“John Severson’s Surf” 2014 SEVERSON, John

SEVERSON, John

Puka Puka [Damiani]

2014

12 1/2″ x 9 7/8″

John Severson (SEA-ver-son, 1933–2017) was an American editor, author, filmmaker and artist, widely known as the founder of Surfer, a magazine focused on the sport and culture of surfing. Severson also created a diverse body of artwork dedicated to the sport.

Drew Kampion, editor of Surfer 1968-1972, said Severson was “the first to treat surfing as a worthy subject matter for fine art.” Sam George, editor of Surfer (1999) said “before John Severson, there was no ‘surf media,’ no ‘surf industry’ and no ‘surf culture’ — at least not in the way we understand it today.”

The New York Times called Severen “a pioneer of modern surf culture;” who created “the surf art genre; joined the earliest ranks of surf filmmakers; developed the “Surf Fever” writing font now synonymous with surfing; and started the first major magazine dedicated to wave riding, Surfer, a holy book of the sport.