Heal The Bay 2013 Partner Artist

As a native Californian and surfer, I’ve grown up in the water… it’s my sanctuary. It’s my favorite place to be.  As an artist the ocean is a major source of inspiration. So I’m stoked to announce that I’m working with Heal the Bay, the nonprofit that’s made a huge impact in keeping our beaches clean, as a partner artist for 2013.

Heal the Bay is an environmental group based in Santa Monica that’s been working to keep Southern California’s coastal waters and watersheds safe, healthy and clean for almost 30 years. They host beach cleanups, advocate for the environment, and raise awareness of how pollution, waste, climate change and other issues effect the health of our coastlines. We joined in on the January beach clean-up and got a special tour of the Santa Monica Bay Aquarium… lots of shark eggs and funky jellyfish!  Their work has made a huge difference and I’m honored to be able to support their cause with my art.

We’ve got a few nifty things in the works to raise money for Heal the Bay. Throughout the year I’ll be releasing a collector’s series of three prints on sustainably sourced fine art bamboo paper. This paper has an amazing warm, natural tone and feel to it.  Each of these 18×24 inch prints will be hand signed reproductions of original paintings I’m creating for Heal the Bay. Each painting in the series will feature abstract elements from the beaches and ocean of Southern California and will all be tied together through a similar color palette and vibe.

“Kelpafornia” 18×24 inch print on Bamboo paper

I’ve used artwork from the first in the series of pieces, “Kelpafornia,” to design some great eco-friendly artist series products; an American made water bottle manufactured from recycled metal by Liberty Bottles and a new addition to my line of Trü Protection iPhone cases made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic.

It was really important for me and Heal the Bay to partner with companies that offer sustainable products and help reduce waste. Trü Protection and Liberty Bottles are perfect examples of what businesses should be striving for, offering products that are made using recycled or renewable resources. They offer products people want while being good stewards of the environment. I like the idea turning eco-friendly versions of the products we use everyday into pieces of art all for the benefit of a good cause.

I was really excited to find Liberty Bottles. They have great manufacturing processes, reducing energy use and waste wherever they can. It blows my mind they’re the only company to make aluminum bottles here in the US.  There’s no need to buy a plastic bottle full of water at a store when you can bring free (almost) water from your house anywhere you go. And there’s a severe lack of cool looking water bottles in the world. Offering something so functional with a little Abel style art that is also raising money for Heal the Bay is pretty sweet.  Everybody needs to drink water. You might as well drink it out of something that is saving the planet and helping fund an important organization.

Heal they Bay has also asked me to create event artwork for Bring Back the Beach, their annual fundraising gala. The artwork was featured on the invites, event branding, ads, Tribute Journal and a large mural at the event. I’m donated the original painting of the artwork to the gala’s silent auction which raised several thousand dollars for the cause. Here’s the Gala artwork titled “Kelpafornia 2″ and is the second painting in a series of 3…

For now, 18×24 inch prints and 20×30 prints on Bamboo plywood of “Kelpafornia” and “Kelpafornia 2″ are available in my STORE as well as water bottles, and iPhone 5 cases.  Trü has also released my existing three designs for the iPhone 5.

Thanks for your support! I’m looking forward to creating more great art to raise money for such a great cause.

Cheers,

As a Heal the Bay Partner Artist for 2013, Erik Abel is releasing a series of artwork. The collection includes:

• 3 original paintings. Fifty percent of sales from paintings will be donated to Heal the Bay, with the exception of the original of the Bring Back the Beach artwork, which will be donated to the event’s Silent Auction. Each painting 24″x36″ and priced at $1500.
• 18×24 inch prints of each original painting on sustainably sourced Bamboo archival paper, hand signed by Erik Abel.The first print, “Kelpafornia”, is available now. The subsequent prints will be released in May and September. Prints are available at abelarts.com for $40 with 15% of sales benefitting Heal the Bay.
• Twenty full size limited edition wrapped canvas prints of each original painting will be released at a later date.
• 24-ounce aluminum water bottles made in the US from recycled metal featuring the “Kelpafornia” artwork. Manufactured by Liberty Bottles in Yakima Washington, the bottles are available at www.abelarts.com for $20. Fifteen percent of sales benefits Heal the Bay.
• A series of four iPhone Cases made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic in Glendale, CA by Tru Protection. The cases are available for the iPhone 4/4S and 5 for $39.95. The “Kelpafornia” design is featured on the newest case to be released. Fifteen percent of sales benefits Heal the Bay.