Seeing full-length tables on lawns around San Luis Obispo is not uncommon.
These tables are typically set out for games of beer die. The origins of the tables and game in California are murky, but it’s no stranger to college campuses on the West Coast.
Rumored to have started in Maine, the game of beer die consists of four players, two on each team. A die is thrown in the air, with the thrower hoping it lands on the other team’s side. It must bounce off the table without being caught in order for the thrower to earn a point. The opposing team may catch the die to prevent the other team from gaining points.
The basic rules are universal, but one thing unique to the beer die community in California, and a few neighboring states such as Arizona and Nevada, is
the artwork.
“It gets people outside in our beautiful weather and playing together on what is essentially a canvas that people have put an amazing amount of time, effort and financial resources into,” journalism junior Wren Fox said.
Table art has become quite popular throughout California, typically in college towns where large numbers of people enjoy playing table games like beer pong or
beer die.
“I love to paint and wanted a bigger canvas to take advantage of,” graphic communication junior Marley Thuma said.
Thuma used her art skills to design a Sierra Nevada logo with Bishop’s Peak and Madonna Peak, adding a little bit of San Luis Obispo in the middle. She sells stickers of this logo on RedBubble.
Personalizing a table can be a fun thing to do with friends or roommates, but it can also be a bigger, better and more public way to display craftsmanship.
Computer engineering junior Brianna Solorzano took a free table and turned it into a bonding activity with her roommates.
“We got the table and it was large and boring and white,” Solorzano said. “My roommates and I decided we needed to come up with something to paint on it to give the table some personality.”
An 805 Firestone logo with some San Luis Obispo customizations now spans the once plain table.
People who are serious about the craftsmanship of their tables go so far as to buy materials and build the tables themselves.
This art form can be enjoyed by everyone, whether you’re taking pride in your art or playing a game on a decked-out table.
“At the end of the day, no matter what game is played on the table or what beverage it’s used with, no matter if you’re in greek life, a sports team or in a club, it’s something that can bring together the student body and community in general from pretty much all walks of life,” Fox said.
