West Footscray artist Michel Le Tellier has been causing a splash with his one-of-a-kind surfboard artworks.
Le Tellier is merging his love of surfing and art in upcoming exhibition Sailmaker at Post Industrial Design.
The young artist handcrafts his surfboards, which he then uses as a blank canvas for his art.
A keen surfer himself, the 18-year-old decided at 15 exactly what he wanted to do with his life.
He spent a year working to save up enough money to travel to Queensland to complete a surfboard-shaping course with acclaimed board-shaper Richard Harvey, who has been shaping surfboards since 1967.
“When you are out on the water it’s just you and the board that exist in that moment. The board becomes an extension of the surfer,” Le Tellier says.
“I want my board art to allow surfers to connect more with the craft they are riding and enhance the surfing experience.”
After shaping each new board, Le Tellier painstakingly hand paints each with his own unique designs.
Post Industrial Design owner Mary Long said Le Tellier’s surfboard artworks had stopped her in her tracks.
“To see someone, who found their passion at 15 and has methodically worked towards it, is pure inspiration,” she says.
“At 18, he is very much at the start of his career.”
Sailmaker opens on Sunday, August 2, 6-8pm. It runs until August 15 at Post Industrial Design, 638 Barkly Street, West Footscray.
