Thoughtful Friends

The 10" x 14" oil portrait of this handsome jovial man has a nice story to go along with it. It is a little hard to explain but stick with me...

Two 40-something men, one of whom I've know since highschool, contacted me to create a portrait as a gift for their good friend who just lost his father to illness.

The grieving friend's father had always hung a painted portrait of his father (the grandfather) in his office at work. That old portrait, smiling down on the father as he worked, brought back fond memories and served as a source of inspiration and solace.

So these two 40-something men, along with several other long time buddies, wanted to give their grieving friend the same feeling of his father smiling down upon him. We worked from multiple photos and met several times during the process to ensure a good likeness. Now their grieving friend has a portrait of his father, just like his father did--the tradition continues.

I've never met the friend but I hope the painting brings him the same inspiration and solace his father's father's portrait did.

Confused? Sorry, it's hard to explain the relationships (lots of fathers, lots of friends).

Anyway, my point is I was really touched by the big hearts that these men exhibited as they pulled together such a thoughtful gift for their grieving friend. And as an artist, it was nice to be a part of the healing.

Cool Globes Vancouver

My second large Cool Globe, originally created for Southwest Airlines about the importance of giving employees the time and incentive to volunteer is on currently on display in Vancouver, at Science World outside TELUS World of Science. This exhibit showcases giant globes created by artists depicting solutions to climate change. My globe has been on tour for the last couple years from San Francisco to San Diego, L.A., and Houston. Stop by the exhibit if you are in Vancouver in the next few months.

Chalkboard Art for Trade Show

An Italian cookware company hired me to create this promotional piece for the 8' x 4' blackboard in their booth at the "International Home and Houseware Show" at McCormic Place. I used hard pastels. The cute little chef is their mascot "l'omino". If you happen to be at the Houseware show, stop by booth #1836 to check out the artwork.

Promotional Sidewalk Art

I was down in St. Louis with my assistant Tracee this week creating sidewalk art to help launch a new truck called TerraStar during the Work Truck Show. We were hired by Navistar's marketing agency who was looking for a new attention-grabbing method to promote the truck's launch. We created this 10' x 5' painting outside the Hyatt where the convention attendees were staying. The artwork turned out great and the passersby loved it! Click on the photo for a better view of the artwork.

Second portrait, six years later

This oil portrait, delivered last week (20"x 26"), is the second painting commissioned by one of my first clients. You can see the first one I did in watercolor in 2003 here. Beautiful kids, eh?

Teenagers in a photobooth

My studio assistant and I delivered this commissioned oil portrait last month. "Core Four in a Photobooth" (12" x 30") is of four teenage girlfriends commissioned by the mom of one of the girls as a holiday gift for her daughter. I must admit it was a great idea. How fun would it be to have a painting like this today (30 years later) of my four best girlfriends in highschool?