After spending time with local artist Chris Barela, it’s difficult to determine what is more impressive, his former professional surfing career, or that he is arguably one of the best sculptors and patina artists in the world.
This past month was a prodigious time for Barela. On April 4, he was inducted into the prestigious Surfer’s Walk of Fame in his home town of Hermosa Beach, Calif., and he also unveiled his epic, double-sided wave sculpture “Yin and Yang” in Manhattan Beach, Calif.
A former professional surfer, Barela graced the cover of Surfing Magazine, before retiring from the sport in the late 1980s. He won the Body Glove Grand Prix of Surfing at Cardiff and finished third overall in the 1981 Pipeline Masters. Now a Big Island resident, he has turned his passion for the ocean into a thriving career as a sculptor, painter and photographer.
“When I stopped professional surfing, I moved to Malibu and worked and trained with California artist, Terrie Bennet,” said Barela. “She promised me that if I continued working for her, she would bronze one of my sculptures and teach me the whole process.”
Barela’s first sculpture ended up being a calico bass, a popular fish in Malibu. After Bennet showed Barela how to make a mold and have it cast, he then went to school to learn patina. Patina is the process of applying chemicals to bronze to create a chemical reaction that changes the surface color of the metal to produce vibrant, life-like color.
Barela recalls selling his first sculpture:
“What happened is we had these really nice friends who were in the movie business, and they had a big party. It was right on the beach in Malibu, so my friend who was hosting the party said ‘put it right in the middle of my table and we’ll see what everybody thinks about it.’ There were some really influential people there, and we ended up selling three sculptures that night. It was enough sales to fund my first art show. So needless to say, I became obsessed with sculpting fish. I made five more fish for that art show and ended up selling all of them, as well.”
Barela moved to the Big Island 11 years ago with is wife, Phoebe, where he built a studio on the back of their property in Puako. As Barela’s name and work gained popularity, so did his opportunities for recognition. Along with his impressive public arts commissions, his works are also owned and exhibited by celebrities, public institutions and professional firms.
Some of his most famous commissions include “The Zane Grey, Tales of the Gladiator,” a painstakingly, detailed sculpture depicting Grey in the cockpit of his Southern California-based vessel “Gladiator” during his 1926 battle with his 582-pound world record broadbill swordfish. Others include the Ted Williams Memorial Sculpture, the Tim Kelly Statue that resides at the base of the Hermosa Beach Pier in California, and most recently the Bob and Bill Meistrell “Body Glove” statue that sits at the Seaside Lagoon in Redondo Beach, Calf.
“The Body Glove sculpture was a lucky one to get,” said Barela. “One of the reason the Meistrells contacted me is because I used to be sponsored by Body Glove when I was surfing professionally. I knew Bob Meistrell — he used to measure me for my wetsuits when I was in my 20s. When the Meistrell family was seeking out someone to do the 60th anniversary statue to celebrate being in business for 60 years, they commissioned me to do a trophy sculpture of Bob. However, two weeks after I finished the sculpture, Bob died and Body Glove turned the 60th anniversary party in to a memorial fundraiser. The money raised went toward turning the trophy sculpture into a life-sized monument. That statue ended up going in front of the seaside lagoon in Redondo Beach overlooking King Harbor.”
Not long after completing the Body Glove monument, Barela was told he was being inducted into the Surfer’s Walk of Fame.
“Needless to say, I was very excited to be recognized for the career I had as a surfer,” said Barela. “Growing up in Hermosa, Redondo, and Manhattan Beach, and being able to drop a sculpture in each one of those towns. That was my dream — that along with the Surfer’s hall of Fame has made it an emotional year for me.”
With his work being sold in over 40 galleries from Hawaii to London, Barela outgrew his gallery in Kohala, and now works out of his home studio and showroom in Waimea where visitors are invited to view the entire process of his work. For more information or to peruse the showroom, visit barelaart.com.