A LITTLE COVER UP AT THE CON

PAINTING THE GAVIOTA COAST

BOTTOM TURN - THE INDICATOR

Impressionistic, surf, master artists Robert Heeley finds his inspiration and stoke from our planet’s truest healing energy, the power of nature and her magical, mystical oceans.

An avid waterman since he was a little over a year old, Robert draws upon his own surfing and sailing lifetsyle in creating images that allow the viewer to identify with his seascapes. He captures the surfer’s dream of spectacular waves at famous surf spots throughout California, Hawaii, Mexico and soon his dream, Costa Rica. Robert loves traveling to create and capture the essence of every surfer’s favorite wave and has an exclusive list of collectors.

Characterized by his use of rich and uniquely balanced colors, his work piques the imagination with thrilling imagery of sparking surfaces and the breath of fresh, salt air.

The power of “Mana’ of the water is the essence of every painting or illustration in Robert’s world of surfing. His work has been featured numerous times in Surfer, Surfing, H3O, North Shore News, Santa Barbara News-Press and Long Board Magazine. Robert attended his first art program at Santa Barbara City College after winning scholarships and awards. He experienced going through an Advanced Placement art program with famed teacher Audi Love and made it to the top five percent of the best young artists in the country on the Harvard Exam portfolio.

He started working in the surf industry in 1989 and has since designed thousands of images for many surfing underground labels and shapers. During this time he mentored with many screen printers like John Cudrat at American screen printing along with many in his hometown. Over the next ten years, he began working into the forefront of many mainstream brands such as the Triple Crown of surfing.

Out of college, Robert worked with his friend, artist, mentor Glenn Gravett at Impact Graphics and later Studio Blue. Some of the brands included Solitude clothing for Shaun Thomson, Sex Wax, Lightening Bolt, Hang Ten, Overhead Surf Wear, Porn Star Clothing, Coastal Classics, Techstyles Resort Wear, David Pu’u Morning Star, Yater art series and Arbor Snowboards for Mickey Munoz. Robert designed for Tom Curren clothing, Bear Surfboards Randy Rarrick, the Duke Clothing Company and Big Wave Guru Greg Knoll, also known as ‘The Bull.

In 2002, Robert was chosen from many world famous applicants as the “Featured Artist” for the 20th Anniversary 2002, Vans Triple Crown Poster, a deeply held honor. Around the same time, Rob created “The Mana,” a Larry Haynes North Shore surf movie poster, the Hennessey International, Paddleboard World Championship poster and the Pirates of the Carribean theme park t-shirt. In both 1997 and 2005 Robert was chosen to do the California Jr. Llifeguard State Chamiponships event art.

Rob’s work invokes the 1970’s retro representation while contributing impressionistic plen air designs to the contemporary form, truly displaying his roots in the Southern California surf art tradition. Recently Rob organized with Glen Henning to host “Sharing the Stoke,” an invitational surf meet for California inner city children’s surf clubs at Rincon Beach. Backed financially by International World Pro surfer Shaun Thomson and organized by the “Rincon Pit Crew,” the 2008 weekend event was huge success. Children of all ages were able to experience the “Stoke,” of surfing and took home a beautiful poster created by Rob to celebrate the event.

Rob's Art Studio

Robert's has done work that celebrates the Native American Chumash Indian tribe and spent much time in solitude painting on the Point Conception Ranches.

Robert Heeley’s dream and visions continue to hold positive promise for his future work as an artist. Each piece Rob creates will be as the “Master Artists” before him, a legacy of his being.