Rope, Rubber, and Rudders

As stewards of the sea, we surfers have a responsibility to do what we can to preserve the natural beauty of the amazing environment that provides us so much happiness. Whether it’s investing in eco-friendly equipment, becoming a member of a group such as the Surfrider Foundation, volunteering for a beach cleanup, or individually leaving the beach with at least one piece of trash each time you visit, we owe it to Mother Nature and future generations of surf-stoked grommets to do what we can to ensure the preservation of this threatened resource.

Such was the theme last Friday at the “Rope, Rubber, and Rudders” art show at Minnow Arts in downtown Santa Cruz. In celebration of Earth Month, the exhibit—which showcased the work of local artists Ethan Estess and Jonathan Steinberg, along with special guest, Mark Cunningham of Oahu—featured art constituted of marine debris and reclaimed objects pulled from the ocean. 

The event was well attended; everyone seemed to be fully engaged in the artists’ unique visions. The thought provoking works managed to convey a complicated issue in a simplistic and stark manner. All three artists were on hand to meet and greet to provide a personal connection to those in attendance, who enjoyed free beer and wine courtesy of Humble Sea and Margins Wine that helped stimulate the imagination and provoke thoughtful discussion.The show was succeeded by a beach cleanup at Cowell’s Beach with the Save the Waves Coalition and the World Surfing Reserve on Saturday, as well as an intimate musical offering by local artist Chase LaRue.

In between festivities at the Santa Cruz Vibes Spring edition pick-up party at 11th Hour Coffee, my girlfriend and I were able to pop into the unique show for a quick peek. It was there that I was able to corner the humble artists to gather some insight into their artistic process and purpose for putting on the show.

Ethan Estess

We’re lucky to have a rad little gallery like Minnow Arts in our town, and I had the idea to do a show with two friends, John Steinberg and Mark Cunningham, who both love ocean trash and reclaimed object art as much as I do. I reached out to the gallery through a mutual friend Thomas Campbell last year and we lined up an Earth Day 2025 exhibition.

I’ve been making artwork out of marine debris rope and reclaimed commercial fishing rope for about 8 years and I’ve built up a pretty bjg stash of material, which I used to put this show together. I donate to some nonprofits on Oahu who do beach cleanups and they let me take some of the rope they collect, and I also get some from local fishermen when they are ready to take their old gear to the landfill. I try to give it a new life by creating seascapes from the different colors of rope.

My goal with these reclaimed fishing rope panels is to nudge people to think about the importance of sourcing seafood from local, responsible fisheries. Most of the seafood we eat is imported from countries with little environmental oversight, which leads to overfishing, bycatch, and the illegal dumping of plastic rope and nets that entangle and choke marine life. Sourcing fish and shellfish from well-regulated domestic fisheries can help make a dent in the broader ocean plastic pollution issue, and I think more people need to be aware of that.

John Steinberg

The show is 100% found materials. All of which came from the ocean, with a few exceptions, such as the bicycle and wagon. The materials were taken out of the ocean and rescued to live on as art.

My friends know that I gather swim fins, and they drop them off at my house—including lifeguards when they find them on the beach. A lot of them come from the dump, yard sales, and thrift shops. When I’m out walking my dog on the beach at It’s I come across a lot of them too. Sometimes even floating in the lineup out at the Lane. The nice thing is if someone loses, let’s say a ML (Right) swim fin, they can come to me, and more often than not, I’ll have one for them. I’m not going to hoard them just for art— at the end of the day surfing has to come first.

Mark Cunningham

I’ve been beach combing and finding things—Oh my God, I’m almost 70 years-old—since I started lifeguarding when I was 20 years-old. So I’ve been finding things on the beach and while snorkeling underwater for close to 50 years. I didn’t start putting them together in an artistic kinda way until the past 10 or so years. I’ve been collecting and appreciating these things for a really long time but it’s been the past decade that I got a kick in the pants by some mentors telling me to put it together artistically.

I’ve gathered this stuff around the whole island of Oahu; anywhere people swim and surf they tend to lose things.  Mother Nature has a knack for stripping them up. Jewelry falls off, surfboard fins get knocked out, and I have a incredible assortment of Waikiki hotel room keys. 

The primary message in my art is simply my love of surfing. The basis of this collection is surfboard fins. I just love surfing, so when I find these things on the bottom of the sea I go, “This is so cool! Whose board was this on? How many waves did it ride? How much carving and radical ripping did this fin do?” Then, when it’s on the bottom of the ocean, I think, “How many millions of waves have washed over this thing?” And then the energy that it’s kinda been a part of—these things are like totems of energy. I just really appreciate them.

I like putting my work on found or repurposed wood. I go beach combing as much as possible to find what I’m looking for. I don’t use driftwood, per se, but I like manmade lumber that’s been weathered or worn. As I get older, I like showing this passage of time—what Mother Nature does to things. The Japanese have this concept, Wabi-sabi, which is an appreciation of the imperfection of life. It’s not all right angles or perfectly painted, whether it’s weathered or worn, it’s got some soul.