Writer: Chris Ahrens
The work of artist Rick Griffin crosses through at least three worlds—surfing, music and Christianity. His surf art, which began in Hermosa Beach with illustrations for bands like The Bel Airs and surfboard manufacturers like Greg Noll, led to a post at Surfer Magazine. There he perfected his cartoon strip about a kid called Murphy.
    Initially, Murphy was something of an aquatic morality play, but the pen and ink surfer eventually drifted far south of the TV codes of the fifties. As Griffin grew as an artist, he gravitated toward San Francisco, where he made a name as an illustrator, producing classic Grateful Dead posters and album covers, and designing logos for emerging sixties icons