Chasing Light, Land and Water. THE PERFECT GIFT

Dave Sparkes is a Bondi-born artist and photographer whose career has been shaped by the ocean, light and movement. Best known for his decades of work documenting surf culture, Dave built an international reputation as a surf photographer and writer before expanding his creative practice into painting.

After years spent chasing waves around the globe, his focus has shifted toward capturing quieter moments of place and atmosphere. Working primarily in watercolour, Dave’s paintings reflect the same sensitivity and timing that defined his photography, coastal landscapes distilled into light, mood and memory. Today, his work sits comfortably between disciplines, grounded in lived experience and a deep connection to the natural world.

Three Cool Dave Sparkes Facts:

  • He came up through the golden era of surf media

    Dave began publishing surf photography in the early 1980s and went on to shoot for major Australian and international surf titles, including Tracks. His images appeared on magazine covers worldwide, cementing his place in surf media history during one of its most influential periods.

  • He builds his own camera housings

    Never one to rely purely on off-the-shelf gear, Dave designs and builds custom underwater housings to create his distinctive over-and-under “split” images, capturing both worlds in a single frame, in-camera, not stitched together later.

  • He reinvented himself as an award-winning painter

    After decades behind the lens, Dave turned seriously to watercolour painting. His plein-air coastal works have since been recognised in multiple Australian art prizes, proving his creative instincts translate just as powerfully from camera to brush.