Bardo Surfer's artist in the spotlight

Chang W. Lee/The New York Times, originally uploaded by surfer x.

Every once in a while, I happen upon a story that exemplifies the Bardo Surfer ethic of falling with grace, brushing off the dust and rising again from the ashes like the mythical phoenix. The artist, Ellis Gallagher, who makes the mundane magical, gets the Bardo Surfer Phoenix Award.