Church - Trestles

Mixed Media (Wood, metal railroad spikes/bolts, vintage surf report clipping, Scrabble tiles)

7.5” x 12”

This evocative piece fuses spiritual and surf culture into a singular visual narrative. At its center, two rusted metal spikes form a cruciform, anchored to a varnished wooden panel shaped like a church window. The symbolic cross evokes both sacrifice and reverence — a nod to the quiet sanctity many surfers find in the rhythm of the ocean. Also a nod to the cross that sits above the Trestles surf spot featured in the art, Church. 

Beneath the cross, a clipped vintage surf spot description from a Southern California guide provides a physical and emotional anchor. It reads:

“Church – Long, well-shaped right lines. Breaks over a submerged rock point ½ mile south of Lower Trestle… A good spot if the Trestle is too crowded.”

An accompanying black-and-white image of the San Onofre coast reinforces the surf locale’s timeless charm. Below, wooden Scrabble tiles spell out the word CHURCH, cementing the work’s dual meaning — as both sacred place and legendary surf break.

This is the 7th piece in the “Trestles” series, dedicated to California’s iconic surf spots. It celebrates the spiritual connection between nature, place, and soul — where a wave becomes a form of worship.

This piece incorporates a short excerpt and image from Surfing California (1973), used under the principles of fair use for the purpose of artistic transformation and cultural commentary.

The embedded elements are recontextualized in a sculptural setting that reflects on place, memory, and meaning at San Onofre’s Church surf break — bridging the literal and spiritual. The original materials are presented in a non-commercial, critical, and transformative manner that does not compete with or replace the source work.

All rights to the original text and image remain with the respective copyright holder.