Mural stolen from Avila Beach lifeguard tower. ‘I worry it won’t come back,’ artist says

A panel from a series of murals commissioned by the Avila Beach Community Foundation has been stolen, according to artist Colleen Gnos.

The top panel, which depicted Pali Kai outriggers and a standup paddle boarder, is thought to have gone missing between Oct. 22 and Nov. 20, Gnos told The Tribune on Tuesday.

The mural decorated one of two 12-foot-tall lifeguard towers stationed on either side of the Avila Beach Pier.

“I was going to put another coat of sealant on the murals at the aquarium — at the murals I installed in September,” she said. “I go to take a peek — I like to check on my other ones to see if they need maintenance or anything — and I realized it was gone.”

After noticing the panel was missing Nov. 20, Gnos spent several weeks confirming that it had not just been removed by Harbor Patrol or Port San Luis Harbor District for maintenance or unknown reasons.

“They were really surprised too,” she said. “They went through the channels to make sure.”

After eliminating that possibility, Gnos concluded the panel must have been stolen from the lifeguard tower.

“Someone had to go through a lot of work,” she said. “They would have needed to have tools.”

Gnos said one of the rivets was missing from the bottom of the installation, apparently broken off at the base.

Community upset by public art theft

In 2017, Gnos painted 26 lightweight, weather-resistant Dibond panels coated in special sealant to protect them from the elements, and graffiti. The panels depicted on one lifeguard tower sought to recreate Avila Beach’s past, and the paintings on the other, celebrate its present and future, through Gnos’ eyes.

Gnos did two months of historical research, with help from the Central Coast Maritime Museum Association, the History Center of San Luis Obispo County and the Boeker St. Trader Co. in Shell Beach.

Rick Cohen, the mural’s advocate, said in a previous Tribune article that he hoped the lifeguard murals would generate enough enthusiasm that Avila Beach will want to expand its public art footprint.

Gnos said she felt that many people didn’t notice the 5-foot-by-20-inch panel was missing at first, because the underside revealed the words, “No lifeguard on duty” which had previously been on the walls of the tower and “looked official.”

But soon after Gnos posted about the theft on Facebook on Jan. 17, the community erupted into fury.

“One of my favorite things about coming to Avila is seeing your beautiful work on the lifeguard towers,” one person wrote. “This stinks!”

“This is just wrong,” another wrote.

As of Tuesday, the post had more than 93 comments and had been shared 254 times.

“Everyone is upset about it,” Gnos said Tuesday. “It’s public art. Once I’m done with it, I release it out into the community. It’s not my mural anymore — it’s the community’s mural.”

When asked whether she would paint a replacement panel, Gnos said it was up to Arts Obispo, which supports public art in San Luis Obispo County. If she were to paint a replacement, it would likely cost about $2,500 she said (the original panel cost about $1,500).

First though, Gnos said she hopes whoever took the panel will return it, or someone will have information on what happened to it.

“It’s a bummer,” she said. “ I worry that it might not come back.”