Depth Finder Newsletter
The Estess Art & Science Newsletter
Depth Finder
Issue No. 1 • Jan 5, 2026
Happy New Year!
I'm starting 2026 at a major inflection point for my art practice. My wife, Laura, recently left her corporate job to run the business side of my studio—a shift that allows me to dive deeper into my creative work while connecting more with those who have supported my journey.
This transition feels especially meaningful as I prepare to move from my Westside Santa Cruz studio to a new 1,200 square foot space behind our house in downtown Santa Cruz. I've spent ten formative years in my Westside shop exploring printmaking, assemblage, and sculptural works, but working in a custom built space so close to the family is going to be awesome. The new studio has dedicated rooms for fabrication, framing, inventory, surfboard shaping, and a showroom for finished works. I promised the kids they would get their own creative spaces as well!
I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to work alongside my best friend, stay close to my family, and follow my dreams!
To everyone who has been in my corner over the last decade: thank you! The best way I can honor your support is to keep working my tail off to create my best work. Stay tuned and we’ll let you know when the new studio is ready for a tour!
I'm starting 2026 at a major inflection point for my art practice. My wife, Laura, recently left her corporate job to run the business side of my studio—a shift that allows me to dive deeper into my creative work while connecting more with those who have supported my journey.
This transition feels especially meaningful as I prepare to move from my Westside Santa Cruz studio to a new 1,200 square foot space behind our house in downtown Santa Cruz. I've spent ten formative years in my Westside shop exploring printmaking, assemblage, and sculptural works, but working in a custom built space so close to the family is going to be awesome. The new studio has dedicated rooms for fabrication, framing, inventory, surfboard shaping, and a showroom for finished works. I promised the kids they would get their own creative spaces as well!
I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to work alongside my best friend, stay close to my family, and follow my dreams!
To everyone who has been in my corner over the last decade: thank you! The best way I can honor your support is to keep working my tail off to create my best work. Stay tuned and we’ll let you know when the new studio is ready for a tour!
2025 Highlights
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O'ahu Commission w/ Studio Shaolin
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Rope, Rubber, & Rudders
Closer to home, I had a ridiculous amount of fun putting together an art show for Earth Day 2025 at Minnow Arts in Downtown Santa Cruz. It was a group show with my friends Mark Cunningham and Jonathan Steinberg who are some of the most spirited and interesting creatives I know. It was awesome getting the community together for a hometown party. I pushed my reclaimed fishing rope technique to its limit for the show to create some of the largest "Uzumaki/Whirlpool" pieces I have made to-date. As an aside, back in October we were able visit the Naruto whirlpools in Japan which is the source of inspiration for that body of work and it gave me some new ideas...!
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Galaxy Art Festival Sado Island, JapanOne of the highlights for 2025 was showcasing a reclaimed fishing rope whale tail sculpture titled Renketsu-Sei/Plastic Sea as part of the Galaxy Art Festival on Sado Island, Japan. I used to work on Sado every summer as a marine biologist, and it was really special to reconnect with the wonderful friends I have made there while sharing my artwork in this beautiful corner of the world. Having my family along for the adventure made it even more memorable!
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Ron Herman Waikiki
Another highlight from our Japan trip was meeting up with the creative directors at Ron Herman Japan, a boutique fashion company that I connected with through my partnership with sustainable fashion brand Outerknown. I was lucky to have a sold out show in Ron Herman’s Waikiki store in May 2025, and we’re planning another exhibition at their beachfront store near Kamakura this summer!
