Art inspires hope for cleaner seas

When most hear the name Brandon Boyd, they think of the band Incubus. However, the musician also dabbles in other artistic pursuits, and on Saturday, he'll be displaying them to the public at the Hurley )( Space Gallery in Costa Mesa.

It is part of a collaboration with Hurley and the charity H.O.P.E., or Helping Other People Everywhere, which promotes education and peace through social projects. Boyd, 35, created the sea-inspired, hand-drawn images for the special collection of tees and water bottles to raise awareness about humans' impact on the oceans.

"The whole intention behind the project is to sort of re-ignite the conversation about single-use plastics and this idea of sustainability in our culture," Boyd said. "People get heated about it for a minute … but then things start to dwindle away because of other important things going on in the world.

"I'm just trying to highlight this situation again through the use of imagery I created."

The images, which include a whale in the ocean with plastic bottles inside it, are whimsical yet thought-provoking.

Boyd, a California native and surfer, thought Hurley's surfers could identify with the issues facing the oceans.

"To say that these things are near and dear to our hearts would be a gross understatement," he said.

Boyd, who lives a stone's throw from the beach, often sees the results of human pollution.

"I went out on the beach today by my house. It was raining last week, and you could still see the remnants of it," he said. "The majority of it was plastics."

No stranger to the canvas, Boyd has published two art books and had his first exhibition in 2008.

Some of his earliest memories, he said, were of drawing.

During Saturday's show, not only will Hurley be showing off the Brandon Boyd collection of tees, but Boyd will also be there to present his mural.

Painted on reclaimed particle board, Boyd describes the installation as "recycled and modular."

This will be a first for Boyd, who has never painted a mural.

"I was kind of nervous about it," he said.

But after friends told him to go for it, he decided that was the course to take.

"It almost has a bittersweet tinge to it because the part I enjoy most is making it," he said about the mural. "I hope people enjoy it and feel a sense of awe and wonder as they walk in the room … "

As for his music, Incubus is 20 years young and counting. The band just wrapped up its most recent album, "If Not Now, When?" and is planning to debut a single in the next week.

The Brandon Boyd collection is now on sale on Hurley's website and at Buckle clothing stores nationwide.

For more information, visit hurley.com or hopecampaign.org.

IF YOU GO:

What: Brandon Boyd presents mural and collection

Where: Hurley )( Space Gallery at 1945 Placentia Ave., Costa Mesa.

When: 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday