In the early 1980s, Luiz Fernando Clark was studying painting at the Fine Art School, at the UFRJ College, and his friend/brother Lipe Dylong, an international surfer and owner of the ENERGIA surf brand, saw Clark's art work and made a proposal for him to paint the surf and windsurf boards at ENERGIA factory in a still rural Jacarepaguá. In the beginning there were few units shaped by Lipe alone but, with practice, the paintings improved and sales grew fast. Soon there were 6 shapers taking turns every day, and Clark painted the entire production alone, with different styles and colors always in gradient. At first there were dozens, then hundreds of boards every month. ENERGIA grew very fast and became the biggest surf shop in Brazil at the time, and sponsored top athletes like Milton Barros in Windsurfing, Rickson Gracie in Jiujitso, Fernando Bittencourt in surfing, among others.
"All dear friends and Miltinho is like a brother with whom I am daily in and out of the water until today".
Painting directly on the shape is still the most used way of decorating boards, but the use of sublimation printed images, applied before lamination, gives us an infinite range of possibilities and is an option increasingly used in the industry.
Get in touch and have your board with the art of LF Clark.
