Dusk Patrol 808: A Journey Back to Painting and the Dawn of an Unexpected Art Series

Dusk Patrol 808 began in early 2020, when I was in the process of decorating my new apartment in Manoa, a suburb near Waikiki in Honolulu, Hawaii. The centerpiece of my space was surfboards hanging on the wall and tucked into corners—an ode to the surf-centered lifestyle I had grown to love. What I needed was dynamic art to capture the essence my passion for surfing and the ocean. I scoured the internet for colorful artwork that showcased women surfers riding barrels, hoping to find something that resonated with the vision I had in my head. Despite my best efforts, my search came up empty.

With each sunset surf session, as the colors danced and shimmered across the water, a thought kept repeating in my mind: I should paint this. But like many creative urges, it was relegated to the ever-growing list of things I wanted to do. Between being a full-time college student and spending any available down time in the ocean, painting always seemed to fall by the wayside.

Then, life changed course. A breakup hit me around the same time my car was in the shop for repairs, leaving me emotions to process and no access to the ocean to reset. Without thinking much of it, I found myself returning to a familiar coping mechanism from my high school days: painting. It started as a way to occupy my mind, to create the artwork I couldn't find online.

Not long after I completed the first painting, the world slowed down. The pandemic shut everything out and forced us all into our corners, quite literally. With newfound hours and no distractions, one painting became two, and then three. I found myself chasing the colors of the evening sky, inspired by my surf sessions at dusk. Brushstroke after brushstroke, my art grew into a series I never anticipated. What started as a personal project became Dusk Patrol 808, a collection of over 20 paintings capturing the spirit, beauty, and power of the surf and the women who ride it.

These works tell the story of those moments at sunset where the ocean feels like a world of its own, painted with the glowing hues of Hawaii's evening skies. They are reflections of how art can become both an escape and a reconnection, a reminder that even in isolation, creativity and passion can build something enduring.

Dusk Patrol 808 marked my return to painting, but more than that, it was an embrace of resilience, rediscovery, and the surf-inspired life that flows through my veins. Each painting holds a piece of my journey, a visual testament to finding joy and purpose in unexpected places.