If the young Dylan had journeyed out of California instead of the minelands of the bleak Midwest, with a surfboard under his arm instead of a harmonica in his back pocket, I fancied he might have looked something like the fellow I bumped into in Newquay the other night.

Here's an artist to watch out for with as many nicknames as he has hats. Underneath the splendiferous forest of face fuzz, you'll find the fine painter that is Harry Daily, a.k.a "Harry The Hat" or "Sketch Holiday".

In Newquay for a few days, I spotted him outside a whiffy chippy with an expression on his face that suggested Scotty had punched in the wrong coordinates on the transporter. Understandable perhaps, as the Incredible Hulk, Batman, and a dozen men in identical red berets strolled past, wolf-whistling at the bevy of long legged young things in their cloned micro skirts and cleavage competing for the Queen of Tarts.

Amongst all this stag(gering) and hen-night high jinks, he looked strikingly out of time and place - so much so in fact, that I was tempted to snap a pic before I'd figured who he was.

Well, obviously I got the shot, but after I bumped into the same bloke in the Driftwood Gallery signing copies of the new Switch-foot book (for which he's produced the cover art). A publication out of Australia, it's a veritable arts-fest of surf-related goodness.

"Written for a more mature ‘gentleman of the surf,’ Switch-foot also encourages young surfers/artists who are interested in more than competitive surfing."

Now I have a penchant for pseudonyms myself, but Harry Daily can surf, dance, skate and most importantly of all, draws up a beach or surf-scape with the gift that all great artists have - the ability to see life from an angle most of us will never reach. Go buy before you can't afford.

(Posted earlier along with other skewed views at www.s-e-x-wax.com)