Cali Native Ran Ortner Has Waves Down

Astonishingly talented NYC painter Ran Ortner is originally from the west coast. San Francisco, specifically, and then rural Alaska. When he hit 18 he began to surf all over Cali & Mexico. His eye for capturing the detail and movement of waves will blow you away. 

About Ran:

In 1966, at the age of five, Ran Ortner moved from San Francisco to rural Alaska. He and his family lived in an isolated log cabin, with no running water, a wood fire for heat and a grass airstrip for a driveway. To escape the brutal winters, Ran and his family would take their single engine Cessna “Ragwing” on 3-4 month adventures from Alaska to South America. On these expeditions, Ran would turn to the open expanse of the sea to escape the confines of his unconventional childhood. When Ran was 18, he left home and began surfing the waves off the coasts of California and Mexico. While surfing, he was able to consider both the wondrous and perilous conditions of life. Overwhelmed by what he saw and felt, he turned to art as a form of exploration. Ran has lived and worked in New York City since 1990 - he continues to surf.