Cottons and Nixon

“Cottons & Nixon” – Assemblage by Nathan Gibbs

6x9

resin, rail spike, letters, descriptions from ‘Surfing California’

This handcrafted shadowbox fuses surf history with presidential lore, anchoring itself in the iconic geography of Cotton’s Point, just steps from Nixon’s Western White House in San Clemente, California. At the center is a preserved, rusted rail spike taken directly from the Trestles tracks during a repair — a physical relic from the old train tracks that once carved through the bluffs near Upper and Lower Trestles, grounding this work in the soul of California surf culture. Behind it, a vintage aerial of Nixon’s seaside estate reminds us of the curious overlap between politics and beachbreaks. A striking black-and-white image of Nixon mid-stride on Trestles beach adds levity and weight to the narrative.

Laser-cut wooden letters spelling “Cottons & Nixon” echo the neighboring breaks that have drawn surfers for generations. Framed in contrasting tones of warm pine and charred oak, the box evokes both rustic Americana and boardwalk nostalgia. This piece is part of the “Trestles” series, a tribute to the layered history of Southern California’s surf coast, where railroads, rebellion, and reverb from political tides all crash ashore.

This artwork incorporates small, transformed elements including a surf map and archival image to comment on the cultural intersection of surfing, politics, and Southern California identity.

The use of geographic reference material from Surfing California (1973) and a historical image of President Richard Nixon — whose estate at Cotton’s Point overlooked one of California’s most iconic surf breaks — invites reflection on access, power, and the mythos of place.

All reused materials are limited, altered in context, and used under the principles of fair use for critical and artistic transformation. No original work is reproduced in full or in a way that substitutes for its source.

All rights to original imagery remain with their respective copyright holders.