From Belgium with Grapefruit

Went start to finish on this one here in Belgium, a custom 8' v.Bowls for which I was given free artistic license.  Just the way I like it and about how it comes at me 90% of the time...Glad you guys trust me!

Inspiration comes in a million different forms; relationships, moods, textures, places, breakfast...You know, all that good stuff!  I'm totally floored by this one.

Funtimes in France

Little bit of this, little bit of that...Clovis ripping of course, me playing with foam, most certainly.  Fun times to say the least; from Rudy Jacques / Avthentic, someone I had been looking forward to meeting for quite some time.

Updates from France!

I've just added the mass of boards that The Shop Next Door has for sale in the little page above, marked  FOR SALE...scope it if you're after one, there's also a list of boards for sale in California.

In the meantime, I've been heavy into the dust dungeon all week at Wallako here in Bidart, France.  They just built a brand new shaping room that I got the privilege of breaking in; 

I think I've done a rather alright job so far considering the paint was drying when I shaped the first board in there last week!  

I don't have a count right now but I've been getting after pounds (i mean kg's) of foam with the planer and foiling a whoooooooole lot of blanks down to their most essential bits; lots of v.Bowls and Sherbert variations, the pintails are making a bid for my heart.  Lots of hulls, a rather interesting 7'10 singlefin off of the Evening Star template but with down rails, shaped specifically for a few waves around these parts, a handful of Piggybacks and other little nuggets.

I'm a happy camper and am nearing my last days in France, then its off to visit Angelo at Flow & Soul Surfboards on the coast of Belgium...What an adventure, indeed!

Pure Shred Froth!

Patagonia just put out their new video for the R3 wetsuit, Trevor was the chosen one to represent for their video thang.  What was produced is a total shredfest with a pile of boards I couldn't be much more stoked with the level of surfing that Trevor throws down on them.  It's like your boss telling you that your TPS report is juuuuust fantastic, and Patagonia just made a video showing the world just how good it is....Or something like that.

It's about 90% Piggyback (hp twinfin), 2% v.Bowls, 2% Rabbitsfoot, 2%t.Rev and 2% FCD Fark (trevor's go to FCD)...amping.  Feast your eyes on the shred, I can't get enough!!

ps - I linked the board names above to some info on each one from the past if you're curious.

From the Inbox

"DOOD SO I BORROWED THE 7'4" V.BOWLS YOU MADE FOR JESSE (IT WAS STILL AT GREGG'S) AND SURFED IT IN THE COVE THIS AFTERNOON. HOLY FUCKSTICKS, MATE!!!!!! FUCKING INSANEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

-Michael Kew

...sounds about right.

for reference, it'd be the blue/green/yellow/brown number seen here:

http://pcprogress.blogspot.fr/2011/10/i-feel-goooooood.html

Live from the place to be

So yesterday I figured out I have internet access inside the shaping bay here in France...I've been learning this Instagram thing and uploading a fair bit.  I'll be in there all week, check it out @RyanLovelace on your fancy phones!

from Axel and the Alaia Religion

Axel Piperno shot me over some photos from my two days in Rome; he so kindly snagged me from the airport on a couple hours notice and the guys happened to have a blank handy so I offered to shape out a little thank-you gift for them in the form of a 5'8 Piggyback.  

I shaped it in their lair in Rome that is a metal working shop, occupied by one of their friends' father and his craft.  I hope that this kind of stuff is what sets me apart and defines what I do...And also the raddest glasses I've ever found.  Nearly impossible to see out of them because of the shade of blue they cast...Welding goggles to the max.  You can define what I do based on them, too if you'd like:

The guys gave me a nice little walking tour of Rome for the day, I learned stuff:

More learning.  Oliver Catanzariti teaching:

I also did some instructing on how to pound water like a champ.  I've had some version of the Flu for the past 2+ weeks now...hoping it fades soon so I can shape a weeeee bit more comfortably!  

Stoke-meter is maxing!

Stallions

Italian Stallions, to be exact.

with Filippo Orso and Thomas Cravarezza in Savona...

Have since made it to Biarritz and Wallako Surf Shop (yesterday) to get busy for the next two weeks.  If you want to come by and chat surfboards, you know where to find me, yeeeeehew!

Episode Who Knows

Trevor onboard Rabbits Foot #2, from mr.Alex Kopps:

a nice little surprise to get a call about this fine evening!

New Jersey'd

Welp, as I leave the east coast today for Rome I'm a very satisfied camper!

I arrived here in NJ two days ago with a nasty cold that's still got its grips on me, but in spite of that I still shaped out 6 boards yesterday and two more are up to bat today before my flight out...Now that's how you handle yo' bizness!  The sleds will be available through Glide Surf Co. in Normandy Beach, a few througHulls, v.bowls' and the nasty little 8'4 Sherbert pictured below..