User:CFA/Articles/Drafts/2024/Phil Roberts (Artist)

Phil Roberts (born 1960 in Sarasota, Florida, U.S.) is an american painter, surf artist, movie poster illustrator, sculptor and concept designer. Most notably recognized for his surf art achievements.

Biography
Phil grew up on the beaches and in the surfing community of Melbourne, Florida. Originally from Melbourne, Florida, Roberts began free-hand drawing when he was five years old. Over time, he developed not only a love for surfing, but also his talent for art, which began to blossom when he started airbrushing surfboards at the age of fifteen.

“As soon as I got out of high school for the day, I’d head over to the surfboard factories and paint between four and six boards in the afternoon,” said Roberts. His fascination with airbrushing surfboards, drawing caricatures, and creating paintings for local magazines led him to professional surfing’s center stage: the Pipeline Masters.

Phil was the first to paint a split water level surf scene on a board at the age of 18 (that board is in the collection of Donny Mulhern). Phil's art was featured in magazines and newspapers before he left high school, his commercial art income help put himself through college. At 17, Phil got a scholarship to Pratt Inst. in New York where he got a BFA in fine arts, with Honors, mastering in figure drawing, painting and sculpture. For the last 25 years has applied his skills as a portrait artist in the movie advertising industry as well as Surf. The Dec '82 cover of Surfer launched his career in Hollywood with his first poster "Hot Dog the ski movie". Since then Phil has become one of the top illustrators in movie advertising (for the last three decades) freelancing for all the major studios. His portfolio includes 30 finish posters and 100's of drawings designing for photoshoots. He is known for his comedic senses and portrait skills.

Work
Phil's work is heavily influenced by European art. Roberts explores a variety of mediums from acrylics to airbrushes to bronze sculpture and architecture. Roberts considers himself to be a renaissance artist, and his wide variety of patrons (from Billabong to Hollywood to San Diego’s Natural History Museum) reflects his tastes.

“I basically wanted to be a combination of Michelangelo and surfing with a little bit of Walt Disney,” said Roberts.

Book of Waves
Phil is the creator of the scientific illustrations of how waves work for Drew Kampion's "Book of Waves". These paintings have become the visual reference referred to world wide. These illustrations were also published in Grolliers Encyclopedia of New Sciences, National Geographic's Explorer Series, and has been reprinted in 7 different languages in magazines and museum shows from Japan to Russia to Brazil. In the '90s when Phil wasn't seen in the magazines so much, he was collaborating with Tom Lochtefeld in conceiving and designing WaveLoch Surf parks that have since become a reality

Sculpture
The project to sculpt a life-size version in bronze for Eukai state beach is in the works. Another life size bronze of Dewey Weber has been sculpted and is under construction for the city of Hermosa Beach

Phil created a company based off his solely unique combination of resin waves and bronze figures that have become the most coveted trophies of choice around the world. Phil's artwork has been featured on many surf industry products from jewelry to clothing to sculpture, shoes, sandals, paintings, science illustrations to surf theme parks.

Billabong Pro Painting Series
A series of four paintings for the Billabong Pro 2008 surfing contest tour.

Balboa Park Carousel Egg
“Balboa Park Carousel” project was eighteen years in the making and is currently featured in San Diego’s Natural History Museum.The Balboa Park Carousel egg depicts the carousel’s surface details in 22-karat gold, platinum, and diamonds. Many other gems were also applied to this intricate creation, which is encased in red gioche enamel that gives the egg its color. It sits atop of a 120 year-old restored music box, which plays 20 Victorian and Edwardian tunes. “I actually painted the details and did the molds for the 22-karat gold for the carousel,” said Roberts. “I painted between 82 and 120 animals through a magnifying glass with nothing but a toothpick to erase.” “Phil is the most fundamentally authentic artist I’ve ever worked with,” said jewelry designer Jim Grahl who collaborated with Roberts on the carousel. “He has a blessing to be a remarkable human being and a remarkable artist, and those two don’t always go together.”

"The Pipe Master's Trophy and Trophy Board" “I often think what if Carl Faberge was a surfer,” said Roberts. “I want to take everything I know about jewelry and apply it to a surfboard.”