Red Bull Night Riders 2020
The Red Bull Night Riders event has become one of the top annual East Coast surf contests, drawing the best of the best every year to compete.
We are stoked to have this major event in our backyard each fall, putting Northeast Florida on the map for pro surfers.
Red Bull Night Riders took place at the Mayport Poles, one of the best breaks in town, and knowing that Red Bull chose this location for the contest sure makes us locals proud.
Wanting a trophy and first place prize as unique as this nighttime surf contest, Red Bull put out an all-call for artists in the area to be commissioned for this opportunity.
Philip was chosen for his creative style and artistic vision when it came to creating a prize that represented his town's beach and surf culture.
The painting he designed for the prize winner depicted the Mayport Poles, incorporated with the Red Bull Night Riders logo. Philip tied in his traditional approach of subtraction and linear underpainting, with bright pops of color.
This year's event looked a little different due to Covid-19 as no spectators were allowed, but that didn't stop the event from happening, or from Cody Thompson taking home the trophy, making this his third win with Night Riders.
Philip had a whole week to paint the painting given to the winner, and last minute the higher ups at Red Bull decided they would like a traditional trophy as well. With hours to spare, and the meeting of the minds, he was able to fabricate a second logo and attach it to a sculpture made from pieces of the old Jacksonville Beach Pier.
When the whole team works well under pressure, it makes it easy and fun to accommodate. It was an absolute pleasure working with Austin Gore, Daniel Terry, Jay Dodson, and the whole Red Bull/Stab Magazine crew.
We look forward to working with them in the future, and can't wait until next years contest.
