Flight Path: Phil Lewis

Talk to us about the art you do (some of which we have featured here) and how your discovery of foiling has since influenced your work.

I’ve loved making art my whole life and always knew it was what I was meant to do. I’ve been fortunate to turn my passion into a full-time career – going strong for nearly 20 years now! Having spent the majority of my life in Tahoe and Colorado, my work has primarily focused on mountains and the animals that inhabit them. I’m most inspired when I’m outdoors – hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding – basically anything that lets my mind and body wander. I feel a deep connection to the natural world and strive to capture and translate that energy into a visual experience. Lately, my obsession with tow foiling has had a massive impact on my artwork. Spending so much time in the ocean has been eye-opening, exposing me to entirely new environments and fresh sources of inspiration.

And we understand you made your own version of a classic card game?!

Yeah! Go Fish. Basically, since that first tow trip, I’ve been working on a series inspired by the ocean and marine life – 12 new pieces featuring waves and landscapes from my foiling missions. The original concept came to me years ago while playing Go Fish with my son, Robin. I think he was about three at the time. It was the first card game he could really understand, and we played a ton of it! Back then, I couldn’t find any cool versions of the game – just ones with pretty lackluster clip art for the sea creatures. That’s when I had the idea that maybe, one day, I could create my own elevated version of the game, one that really focused on the artwork. It’s just crazy serendipitous that I started towfoiling around the same time I started the series. They totally evolved hand-in-hand.

Has there been any call for your artwork in custom board designs?

As with most things I’m passionate about, my artwork eventually finds its way into and onto it – foiling is no exception! There have been plenty of wild experiments. I have a UV printer in my studio and have even printed directly onto boards and masts… never a dull moment! I often develop functional products with my artwork that enhance an experience. So far, with foiling, I’ve created full-color UPF hoodies, board shorts, stainless steel water bottles, and more. Most recently, I’ve been printing full-color vinyl installs and laser-cut traction pads. While I love creating custom projects in my own studio, I also really appreciate collaboration. Over the years, I’ve worked with some incredible shapers to produce boards with full-coverage fiberglass wraps.

Do you think there could be more of a relationship between art and foiling generally? It seems like it was always quite a thing in surfing but I guess I don’t see that much of it in foiling.

Totally! Art has been such an integral part of many other board sports – especially pro-model boards, which are often super unique. Not only do they feature design elements tailored to a specific riding style, but they also stand out visually. Most pro-model boards are paired with an awesome piece of artwork. It’s actually quite surprising that many foil brands haven’t focused as heavily on artwork yet. The key word being “yet” – I’m sure it will happen!

So do you think this infusion of foiling into your art and vice versa has culminated now, or do you see more opportunities for it on the horizon?

I only see this expanding. I want to keep foiling as much as possible – and I’ll always be creating artwork. I have no doubt they’ll continue to fuel each other in exciting new ways. As an independent artist, exposure is everything. The more eyeballs on the art, the more opportunities will hopefully arise. I see so much potential to bring more artwork into the foiling world, and I’d be absolutely stoked to contribute in any way possible. On that note – I’m incredibly grateful for the chance to share my work here in your pages. I’ve been reading this magazine since day one, and it’s an honor to be included!

Well that’s pretty great to hear. Thanks Phil. So have you traveled to foil anywhere else? And where else is on the bucket list?

For sure. That first trip got me totally hooked! I have been down to Nicaragua with Foil-X several times since, along with multiple missions to Costa Rica with the Backcountry crew, and Chicama. Bucket list would certainly include Puerto Rico, Namotu, and Hawaii!

Good choices… all three sit on my list too. Wrapping this up then, what would you say is your favorite piece of work you’ve created?

That’s a tough one! So much of my work is inspired by real-life experiences, and each piece means something special to me. But, I usually connect most with my latest work… so right now, I’d say it’s the dolphins from the Go Fish series. Fun fact: it has an alternate title, “Lance’s Left”, named after a killer point break in Nica. Most of the time there are surfers out, so it’s rare to discover it empty and have the opportunity to session it with foils. One glassy morning in particular, we lucked out and scored a few hours alone on that beauty. It was unreal! Plus I think it’s awesome that dolphins seem to love shredding waves as much as we do.