Artist: Matt Stanton Beard
Funds Raised: $500
Nonprofit: Redwood Coast Music Festival
AidCurrent artist Matt Beard has been exploring the overlap of music and art creation for several years, painting live to accompany live music performance from a wide array of musicians ranging from the mellow, soulful approach of Tom Curren and Matt Costa at the Highline Festival of Surfing in 2014, to painting with local 80’s punk Minor Threat cover band Adult Crash while perched atop a 10′ vert ramp.
Plenty of jazz and blues have crept into the mix as well, so he was honored to be asked to create this years official event artwork for the Redwood Coast Music Festival. Rather than create the art in the studio setting, he chose to integrate things one step further and instead zeroed in musical performances from Kingfoot and Wild Iris at the Redwood Curtain Brewery in Arcata, where he set up his easel in the corner and knocked this painting out in time to the music.
And in keeping with his usual practice of painting live he chose to donate 50% of the sale of the finished piece to the nonprofit of the buyer’s choice, which turned out to be the Redwood Coast Music Festival itself. Full circle. Art supporting music supporting art supporting music. Or something like that.
Either way, we’re always stoked to see artists using their art to benefit their communities and live music festivals certainly bring communities together like few other things can. Cheers and congratulations Matt Stanton Beard!