Saturday, August 30, 2008

Fruit of the Soul - Annual Fundraiser

I am going to have prints up for sale at this event and I will also be volunteering my time helping to sell some art. I participated in this event last year and it was absolutely wonderful. Great art, food, music and all for great causes: The Monarch School in San Diego and ARTS - A Reason To Survive. Below is some more information about the evening.


SAN DIEGO, Calif., Sept. 6, 2008 - "Did you know that the average age of a homeless person in San Diego is NINE YEARS OLD? Today, THERE ARE MORE THAN 2,200 HOMELESS CHILDREN IN San Diego and more than 300,000 nationwide. Together, we can change that. It's a tough reality that not all kids are given the same opportunities. With the support of local musicians and some of San Diego's best restaurants, Niamh Scott Productions & Kelly Orange will host the third annual Fruit of the Soul on Sept. 6. Proceeds for this year's event go to the Monarch School and A Reason To Survive (ARTS).

The Monarch School is a non-profit organization, which works closely with the community and the San Diego County Office of Education to help our homeless youth. They provide an accredited education to homeless and at-risk kids while caring for basic needs such as healthcare, food, clothing and personal hygiene. The ARTS Program is a non-profit organization built on the foundation that the arts heal, inspire and empower. Artists, musicians, poets and more teach kids techniques and concepts so they can explore their creativity, express themselves and create something of themselves. It is through the arts that the program helps children who are facing life challenges. Your help will make a difference in the lives of children who live in our community.

Join us at this year's event in support of these phenomenal organizations! Live performances and artist displays will run the fundraiser from 6:30 p.m. - 11 p.m. (or so), at the Specialty Produce Warehouse, located at 1929 Hancock St. Tickets are $40 and available online at www.fruitofthesoul.org or at the door. Your ticket includes entertainment, drinks and delicious edibles. The event is open to those 18 and older.

The evening will include: a silent auction; fashion from local designers; art trucks, organized by Kelly Orange & Janelle Carter, with prints and paintings by local artists, including aspiring young artists from ARTS & exclusive artists from ...Lost Enterprises; community speaker, Sarita Fuentes, Principal/CEO of the Monarch School and Matt D'Arrigo, Executive Director, A Reason To Survive (ARTS); and performances by local musicians, including Gilbert Castellanos, Bushwalla, Lisa Campbell Band w/ special guest, and The Monarch School Steel Drum Band!

Fresh produce from Specialty Produce and fine food from Bleu Boheme, Cowboy Star, Dish, Hash House A Go Go, Jsix, Jake's Del Mar, Market Restaurant & Bar, Laurel, Stingaree, The Pearl and more will be available from 6:30 p.m. until it's all gone. There will be a cocktail bar sponsored by the Tractor Room, beer from Trumer Pilsner and Palm Breweries, and wine donated by local distributors.

Participating organizers, artists, musicians and speakers are available for interviews.

CHECK OUT THE COMPLETE LINE UP AT:
www.fruitofthesoul.org/contributors.html

Be a fan of Fruit of the Soul on Facebook:
www.new.facebook.com/pages/Fruit-of-the-Soul/21190424508

www.fruitofthesoul.org
www.monarchschools.org
www.AReasonToSurvive.org
www.SpecialtyProduce.com

Surfers For Cetaceans - Benefit

Below is the press release... I will have these two paintings up for silent auction at the event.

Party for S4C USA chapter benefits Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and The Whaleman Foundation

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 29 August, 2008 : - - San Diego, Ca -- Surfers For Cetaceans (S4C) will launch its US presence at the W Hotel in San Diego, CA on September 04, 2008. Kicking off opening night of the ASR trade show, this 'Minds in the Water' benefit party will also pay tribute to the marine mammal activists Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and The Whaleman Foundation.

With the expansion of S4C into America Dave “Rasta” Rastovich (Co-Founder) hopes to enlist the aid of the US’s influential surfing culture into the fight. He believes its primed and motivated to help protect threatened marine mammals and the oceans they live in. Joining Rastovich and the W San Diego in this effort are Surfer Magazine, FUEL TV and ASR.

“We know first hand, Americans are pumped to do something about stopping the commercial slaughter of dolphins and whales,” says Rasta, one of Billabong’s star surfers and one-time Australian Lifesaving Champion. “They just need a place to focus their passion, talent and energy.”

The W San Diego, which has recently undergone a major renovation incorporating a strong beach and surfing theme, is hosting an evening of Surf, Sand and Chic. Donations from the event will go to protect marine mammals. The evening includes a silent auction, DJs, vintage surfboard and fashion collections, and live music.

Rastovich co-founded S4C three years ago with artist/cetacean activist Howie Cooke as a means to bring awareness to the ongoing commercial slaughter of dolphins and whales throughout the world. The focus is on a few nations that still allow whaling. Since then “Rasta” has been on a nonstop global campaign to bring international pressure from the surfing community to bear on the politicians and government agencies charged with protecting cetaceans.

“We all share a connection to the sea and the S4C organization has created a platform that allows us the chance to create positive change,” says Chris Del Moro, a professional surfer, environmentalist and S4C’s official U.S. ambassador. “I look forward to using my art and voice to help out a cause that I so strongly believe in.”

Last October, Rastovich and over 30 surfers and celebrities traveled to the “killing cove” in Taiji, Japan for a memorial paddle-out ceremony for the thousands of dolphins killed annually in Japanese waters, sparking worldwide publicity for the cause. Then in June, armed with over 11,000 “Visual Petitions”, Rastovich made an official statement before the International Whaling Commission in Santiago, Chile. These efforts and many others are being documented in the film, “Minds In The Water.”

We hope that you will consider joining us for this event on September 4th in San Diego, CA at the W Hotel, 421 West B Street. VIP reception 6:30-9:30PM, open to the public 9:30pm on.

www.s4cglobal.org
www.whaleman.org
www.seashepherd.org

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Lanscape painting photos


These are the before images of me creating my landscape painting. It was such an idyllic afternoon.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

1st Landscape Painting


Above is my first landscape painting, silly being an artist.. I have never taken the time to make one. It was a wonderful we went to a creek that feeds into the San Elijo estuary. I painted all afternoon with my feet in the stream. The painting is 18 x 24 acrylic on canvas.

Biarritz - July

Jenni and I sitting on the sea wall in Biarritz during the Roxy Jam. The photo is a polaroid and taken by a friend.