the 225 miles of the Colorado River between Lee's Ferry and Diamond Creek. The expedition took 16 days and was run at a time when the water level was its highest since 1983. They navigated over 125 rapids, 42 of which were rated between 5g and 10g, on the Grand Canyon scale of 1-10g.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Stab (2018-12-25). "Matt Biolos: Drew Brophy, ...Lost, and The Black Sheep Aesthetic". Stab Mag. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
- ^ Rees, Steve van (2019-01-24). "Drew Brophy Painted Your Fave ...Lost Surfboards of the 90s". Surfer. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
- ^ "Drew Brophy's Custom Bass for Dougie Poynter of McFly - Drew Brophy - Surf Lifestyle Art". Retrieved 2025-08-28.
- ^ administrator (2013-05-13). "The Paint Shop with Drew Brophy launches on cable channels in SoCal". Shop Eat Surf Outdoor. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
- ^ "» THE PAINT SHOP TV Series with Surf Artist Drew Brophy Airs on Cox | Surf Travel, Surf Reports, Ocean Conservation, Marine Life, Surfing Worldwide, Surfspots-GPS". Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
- ^ Surf Graphics. Korero Books. 2012. p. 40. ISBN 9781907621086.
- ^ Sea, The Son Of (27 July 2011). "Standup Paddleboard 225 miles of Colorado River through the Grand Canyon". Stand Up Paddle Surfing Magazine. Archived from the original on Nov 4, 2011.