Danielle Black Lyons
Oceanside, California, USA
Years creating surf art: 5
Instagram: @salty_sol_artworks & @texturedwaves
Online Store: Salty Sol Artworks
What is your favorite surf art piece, and why? I love creating ocean waves with resin right now. It’s so satisfying watching the wave form, creating layers and depth. People have been really responsive to these pieces and I love that! My favorite piece is a bamboo surfboard shaped cutting board with a resin wave on it. It’s a special piece, that went to a great home of a surf babe/art appreciator buddy of mine.
Do you surf as well? Yes, daily. Sometimes double sessions if I’m lucky!
Surf art goals? I’m currently commission based and that really works for me right now. In the future I would love to be a part of a shared gallery space with other artists, surfers, designers and makers. A collective space where we can create would be a dream!
What do you love/hate (you choose!) about surf culture as it pertains to women surfers? The stereotypical surfer girl image has never resonated with me. I can’t relate to her, none of my friends look like her or dress like her. She doesn’t represent my idea of surfing. Me and three of my girlfriends created a platform called @texturedwaves that celebrates women surfers of all backgrounds and textures, in particular the most underrepresented demographic, women of color. Because real surfing is squeezing your ass into a wetsuit that’s still a little damp from the last session. It’s bumming sunscreen off your buddy and all she has is some white zinc and you look like a mime in the lineup. It’s not always pretty and certainly not sexy (except when I do a hair flip, that’s always on point). There is comraderie and laughs, there’s heckling, drop ins and whipe outs, stingrays assassin’s and injuries. It’s the hardest most humbling sport in the world. I will surf until the day I die and it won’t always be pretty, but it will be real.
How has your surfing/art life affected the rest of your life on land? Surfing and art are my two great loves aside from my family. Both worlds have connected me to a community that I vibe with on such a high level. I have formed a sisterhood with these women and that really lights me up. I surf to keep my soul happy, my body strong and my temperament even. I get to connect with the earth and my tribe of ladysliders all in one beautiful session. Creating art is a soulful process that is more personal for me. From time to time I get to switch off from the world, get quiet, get weird, whatever I’m feeling I can just release that and create in my garage. It isn’t always easy or possible to make myself or my passions a priority as a parent, so when I do have that time I savor it. Surfing and art fulfill me in ways that make me do better. It’s all a trickle down and directly effects my relationships, my productivity at work and my daily life.