Surfer. Artist.

Diaz was born in Buffalo NY and relocated with his family to Monterrey Mexico shortly thereafter. Having lived in many Latin American countries during his adolescence, his parents settled on Arizona in 1984.

After graduating with a communications degree from Northern Arizona University, Diaz moved to Phoenix, where he grew to become one of the more recognized Creative Directors of the time, accolades included ADDYS, One Show, Clios, Tellys and AMA awards. It was a period of practice in honing the art of wit and communicating with clarity.

Starting in the early 1990s, his paintings, resin work and marble sculptures explored the relationship between finished and unfinished. Completing art pieces and then stripping them or sanding them, to create a weathered element.

This eventually led to a curiosity about the idea of erosion – the process of stripping away and getting to the soul of the concept. Diaz notes that: “Sculpting removes material until the shapes are in purest form. There is redemption and revelation in naked truth”. His work reflects the influences of Emile Gilioli, Barbera Hepworth, Fred Eversely and Mark Rothko. His modernist abstract sculptures and simple shapes are guided by color striations and the detritus trapped within. His work is a captivating synthesis of color interplay, nuance, and the perfection of smooth lines.

An admiration of Southern California culture and beach life is ever-present in his work. David reminds us that: “It’s a cultural mob pursuing what they love, with a scant care of others’ opinions; the epicenter of all things brilliant original”

His preferred medium is surfite. In the process of making surfboards, glassers pour different colored resin on each board. This resin then drips, pools and hardens, becoming surfite: set forever into brightly hued layers, 2-8 inches deep. This is the raw material from which all of David’s recent pieces are created.

Unique and impossible to replicate, each piece evokes wonder and carrys an undeniable reminder of the sea. The colors and shapes represent the freedom and exhilaration found in the noble sport of surfing.

David lives, works and maintains a studio in Redondo Beach California.