John Olvey embodied what it means to give. He had a passion for donating his time and talent to local charities, the surf community, and organizations that made a difference.

For friends, family, and fans who would like to make a donation to honor John’s memory, you may do so by clicking below. All donations will go to charities John supported. Thank you!

Having created art since childhood and learning from several recognized sculptors and painters, John’s works have appeared in local, state and national shows, with several art museum exhibitions to his credit. Whether you like oil, acrylic or mixed media paintings, sculpture, 3D art, or even uniquely styled furniture and decor — John has created it with a coastal consciousness as the common denominator.

It all began in kindergarten when John’s grandfather first taught him how to draw horses. When surf fever struck years later, horses quickly became waves.

When the surfing craze hit in the ‘60s, John was on his way. At the age of 10, he crafted his first surfboard with the help of his brother. It was too cold to work in the garage, so his mom reluctantly allowed the boys to work in the family dining room, vowing to never let it happen again because the house stunk for weeks. Little did they know, mom’s generosity would help start John on a journey that would mold his art — and his character.

Professionally trained in fine art at the University of Houston, John also received his degree in business, recognizing early on that marketing would be one of his most valuable tools as an artist. Through the years, John's artwork has moved from the top of a gliding surfboard to his painting studio in Corpus Christi, Texas, near the warm Texas Gulf Coast waters. It is here where he continued to meld his artistic skills and knowledge of the ocean to create dramatic and fantastic depictions of his coastal experiences, using his divinely inspired creativity to express his life-long love of surfing and the oceans.

John’s enduring love for art and the sport of surfing remained intertwined, his work a compilation of his life experience. “I love the sport of surfing and everything about it. It has inspired my life, made me work hard at my day job so I could spend my free time surfing and traveling to exotic locations, and has allowed me to meet and surf with many of the legends of the sport. It gives me strength, it calms my soul and inspires my art.” 

John’s one-of-a-kind sculpted surfboards are one of his more iconic mediums. From vintage surfboards crafted 50 years ago by master board builders to today’s modern surfboards, John transformed only the most eye-pleasing hull designs into art. The board became art, a way to honor the sport and the history of the board through his unique talent of board building, sculpting, and painting to create artistic depictions of the coast and surfing lifestyle.

Never losing the passion to work with his hands, over the years he helped build boats, repaired surfboards, worked as a commercial painter, a purchasing agent, a salesman, and even a kitchen designer and builder. His many skills allowed him to create unique art, drawing from a quiver of many arrows.

Surfing is an art, a dance on a moving canvas of saltwater. The board is like a brush the artist uses to create calligraphy of dance on the moving, liquid canvas. When the dance is completed, the human and the board endure and the canvas dissolves on the shore.