Such a beautifully synchronistic experience, especially in retrospect. I was briefly living in L.A. with my main mate Bunky, when he asked if I wanted to volunteer at ‘Reggae Pon The Mountain’ in Topanga Canyon. I’m usually all for just about anything, especially when its free, & naturally hopped on board.

Immediately, they had us piecing together stages and stands in the brutal July heat, when I spotted a few more fortunate friends chilling under canopies, painting signs beside fans. I inquired how to catch the upgrade, and after showing the coordinator some of my work I was living lavish. My first piece was a sign for the VIP Lounge that, after the picture was taken, had ‘NO WORRIES’ painted in purple across the sun. After that I somehow managed to get the major opportunity of re-purposing this surf board into the weekends beer menu. The black section was done in chalkboard paint, then the beer list itself done in chalk to make it reusable. This project, amazingly, ended up coming with free adult beverages for the weekend. Notice how elated I look posing with my first Coconut Colada!

This turned out to be my first ever experience with painting at a music festival, and unbeknownst to me at the time would open a wide doorway of sliding into spectacular events all across the country!