October 6, 2008 (RALEIGH, NC) – Billy Gibbons, the legendary founder and lead guitarist for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band ZZ Top, recently purchased a hand-painted wood-grain surfboard created by Raleigh, NC-based artist Clark Hipolito of ArtCo Surf.
Gibbons selected “Bullet: Ace In The Hole,” one of ArtCo Surf’s retrofish boards. It features carbon fiber inlay and two glassed-in wooden fins. For the art applied to the hand-shaped board, a playing-card “ace” punctuates a predominately black background, which is dissected by an ArtCo signature wood-grain stripe.
“Originally I was going to keep this board for my personal collection because it was the first board we ever made with carbon fiber inlays,” Hipolito said. “But when I was told Billy Gibbons was interested in it, I pretty much justified in my mind that I had to let him have it. After all, he’s a living legend!”
This isn’t ArtCo Surf’s first celebrity contact for ArtCo Surf. In 2007, Grammy-winning pop star “Pink” (Alecia Moore) commissioned a board for her then-husband Carey Hart’s birthday. This summer, ArtCo Surf’s custom surfboards have caught the eyes of superstar surfers and musicians Donovan Frankenreiter and his surfer bandmates.
ArtCo Surf’s unique wood-grain boards are inspired by Asian art, the Polynesia surfing legacy when all boards were made of wood, and Hipolito’s personal fascination with vintage Chris Craft boards.
The ArtCo Surf brand has grown to include limited-edition surfboards, skateboards, stretch beach cruisers, and a new line of men’s and women’s apparel.
ArtCo’s surfboards have been has been touted by regional, national, and international media, including NC Signature, the Raleigh News & Observer and Raleigh Downtowner, Line Up, Waterfront Homes & Design, Surfer, Eastern Surf, Global Surf News, Dutton Direct, Grund Genug, a German international magazine on luxurious living, and Khooligan, a Russian art and lifestyle magazine.
For more information and to see the complete collection of surfboards and other products, visit http://www.artcosurf.com.
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Client News and Media Recognition 