Matt Stanton Beard

Artist: Matt Stanton Beard
Funds Raised: $708.62
Nonprofit: Save the Waves Coalition

AidCurrent artist Matt Beard is no stranger to getting in his van and driving the California coast and dedicating weeks at a time to painting as much as humanly possible. He’s also no stranger to using his artwork to help support groups that are dedicated to making the world a bit of a better place. So it is quite natural that these two threads were woven together on a recent road trip where he was able to donate over $700 to Save the Waves from his proceeds of original art sales at the Redgate Ranch Music Fest and the Boardroom International Surfboard show.

But wait, that’s just a paragraph about the business side of things… did we mention he painted 18 new paintings in 12 days on this road trip? Well shoot. Get over to his site and check them all out here:
mattbeardart.com/free-range-santa-cruz/

You’ll be stoked. And several are still available. Grab one if you keen and mention AidCurrent and Beard will donate 20% to Save the Waves.

Artist: Matt Stanton Beard
Funds Raised: $230
Nonprofit: Save the Waves Coalition

There is an incredibly rich visual tradition in music festival posters. This original painting by Matt Stanton Beard was his most recent contribution to that tradition when he donated the use of the art to the Save the Waves Coalition’s annual Redgate Ranch Music Fest 2016.

In regards to creating artwork for music events Beard states, “music event posters are a great opportunity for me to breakaway from my usual subjects and throw any curveball that comes to mind. There really are no rules or boundaries in the genre, so I always look forward to these pieces for the freedom they inherently provide.”

Speaking of operating without rules or boundaries, we’re pretty sure there’s no rule against an artist donating 20% of the sale of an original painting to anyone they should choose. In this case Beard took the liberty of donating back to the Save the Waves Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving our coastlines.

Artists are often asked to donate artwork for nonprofits’ events and fundraisers, and at AidCurrent we celebrate every success story where art can be of greater benefit to a world in need. We don’t often hear of nonprofits reaching out to develop long term mutually beneficial relationships with the artists though, so when we heard that Save the Waves Coalition had been doing just that with artists (and surfers even) ambassador program we took notice.

When asked about his new ambassadorial role with Save the Waves, AidCurrent artist Matt Beard responds a bit nervously, “Oh man, I’ve never ambassadored anything, I hope I don’t blow it. Will there be tacos?”

Putting two and two together though, it’s a perfect match when you consider Save the Waves Coalition’s role in preserving the natural state of coastlines worldwide, and Matt Beard’s emphasis in his art on documenting the California coast.

We’re looking forward to seeing where this collaboration goes in the future, but for now, we’d just like to congratulate Matt Beard on his fancy new title, joining the ranks of other Save the Waves ambassadors like AidCurrent artist Erik Abel, professional surfer Greg Long, and a host of others.

Title: One Last Dance
Size: 20″ x 16″
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Artist: Matt Beard
Funds Raised: $350
Benefiting: Save the Waves

AidCurrent artist Matt Beard recently completed this piece on location somewhere on the California Coast. Painting outdoors, in “plein air”, has been Beard’s preferred way of working these days. “Why be in the studio, when I could be here” he says, pointing to the scene around him as he quickly sketches out some foliage. Birds are chirping, the breeze is blowing, and we have to agree. In fact, the more we think of it we just may move our AidCurrent office out in “plein air” as well.

This particular painting of his was done after a 3 week road trip all over San Diego, where he painted nearly every day, with every single painting being a commissioned request from area collectors. But this one was different, instead of going straight to a collector he left it with his friends at Save the Waves Coalition for them to auction at their annual fundraiser in San Francisco, where it was nabbed for a deal, but still raised $350 for the group’s ongoing conservation efforts.

There is something fitting in working out in this pristine environment and using that work to help preserve pristine places like this all over the world. Full circle.