COCOA BEACH, Fla. — “Cocoa Beach is a fascinating place,” says Bruce Reynolds of Cocoa Beach -- home to some captivating people who love to surf.
- Cocoa Beach surfer creates incredible artwork
- Once did an art show with Kelly Slater
- Owns a cafe with his wife in Cocoa Beach
“Surfing to me is basically like a sand painting that is just there for an instant, then it goes away. It doesn’t have to be recorded. It’s just that moment where you’re fully emerged in the moment,” Reynolds says.
The surfer and artist stands out like a rare piece of blue sea glass on a beach full of broken shells.
“Early feng shui was built into my DNA somehow, and I seem to have a knack for balancing objects and structures together,” Reynolds says.
“I’ve been surfing in Cocoa Beach since 1963. I’m 65 years old now, so it’s been a long time."
When he’s not on the water, you can find him in a warehouse behind a cafe called Surfinista that he and his wife own.
It’s inside those walls where his second passion lives.
“Besides family and friends, my two loves are art and surfing,” Reynolds says.
It’s not your average artwork.
“I did a show with Kelly Slater called a Political Process in Venice Beach that was in the year 2016. It documented the year’s election cycle from both sides. From the Clintons, the Trumps, the Bernie Sanders, all of the players involved. We did 33 sculptures,” Reynolds said.
One of his most recent pieces is about a Cocoa Beach legend who happens to be one of Reynolds' best friends: 11-time World Surf Champion Slater.
Reynolds finds happiness within each creation.
“If you don’t plan and you open up a little notebook like that, something will just fall out and if you’re open to it, open to the serendipitous nature of life, then great things can happen,” Reynolds says.
Those great things can happen on canvas or in the water.
“Through art and surfing, I’ve been able to unlock some of my expressive capacity,” Reynolds says.
“At this stage of our lives, we don’t chase waves, we chase moments."