John Severson

In the '50s John Severson (1933-2017) became the first person to create a large body of art relating to the Hawaii-California surf culture. Since then he has provided a steady output of oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, and prints. In 1958, John used his art, photography, and surfing passion to create a popular surf movie series. As a surfer, Severson was known for riding big waves, and for his innovative performance style in big surf. In 1961, he won the Peru International Surfing Championships and was a finalist in the U.S. and Hawaiian Championships.
With the founding of SURFER, John's art focused on the magazine and graphics. His painting “Surf Bebop” was selected as the outstanding cover painting of 1963 by Communication Arts.
His work has appeared in Life, Sports Illustrated, Paris Match, German Stern, and others and was selected for a '60s Sports Illustrated Sport-In-Art show in New York.
John Severson was voted into the Surfing Hall of Fame in 1993, the Walk of Fame at Huntington Beach in 1995, and given a lifetime achievement award by the Surf Industry Manufacturers' Association as Waterman of the Year in 1997.