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 John Severson. Founder of Surfer Magazine and Surfing Hall-of-Fame surf culture artist, Severson is noted for surf movies, surf posters, prints, paintings and aloha shirts. John Severson, well known as the creator of the internationally acclaimed SURFER Magazine, grew up surfing off the beaches of Southern California. He began his career as a painter, selling his first works while finishing his Master's Degree.at Long Beach State College. In the '50s he 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.
His films included SURF SAFARI, SURF FEVER, BIG WEDNESDAY, and PACIFIC VIBRATIONS.The posters, smash hits in the '50s and '60s, remain collector favorites. 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. C.A. devoted five pages to Severson's magazine and film work in 1970. During the '60s, he authored two surf books for Doubleday. In 1968, LIFE Magazine ran 10 pages on Severson's family and surf success. 
Over the years, John has continued a parallel career in photography; 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. From an artistic standpoint, John Severson is a true original. Every mark, from the smallest doodle to the largest gestural brush stroke on a major oil painting, is clearly his own individual statement. There is no doubt in my mind that John Severson's art works will pass the test of time, both as unique artistic statements and as an important visual record of the developing surf culture.

Gordon T. McClelland
Author, Art Historian
Santa Ana, California


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John Severson 1933-2017
Closeout
End of the Road
North Shore Corduroy
Pineapple Swipe
Rounding Kaina Point
Waimea Blast
Golden Age
Good Morning North Shore
Hot Lefts
Maalaea Artist proof framed SOLD
Perfect Rights
Star Maker
Sunset Fifties
Surf Beetle
Surf Wheels
The Last Point
Big Surf Fever
"Soul Arch"
Redondo Action
Wild Angels
DC 2
Pure Juice
Left Line
Pacific Wave
"Beach Boy" 2002 framed $650. Only one available
"South Sea" 1993 framed $500. Only one available
Longboard" #54/150 framed $500. Only one available
"Hang Ten" sold out
"Surf Pioneers" sold out
'Big Surf' sold out
"Soul Arch" Large Signed Lithograph $1500. # 3/85   unframed.
Going My Wave
Surf Safari
Surf signed movie poster framed $150.
Surf Fever
The Angry Sea
Pacific Vibrations
Limited Edition Signed Giglee Prints.   SOLD OUT.
Signed Original Block Prints and Lithographs. Only one large lithograph left. 
Signed Movie Posters. Sold out
Sign Photo's  8.5" x 11" and 16" x 20" sold out 
Greg "Da Bull" Noll, Pipeline
Mickey Munos "Quasimoto"
Spartan Reef
Waimea Shore Break
Aaberg at Rincon
Laniakea
Van Dyke at Waimea
Original Watercolor Paintings Sold out
"On Stage" Original Framed Watercolor. Lots of detail. Size image 15" w X 11" h Framed size 23" X 19.5"  $2800. Plus shipping
"Yellow Surf Woody" Original Framed Watercolor. Lots of details. Image size 15" X 11" Framed size 23.5" X 19.75" SOLD
" Two Surfers"  20.5" x 25" Watercolor framed  SOLD
"Pink Palm" 16" x 22" Watercolor framed  SOLD
"Jetty Surf" Original watercolor framed   SOLD
"Peaks" Original watercolor framed 24" x 24"  SOLD
"Dropping in"  Framed original water color.  SOLD
"Hut View" Original framed water color. Size 19.5" x 23.5" SOLD
"Surfers" Original framed water color. 29" x 18" SOLD
Watch John Severson 2011 Surfer Poll Lifetime achievement acceptance speech.
T-shirts available.
$20. Plus S & H.