Surfing Madonna

Religion isn’t my cup of tea. That’s nice-​talk for what I really think of religion. That being said, I find my greatest enlightenment in the frivolous, absurd and ironic, especially where surfing is concerned. And this is why I made my hadj to visit surfing’s Mecca and its guiding light in the form of a «Madonna» virgin straddling a surfboard. She glows with a chaste purity not found in the history of any religion and I like that. I’m glad she’s here. Lord knows we need her.
(Yes, our oceans need saving)

Virgen de Guadalupe rides a short board? WHAT? The massive 10X10 mosiac is a perfect match for the surfer town of Encinitas. Sure Oceanside has the Surf Museum with history and memorabilia, but a no one has a Surfing Madonna, except Encinitas.
If you first caught it under the overpass back in 2011, it’s got a new permanent home between Café Ipe and Surfy Surfy. Save the Ocean is a powerful original title, but Surfing Madonna is more accurate. Mark Patterson put it up super sneaky dressed as construction workers. It stayed there under the radar for months before the city caught wind and fined him. It was taken down, reclaimed and now has a permanent home for all to see.
As a Catholic I may not agree with the interpretation, but I see the validity in the artwork and the message and the intention. If you are from Encinitas or have spent time down here, you’ll realize it kind of suits them. It became a bit of a tourist attracting and it’s a nice little landmark and seeing what the city is doing to destroy Moonlight it’s a bit of silver lining.

I made the drive to see the Surfing Madonna mosaic a day before she was taken down. While I couldn’t get a direct shot of the image (due to heavy traffic under the overpass where it was located), I still was able to get a couple of closeups as a memento of the time she was on display.
Looking at the mosaic, I was struck by the beauty that the artist had given her. He had spent a lot of time on this work; it really had been a labor of love for him. It’s sad that he didn’t go through the proper channels to get her on display — if anything, this case shows why exhibitions such as the Surfing Madonna have to get proper authorization.
Then again, the mosaic was starting to get picked apart; pieces were missing from her when I arrived. I feel doubly bad for the artist — not only does he have to pay for the removal and fines incurred for putting up a piece of art, the image had been damaged. So, perhaps it is for the best that the Surfing Madonna was taken down; otherwise, who knows what other damage could have been done to it? I just hope that she finds a home soon — the piece is just too beautiful not to be shared.

Dump Jerome $tock$ and James Bond in the next election — they’ve killed the Madonna!!!

Theyre taking it down ! But it will be going somewhere else. The guy who did it has some serious fines to pay to the city though.
Bummer for him.
At least they didnt destroy it, just relocating it.

Absolutely wonderful «public art installation» that went up right around Earth Day, Good Friday and Easter! The Surfing Madonna aka The Virgin of Guadalupe. This mosaic and stained-​glass work dubbed the «Surfing Madonna» is drawing public attention and causing political consternation in the northern San Diego County suburb of Encinitas.
Put up just one block east of S. Coast Highway on Encinitas Blvd., go check out this beautiful representation of the Holy Mother riding to the rescue of our distressed oceans. Park you car nearby and walk up close to admire the detailed work that was done and marvel at the intricate craftsmanship on this piece if guerrilla art that is like «the hand of God» in our midst.
Who knows what the Encinitas paper-​pushers and bureaucrats will do to this amazing icon one official called a «defacement of public property.» BLASPHEMOUS WORDS! God Bless the Surfing Madonna and SAVE THE OCEAN!