Nike 6.0 recently sat down with this year’s Lowers Pro artist Eric Soderquist for a quick Q & A on art, surf, and everything in between.

Check out his most recent collaboration with photographer Chris Burkard, The California Project HERE.

First off, let’s get a little background info out of the way. Where are you from, where did you grow up, and how long have you been an artist?

I was born in my house in a sleepy little farm town named Arroyo Grande and now I live a few miles away in Shell Beach. I got into painting after high school in 1998 and later fell into a gallery where I painting like a madman.

From where or who do you draw inspiration for your artwork?

My inspiration comes from my surroundings, mostly nature figuring I’m a landscape artist. As far as humans go I dwell on William Wendt, Guy Rose and most early California Artists. I painted along side Peter Antonio who’s a talented abstract artist; he’s a tangible inspiration figuring he’s alive and well.

Surfing is a big part of your life. How has that driven your work and life as an artist?

It all stems from surfing. It’s all I ever wanted to do and I was constantly being flooded with amazing visuals. Surfing, Art, and Life seem to go hand in hand.

What is your favorite medium to work with and why?

I would say oil on canvas is my favorite. Oil paint can take on many forms and it dries much slower. Lately I’ve been amped on sculpture and short films. So I guess I like what ever doesn’t feel like work at the time.

Have you always been interested in art? How has it progressed throughout your life?

Ya I dig art, my grandparents live by Stanford and immersed me early on. My art is constantly evolving and I try to stay open to change. If anything I’m trying to keep a loose approach and not drive myself crazy. I don’t want to lose an ear over it and go Van Goghderquist.

The Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro is working closely with California State Parks and various surf/environmental foundations to keep the event as environmentally friendly as possible. Are you a proponent of green living? What do you think people can do as surfers to better improve their local environments?

Green and free would be the ultimate right? I say try to live simple, carry your weight, give people some space and live within your means. Try not to judge everyone and let it be. I’m no guru but it would translate locally and globally.

How did you end up with the final artwork for the Lowers event? A particular surf session or memory of Lowers perhaps?

I worked closely with Zach Boone on this; we melded our visions and came up with a few sketches and angles. Then I did a series of small watercolors and we both agreed on one. Then from there I did a large 36×48 oil panting, which is what you’ll see. Jeff Cannam drew a series of fonts and the art department ran with it from there.

You recently published a book with photographer Chris Burkard, The California Surf Project, which documents your travels along the west coast from Oregon to Tijuana. How did that project come about and are there any highlights you can share?

Chris and I were broke so we began car-pooling to the beach. We constantly talked about photography and art so the book conspired from that. Chris won “the follow the light” grant in memory of Larry Moore. With the cash we hit the road and spent two months living in my VW bus. The highlight was we got published by Chronicle books and it will be on shelves in May. I wrote the book and the photography is mental!

How can we check out your artwork? Do you have anything coming up that we should check out?

U can check out my art at “EricSoderquist.com” or our book at “www.thebookprojectca.com” (I’m a dinosaur on the computer so my web life looks drab) But I do recommend looking at art in person no matter whose it is. With that said you can check out my art on our book tour. Which is starting April 18 at Mollusk in San Francisco and going down the California coast from there, so keep your eyes peeled for dates. Oh ya I’m painting a mural at the Nike Trestles Lowers Pro event, so come on down and help out. Peace – Eric