Original Paintings

Each piece has a story, inspired by Welzie's quest for surf and fun in the sun. The true source for an happy inspiring piece of artwork? An inspired and happy artist. Welzie spends his days working in his Maui art studio. Hand made original artworks are made out of fiberglass resin and ink, just like a surfboard. Originals have a unique build up of layers and textures created with techniques Welzie has developed over 20 years of working in the medium.

To view Welzie's current collection of original artwork please inquire via email

welzieart@gmail.com

Create a unique piece custom for your home

Commission Work 

Let us take your story and turn it into a unique piece of art just for you. Welzie loves combining your ideas and his style to create a one of a kind, and personal piece for your home. 

Family Portraits

Welzie’s family portraits are a fun way for the whole family to enjoy your new piece of art. Don’t forget your pets! Dogs and cats can join in on the fun.

How the Welzie Art is Made: The Process

  Welzie prides himself in the authenticity and rawness of his creative process. He is fearless in his creation and experimentation. These qualities are the catalyst in Welzie’s ability to design and can be seen in his unique style and medium. The process of creating each original fiberglass and resin piece has changed and been manipulated through the course of his 20+ year career as an artist. He is constantly pushing his own standards to create new, unique art work. Welzie has discarded more art than some artists will ever create. This commitment to his process and high standards has lead him to his personal mantra of: “Practice, practice, practice!”

    The evolution of Welzie Art is similar to the actual art pieces— both are made of layers of labor, time, passion and creativity. The journey of learning while creating keeps his art work fresh and allows him to push himself creatively.

     Every painting starts out as a piece of wood. The wood becomes Welzie’s ‘canvas,’ and eventually, the art you see in the Welzie Art Gallery at the Andaz in Wailea, Maui and other galleries across the Hawaiian Islands. Welzie takes pre-cut wood pieces into his studio and applies the first layers of tangible creativity, using fiberglass and resin. One layer of fiberglass is placed on the wood and white pigmented resin is smoothed over the fiberglass. This process laminates the fiberglass and gives the wood a strong, textured, bright-white surface for Welzie to move to the next step in his creation process.

     Next, Welzie hand-pigments resin in clear resin cups. This is the stage when color combinations start to take form and he experiments with which colors will work with others. Using colors from different parts of the Greyscale is the best way to create a dynamic, vibrant piece. The first layer of color is applied with a squeegee— the flat sharp edge allows for wide control over the high-viscosity resin. The squeegee step puts down the most color at one time. The first, most dominant color of the piece generally sets the mood for the piece. Examples of mood include: masculine, feminine, dark or happy. At least two colors can be seen in the background of Welzie pieces. The way the colors blend or keep their definition is largely based on how quickly the two colors were applied and whether they were allowed to dry between the layers of application.

     Astericks, waves, dashes, drips, and spills are applied using different colors. Where the color sits on the grey scale and how the piece is supposed to feel plays a big role on which color is assigned to which stroke. The painting process can be a slow or fast process depending on what Welzie is trying to achieve. Some pieces the background plays a large role in the composition while some works the background is lost to the imagery in the foreground.

     Once Welzie has played down the color work, a thin layer of clear resin is applied to smooth the surface and allow for it to be sanded. In the surfboard world this process is called the “hot coat.”

     The sanding process is dusty and dirty. Using a large grinder, the sander flattens the piece allowing for the various colors and patterns that were painted over in the creation stage to come to the surface— this process can make it difficult to know which color Welzie painted first or last.

     The smooth, sanded surface is now the perfect texture and medium for Welzie’s custom collection of paint pens. Since his early teens Welzie used these pens to draw images on his friends’ surfboards, which he continued to do for 15 years and into his professional career. Arriving on Oahu’s famed North Shore, Welzie would draw on professional surfers’ boards who wanted to stand out from the pack. For Welzie, it was a way to practice his style while getting free surf supplies. (Along with a couple more waves out in the surf!)

     Welzie’s illustration style has developed since the days of drawing on friend’s and pro surfers’ boards. While he still loves to catch waves, these days he spends a lot of time in his art studio in Maui, drawing and erasing to create what he is looking for. “There is so commitment to each line because it is so slow and difficult to erase” Welzie says. Illustrations can take days and even weeks to achieve the loose and whimsical feeling of his painitngs.

     After the piece is laminated, painted, hot coated, sanded, and illustrated, the final layer of resin, called “gloss coat” is applied. This step is important to keep the acrylic images protected and sealed. The final, smooth layer of resin also brings the piece to life and allows for the piece to be sanded with the finest sand paper and polished with a buffing pad. This process compounds to create Welzie’s unique mirror-like shine. The edges are cleaned up by hand and and any remaining drips are removed. The finished piece is now ready to be signed by Welzie and mounted into a frame or shipped to it’s new home.