Although it may seem difficult to envision Andy Warhol existing outside of the infamous Chelsea Hotel or his plastic Factory in New York, in 1967 he briefly called La Jolla home. He was living in a rented beach cottage, indefinitely less modern than his familiar settings, became obsessed with filming surfing (or surfers) and purchased an asymmetrically-tailed board from local shaping legend Carl Ekstrom. The film, San Diego Surfer, would be his last – remaining unreleased until a 2012 premiere at the MoMA. Shaper and artist, Tim Bessell, was around ten years old at the time – but was a close friend of Ekstrom’s. Frequently sighting Warhol around the Village, Bessell would not formally meet the iconically introverted pop artist until a chance trip to New York during his twenties. Since Warhol and Ekstrom hit it off, Bessell was fortunate enough to secure a meeting at the Factory through Ekstrom’s connection. “I told Carl that I was going to New York with a friend, and he asked me to tell Andy ‘hi’ if I saw him,” said Bessell. “Sure enough, we were out at the opening of the new Playboy club in Manhattan, and Andy was there. My friends dared me to go speak to him. I shyly approached him and – you know, he was super approachable and thoroughly interested – more so than one could have ever imagined.” Nothing was ever formally discussed, but a seed was indubitably planted. Prior to his meeting with Warhol, Bessell had been shaping since he was thirteen, and had built quite a local following. Years later (after Warhol’s tragic shooting), a friend showed Bessell a skateboard with some Warhol prints on them. “I have to put these on surfboards,” thought Bessell. “Having the connection to Andy was beneficial, but I was still so unsure regarding the licensing.” He then contacted the Andy Warhol Foundation, and from there, things escalated swiftly. Bessell, who operates his shaping bay and studio in Bird Rock, has found a way to bridge the gap created when Warhol initially tried to intersect his art with surf culture. For the past few years, he has been licensed to shape boards with readily desired, vibrant Warhol prints glassed in. “First and foremost, these boards are 100 percent rideable,” said Bessell. “I still hand shape them, just like I do with every board I create. No ‘pop-outs’ here. When it came to pricing the boards, I basically just added another zero to a typical Bessell board.” A true play on the Warhol works themselves, Bessell designs certain boards to their corresponding prints. He created a “gun” (used in massive surf) with “Gun” glassed in, a performance fish for “Last Supper,” high-performance thrusters for “Mick Brown (Jagger)” and “Marilyn Monroe” (two of the best sellers), a fun shape for “Banana” and so on. Not only is Bessell utilizing Warhol prints, but also has created two boards from Jackson Pollock’s first print, “Autumn Rhythm,” as well. Over the past three years, Bessell has hand-created over 200 surf-able pieces of art bearing Warhol’s prints – and does not appear to be stopping anytime soon. He still shapes Bessell boards on a regular basis as well, which always remain in high demand throughout Southern California, and around the world. Bessell held a red-carpet artist’s reception at the Aaron Goulding Gallery on Saturday, Dec. 3. At the gallery, nearly all of the boards were marked with several red dots – each significant of a purchase. The Bessell/Warhol Project boards will be there until Jan. 2 and are definitely worth stopping to admire. The Aaron Goulding Gallery is located at 1273 Prospect St. 858-312-0970.