Naples Fantasea: Free Art Show & Concert!

Santa Barbara Downtown Organization’s First Thursday, is a free evening of arts and entertainment offered monthly by participating galleries, where you can sample treats gastronomic, visual and aural.

This month’s First Thursday, Sept 2– TOMORROW– will be especially awesome! The Naples Coalition is hosting a special event, NAPLES FANTASEA: Keep the Gaviota Coast Wild!

*poster art by Robert Heeley

The event takes place from 5-9 at the historic Casa de la Guerra (otherwise known as the Beer Gardens during Fiesta) and will feature top local artists and an impressive line up of musicians. Legendary surfer Shaun Tomson will MC.

Our MC: the legend, Shaun Tomson. Photo Chris Orwig

ABOUT GAVIOTA: (from the Surfrider website) “[the] 20-mile stretch of the Gaviota Coast between Goleta and Gaviota draws more than a million visitors to its beaches, coastal canyons and mountain trails every year. In just over two generations, more than ninety percent of southern California’s once-unspoiled coastline has been lost to development forever. The Gaviota Coast’s intact ecosystems, riparian and wildlife corridors, important coastal farmland, rare and endangered animals, unique tidal wetlands, and Native American cultural sites are all gravely threatened by development.” - Gaviota is the last remaining stretch of undeveloped coastline in Southern California.

Our headliner, surf and landscape artist Robert Heeley, has been painting new works out at the fabled Ranch on the Gaviota Coast especially for this event. This is a rare and special treat, the largest showing of Rob’s work in a while, offered at unbelievable prices.

Also featured are contemporary artist Dana Karpain:

And plein air painter Susan Belloni, whose graceful landscape subjects include our local coast:

JUST ADDED! Neal Crosbie, whose irreverent and humor-filled Coyote Man drawings and paintings grace the walls at the Blue Agave, where they’ve amused diners for years. His work ranges from the comic-strip medium to rich and complex oils.

All artists have generously donated 50% of their procedes to the Naples Coalition. All money raised for the Naples Coalition will be MATCHED by JACK JOHNSON!

Ridiculously hot. Amazing generosity makes him hotter.

This includes DONATIONS received, and money raised from the sale of Beer & Wine (our sponsors, New Belgium Beer and Oreana Winery ), art procedes and a raffle that features truly fantastic prizes- no joke. I’ve helped collect some of these things and I’m sorely tempted to spend this month’s grocery money on raffle tickets. I can’t even decide which item I want most!

UNPLUGGED: Our killer line-up of musicians includes: Paull E. Rubin & Robert Perales, Big Yellow Moon featuring Ernie Knapp, Trevor Zinn from Wrong Again, Ted Hoagland, Kristin Candy, Ed Prado and Spencer Barnitz, playing songs from his latest acoustic project Organic Gangster.

CREATIVE ATTIRE is encouraged. In keeping with the theme, Naples Fantasea, I will be dressed as a mermaid!

If all this isn’t enough, BIKE MOVES will be starting off from Casa de la Guerra for their monthly themed bicycle/drunken/party ride. Their theme to match: Bike Watch – ready with lifesavers for anyone who yells, “save me!”