As an undergraduate at Brown University, Weinstein studied illustration at neighboring RISD and upon graduation began working for Surfer Magazine. Finding the city claustrophobic he moved to Pont Aven, a small town on the Atlantic Coast of France where Paul Gaugin painted for a time, and where he created a following that came to be known as the Nabis. It was in this tiny village, inspired by the cadmium colors of the country side, that Weinstein began to teach himself to paint, mostly abstract landscapes and pictures of cows which, he wryly notes, sold quite well.

    “Learning to render the sea was a challenge,” he says with characteristic understatement. For the first few years he worked from photos made with a ten dollar camera which he took while sitting on his surfboard. He would have them developed, tack them up in his garage and just start painting beginning in one corner and working his way across to the other side. Sometimes he approached the problem by breaking the forms down into simple, flat shapes that he could render. At other times, he would attempt to render every tiny ripple and movement the camera had recorded. This kind of painting could take months and he remembers them as being extremely unpleasant to make. Today, he points out, his approach is more gestural. The element of chance plays a greater role. “Surfing is an improvisational act. It forces you to find an ability to deal with whatever comes up. And this is always in flux. Painting at its best is similar. The best paintings come out of struggle and impulse as opposed to premeditated execution.”  These are the ones which truly resonate for him.

CV