Surfrider Foundation
Draws on Local Artists to
Promote its
Environmental Message
Sunny
Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to the following copyrighted
material. For permission to reprint or excerpt it and/or link it to another
website, contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com
Robb Havassy SurfArt ©
Dedicated to protecting and preserving the world’s oceans, waves and beaches, the non-profit Surfrider Foundation believes that one of the best ways to convey its environmental message is through imagery.
Robb Havassy Tropical
Sea ©
SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel talked to HB/SB Chapter members Gene Rascon and Seth Matson, who are both putting their creative skills to use to spearhead the chapter’s environmental concerns through the various art media.
Gene & Seth with
Chapter Chairperson Tony Soriano
Gene Rascon, the owner of online gallery Surf City Art Co., represents many of the leading surf artists and photographers, including Robb Havassy, Nathan Gibbs, Sean Davey, Tony Ludovico, Ron Croci, Flick Ford, and Jay Alders.
Rascon, who currently serves as the HB/SB Chapter's Volunteer Coordinator, looks for artists
who “celebrate the beauty of nature and are able to express the wonder of our
global water resources and colorful sea life.”
The stunning visuals created by these artists not only help to generate awareness of the environment, but raise money for ocean-related causes.
Robb Havassy
The stunning visuals created by these artists not only help to generate awareness of the environment, but raise money for ocean-related causes.
Surf City Art Co. donates a
portion of its proceeds from the artists’ works to the Surfrider Foundation and
other environmental groups. And the artists themselves have donated their
artworks for fundraising events.
On Ohana “Family” Day, April 22nd, which was the same day as Earth Day this year, surf artists Robb Havassy and Nathan Gibbs both showed up in Seal Beach to lend their support.
Robb Havassy donated a surfboard he painted with a Native American and environmental theme to event sponsor Kohl’s.
One of the leading creative
voices in the surf culture, Havassy balances commerce with environmental
awareness.
In addition to collaborating with major surf brands like Hurley, Reef, Globe, Sector 9, and Howe Jeans, he also gives freely to the Surfrider Foundation, Heal the Bay, Surf Aid International, and numerous other environmental groups.
A renaissance man of the surf scene, Havassy truly does it all – creating dramatically vivid paintings, designing his own fashion collection and eco-friendly line of sandals, and writing the critically-acclaimed 2-volume book, Surf Story, an assemblage of art and stories from the surf culture's most influential artists, writers and photographers. .
Nathan Gibbs set up a gallery on the beach and talked to people about art and the importance of protecting the environment. "All my art is generally based on the environment," said Gibbs. "The theme is both the destruction and revitalization of nature."
Gibbs also donated his artworks and copies of his award-winning environmental book The Betrayal of Man, a mythological story about the characters of life, water and energy struggling to get along with each other.
"I like to give people another avenue to enjoy the environment through my paintings," Gibbs told SurfWriter Girls Sunny and Patti. A member of the Surfrider Foundation since 1992, Gibbs likes to work in acrylics and often paints on recycled wood panels. His paintings can typically take from 3 - 8 months to create.
On Ohana “Family” Day, April 22nd, which was the same day as Earth Day this year, surf artists Robb Havassy and Nathan Gibbs both showed up in Seal Beach to lend their support.
Sunny, Rob Havassy,
and Patti
Robb Havassy donated a surfboard he painted with a Native American and environmental theme to event sponsor Kohl’s.
Robb Havassy
Moonlight Cove ©
In addition to collaborating with major surf brands like Hurley, Reef, Globe, Sector 9, and Howe Jeans, he also gives freely to the Surfrider Foundation, Heal the Bay, Surf Aid International, and numerous other environmental groups.
Robb Havassy Surf Odyssey
2012 Calendar ©
A renaissance man of the surf scene, Havassy truly does it all – creating dramatically vivid paintings, designing his own fashion collection and eco-friendly line of sandals, and writing the critically-acclaimed 2-volume book, Surf Story, an assemblage of art and stories from the surf culture's most influential artists, writers and photographers. .
Robb Havassy Surf Story ©
Havassy finds inspiration for
his paintings everywhere. “Sometimes after a storm all the stuff washes out of
the river jetties and I find a piece of wood to paint on. Some pieces I see and
can tell right away what I’m going to put on them. There’s the paintings that
you do when you know exactly what you want to come up with and then there’s the
ones that come out of nowhere and they surprise you.”
Robb Havassy Punta
Las Palmas ©
Nathan Gibbs set up a gallery on the beach and talked to people about art and the importance of protecting the environment. "All my art is generally based on the environment," said Gibbs. "The theme is both the destruction and revitalization of nature."
Gibbs also donated his artworks and copies of his award-winning environmental book The Betrayal of Man, a mythological story about the characters of life, water and energy struggling to get along with each other.
"I like to give people another avenue to enjoy the environment through my paintings," Gibbs told SurfWriter Girls Sunny and Patti. A member of the Surfrider Foundation since 1992, Gibbs likes to work in acrylics and often paints on recycled wood panels. His paintings can typically take from 3 - 8 months to create.
Nathan Gibbs Coral
Acidification ©
Gibbs is as much a
philosopher as an artist. His “Dark and Light” series of surf art and wave
paintings focuses on the yin and yang of the cognitive relationships between
color and life.
Gibbs’ mixed media painting “Choose
the Ways of the Sea” took him four years to complete, its progress reflecting
his own personal journey of awareness.
Nathan Gibbs Choose
the Ways of the Sea ©
Nathan Gibbs
Seth Matson, the owner of Matson Graphics in Huntington Beach, has designed websites, advertising pieces,
corporate logos, and T-shirts for many of Southern California’s leading surf
businesses, including Rusty Surfboards and Billabong.
Seth Matson Curren-King ©
A lifelong
environmentalist, Matson donates many hours to the Surfrider Foundation,
helping it to communicate its message by designing promotional materials –T-shirts,
hats, reusable bags, posters and flyers – and guiding the HB/SB Chapter’s
website.
Seth Matson Cool-Wave ©
Seth Matson Wax–Wave–Web ©
Matson, who has organized
many beach cleanups, has even turned trash into artworks, using his skills to
make an environmental statement.
Seth Matson Big Round Resin Art ©
He also designed the DVD covers for the Emmy Award Winning Wave of Compassion, a film to raise money for SurfAid International, and was the associate producer on Minds in the Water, the award-winning documentary about protecting dolphins.
Asked about his involvement in the
Surfrider Foundation and in making the environmental film , Minds in the Water, Matson said, “I love
surfing and I love dolphins and whales. I will do anything to protect them.”
Seth Matson Dolphin
Ceramic ©
*****************************************************
They say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
In
this case, SurfWriter Girls Sunny and Patti have just one word to say –
Thanks! – to all the artists who help the Surfrider Foundation to
preserve our oceans and beaches.
Painting a Seascape
from KoolPix
©
This
lone artist is capturing his vision for everyone to see.
