MARGAUX ARRAMON TUCOO

Though surfing and art are inexorably linked, she believes that surfers do not have to be surf artists. Instead, her entire world, from her pastel yellow Renault van to the clean lines she carves on her single-fin longboards appear effortlessly orchestrated — as though she bends the appearance of the universe to suit her whimsical mind. This speaks to the intangible magnetism Margaux possesses. It’s not record-breaking aerials or death-defying tow-ins that have garnered her international attention.

It’s a personal style that colors her surfing and painting alike, even if neither one makes explicit allusion to the other. She has a certain gravity that draws the admirer in to her art and riding; once you’ve seen the way she works, you’re mesmerized. She speaks and moves with slow, deliberate artistry and implacable grace. She soaks in new places, new faces, new breaks and new paints, and returns home with new eyes for familiar surroundings. The world is her canvas, she is truly a multimedia artist.

Surfing is Margaux’s way of reconnecting with the essential, of speaking directly to the quietest part of the soul. Surfing gives what creating takes. “On days when I’ve been drawing all day, I feel the need to put my head in the water and go surfing for a bit.” The process of painting is codependent on the art of riding, but she is careful not to confuse this interconnectedness for a mandate of depiction. By keeping art and surf separate, Margaux keeps the world on its toes. She is free to gather influences and create without constraint. She said it best herself, “I don’t really have a fixed idea of what I want to do anymore. I have a more mature way of seeing things — I don’t know where it will lead me, but we’ll see.”