Phil Roberts: Right Place, Right People, Right Time

Don’t you find some people were born blessed to have the perfect job for the talents they were given? Phil is one of those lucky artists that ever since a young age everyone knew what he was here for. Phil’s artist life is a story of right place, right people, right time from one adventure to the next. 

This legendary poster illustration for the 1983 Sundek Classic Pro Surfing contest is a result of being introduced to Bill Yerkes , former owner of the largest world wide surf shorts brand of that day, via Phil’s agent Gary Propper , 1966 East Coast US Surfing Champion from Cocoa Beach. Gary set up the gig,  Phil designed the poster concept , inspired by a Surfer Mag cover shot of Gerry Lopez in the tube at Pipeline ( we meet Gerry again later )

and airbrushed a portrait of his best friend Paul Spilos for this poster. This poster illustration is just one of many epic small steps to a long career of surf art before “Surf Art” was a thing. Now Phil is an inductee in the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame- 2016 Culture along with Gary and Bill.

Gary eventually took Phil to Hollywood to be the artist for Gallagher the Comedian. The many illustrations for Sundek Surfwear ads led to illustrating the cover of Surfer Magazine December 1982 in which lead to illustrating the first of many

Big Hollywood Movie studio posters - “ Hot Dog - the Ski Movie”. And that lead to painting the poster for Gene Simmons of the rock band “KISS” movie “Detroit Rock City” because Gene’s wife Shannon Tweed , Playboy centerfold, was in the first poster…see how this goes?!

6 Decades as a Surf artist and 5 decades in Hollywood Movie poster illustrating with the images Phil created and painted circulating around the planet many times over via movies, magazines, books, clothing, trophies and surf parks.

Phil conceptualized and sculpted the Pipeline Masters perpetual trophy for ASP director Randy Rarick in 1996, every professional Surfing champion since the inception of the event 50years ago has one. Phil also makes the Pipe Masters Art Surfboard trophy with Gerry Lopez , first one in 2008 went to Kelly Slater of which Kelly now has 3 boards.

Currently Phil’s caricature skills are featured in an Art Documentary Film “ Rise of the Renegades” due out this Spring 2026. Still producing the Pipe Masters bronze trophies for the WSL. Phil’s artist mission moving forward is to continue as Surfing's portrait artist documenting Surfing’s legends for posterity and Surf museum collections around the world.

And it all started with an airbrush at Mike Tabling's surfboard factory in Merritt Island Florida as an after high school job. 

Found by a Surfing legend and has been painting for legends ever since. Phil Roberts - Born Surf artist  - right place, right time, right people. 

You can follow Phil on Instagram: @PhilRobertsArt

Check out the new website coming soon: PhilRobertsArt/Shopify.com