Welcome to the left side of my brain! I started drawing as a kid when my dad would show me how to sketch cartoon characters and block letters on the back of paper restaurant place-mats. Then, I took about 10 years off (didn’t even draw a measly stick figure) until I started going back to college in Michigan. I needed a way to express myself and how much I miss the ocean. I feel like surfing is a part of me that will never die, even though I haven’t been in the water in three years now. Or, as Kelly Slater describes this phenomenon, “it’s like the mob or something”- once your in “there’s no getting out”. My surf art is simply an outward expression of how much I miss the waves and water. At age 13, I rented one of those big, cheesy, foam longboards in Cocoa Beach, FL and was hooked. After my first semester of college, I dropped out and moved to the North Shore for 3 months. Life decisions can be tough:) I like mixing vivid colors together to create waves, flowers, sunsets, and whatever else in on my mind, using soft pastels, primsa color markers, and colored pencils.

Photography is constant entertainment, and images are my souvenirs from every place I’ve been. I started taking pictures at age 16 and shoot with a Canon EOS Mark II, Canon T70 film camera, and a Canon G10 point and shoot. I completed a year of photography coursework at Daytona State College before creating a wholesaling ‘Photo Goods’ (see the Store section of my website) through Surf Expo. Later, I went on a 1 year internship spree, which began by shooting for Orlando Style Magazine. I then used a free airline voucher to attend a National Geographic Adventure photography workshop in Jackson Hole, Wyoming where I met the photo editor, and later drove up to New York City to work as her photo research intern. From there, I drove up to Portland, Maine to intern as a photo editor for Aurora Photos.

I hope you enjoy surfing my blog. Drop me a line to say hello @ amyleihammond@gmail.com!

-Amy

*All artwork and images copyright © Amy Hammond