2024 Artist of the Year: Eddie Forbes

From catching an octopus with my brother under the dock at Elliott Key, to seeing a humuhumunukunukuapua’a (painted triggerfish) while snorkeling at the City of Refuge on The Big Island, to catching my first monster striper in the surf in Nags Head, the sea has always run through my veins.Looking back on my childhood, I consider […]

TBF’s 2022 Artist of the Year

For over 40 years of my life, I never considered myself an artist. I didn’t take art classes, grab a pencil and paper and sketch didn’t paint or want to until I learned about Gyotaku (fish printing). Moving to Maui, Hawaii 30 years ago introduced me to fish printing and had a profound effect on me. My love for the ocean and its creatures has been with me since I can remember. I grew up surfing in Southern California and oddly enough didn’t do much fishing, but I’ve always needed to be near the ocean.  It took over

2020 Artist of the Year: George Kalwa

Born and raised in Baltimore Maryland, artist George Kalwa has been captivated by the ocean his entire life. An artist since birth, Kalwa began painting and making fishing lures as a child. As he grew, he spent summers drawing portraits on the Ocean City boardwalk before going to the Maryland Institute College of Art. His career as a professional artist is nothing short of remarkable. A jack of all trades, Kalwa is just as comfortable as an oil painter as he is as an award-winning broadcast video designer and animator. His chameleon-like artistry has made Kalwa a true master

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