The vivid art of John Van Hamersveld fashioned a generation. His eclectic designs translate into a multitude of languages by evoking a feeling, a place and a period in time. His highly recognizable and sometimes psychedelic art began with an Endless Summer.
He designed the renowned color saturated sunset and surfer poster for the 1966 surfing movie “Endless Summer” from his kitchen table in Dana Point more than five decades ago. Inspired by a sunset photo of a Dana Point beach in Orange County, it was destined to become an internationally recognized icon of Southern California’s surfing scene.
This singular poster may have launched his colorful career, however, John Van Hamersveld is a true renaissance man, who has reinvented himself and his designs to be as relevant and futuristic today as they were in the 60’s. He has been a student, teacher, artist, designer and even created a 360-foot-long mural for the 1984 LA Olympic Games. His treasure chest of retro art reads like a who’s who in the rock world, from famous album covers for the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, to concert posters for Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and Bob Dylan.
John Van Hamersveld is an authentic art legend and his timeless and iconic art will forever connect Orange County as a symbol of youth, devoted surfers, idyllic climate and endless summers. (Source: Wikipedia.org)
If you are in Southern California, be sure to check out John’s exhibition at the Surf Gallery in Laguna Beach starting Saturday, November 21, 2009.
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