Obituary of Robert Heeley

1970-2014The local Santa Barbara Surfing Community is reeling from the loss of beloved Artist and Waterman Robert Heeley. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Robert's family arrived in Goleta when he was in middle childhood, and very early on, two things became blatantly obvious: 1) He was a gifted Artist, and 2) He loved The Ocean.As Robert grew up, his surfing skills and athletic prowess in general developed rapidly. When he wasn't in the water surfing, Robert's time and energy were spent drawing scenes inspired by print magazine cartoonists found in magazines he loved to read in his youth such as Heavy Metal. Soon Robert discovered for himself surf art, and from there the momentum gathered. It was in high school when his Art teacher recognized his special talent, and Robert received an award placing him in the top 5% of aspiring young artists.Robert later studied Art formally at Santa Barbara City College, gaining both historical appreciation for his craft and also practical studio training. By the time Robert was in his late 20's he was blowing up on fire. He had his own graphics company, and was designing and printing for the top Surf brands on Earth such as Hang Ten and Lightning Bolt. Robert's ascent perhaps culminated with his being the Featured Artist at Hawaii's Anniversary Triple-Crown of Surfing. Robert had made it to the top!A few years later Robert settled into the Gaviota Coast, sailing the Channel Islands, fishing, trapping lobster, and painting scenes he found most inspirational. His work continued to grow in popularity and locally his greatest fame would be that of being the Artist behind the Rincon Pit Crew line of t-shirts and other products. Robert also took great pride in being the artist for the charitable nonprofit Rincon Invitational (Sharing the Stoke) event.Not only a great artist, Robert was a great surfer, a true waterman. A traditional Hawaiian-style memorial paddle-out will be held for Robert this Sunday at Rincon Cove at 9:30 am. For more information, please visit www.SantaBarbaraSurfer.com.