Nate Tyler sculpts and surfs in new film "Arbutus"

I was recently offered the deal of a lifetime: The Surfer’s Journal offered me real, actual money to drive myself up to Nate Tyler’s house to write a story for them about what I found in his zone. Besides partaking in what I was led to believe is a weekly ritual of drinking many ounces of Trader Joe’s box wine, I was introduced to a piece of California gold and hosted by one of my favorite people in the world and his beautiful family.

Now to hear more, I will direct you to the most recent issue of The Surfer’s Journal [Volume 29.4], featuring Mikey February on the cover, where you will find the results of the deal: an in-depth profile of Nate, his surfing, his home and his mind-boggling kinetic sculpture work he creates inside a beautiful workshop hidden among his own 100-acre wood somewhere in Central California.

As a celebration of the piece, filmmaker Matt Payne took the cinema right out of my mouth and made this beautiful illustration featuring what words can’t do. It is called Arbutus, and it is wonderful and I’m just honored to somehow be a part of this in some way and made out with wine and money in the process.—Travis Ferré

[Photo above by Corban Campbell, from the Surfer’s Journal]