Each year, an artist is asked by the event chairs to donate their time and a piece of art to represent the Luau & Longboard Invitational on t-shirts, posters and other materials. The artwork is auctioned at the Luau. All proceeds are donated to the Moores UCSD Cancer Center.

The 17th Annual Luau & Longboard Invitational proudly announces the selection of Jeff Yeomans as the 2010 Event Artist.

"For me, the Luau is a chance to give back to the community I live in. The work done by the Moore's Cancer Center is important to see continued, and as someone who lost my father to cancer, it has even more meaning to me. If art can be uplifting, and help bring change and new discoveries in medicine to our world, I'll offer my talents for as long as I can lift a brush."

A full-time painter, Jeff Yeomans works as a contemporary painter to document the California region, it's people and it's disappearing open spaces. His work is a loosely-evolving visual journal of light, color and form - coastal studies and urban landscapes that embrace sunlight or shared experience, familiar moments that resonate with a broad audience. Often travel-inspired or autobiographical, they explore the fragile beauty of California and the connected urban landscape, that ultimately impacts it.

Jeff Yeomans grew up in Whittier, CA and spent most of his free time surfing, playing basketball or drawing. (An art award from Bank of America in the 2nd Grade was early encouragement for him to pursue his skills.)

"I learned to surf in Huntington Beach in the late 60s and surfed between Seal Beach and San Diego during high school. After moving to San Diego in 1974, I enjoyed surfing Baja frequently with friends."

"I've painted since high school off and on, and while working as an Art Director at KPBS in San Diego, began to paint with more focus in my spare time. When some of that work sold, my wife began to encourage me to pursue painting full-time. Since 2003, I haven't looked back."

"I enjoy documenting Southern California in my work and other places I happen to travel to. Invitations to painting competitions and museum exhibitions have opened doors for me I never could have imagined. Painting every day, raising kids and living on the coast help keep me grounded and grateful. I'm very fortunate to have what I consider one of the best jobs in the world."

Yeomans has received numerous painting awards for his work, and is very proud of being selected for a recent commission for the Naval Hospital in San Diego. In support of the 'Wounded Warriors' project, his painting of injured vets going surfing at San Onofre welcomes visitors to a state-of-the-art physical rehab center for returning war veterans. One unique component of the re-hab includes surfing as therapy, as well as other water sports. On a national level, Southwest Art Magazine recently named him an "Artist to Watch", and International Artist Magazine featured his work in a 10-page article in August 08. Seven of his paintings are included in 'Land of Sunlight' a book of landscape paintings of the San Diego region.

“Painting is a lot like surfing a wave. You commit and then adjust, and balance risk with experience, and sometimes it's the process of painting to sit down and either grab a brush, or paddle back out and do it again.”

To see more of Jeff's artwork, please visit his website.

Thank you to our 2008 and 2009 Luau & Longboard Invitational’s title sponsor, Pfizer La Jolla.