The last 8 months involved very intense, concentrated time painting. I thought once that was completed I would take a break for a bit but just as soon as I thought that, other things ramped up, good things. A couple new businesses in town invited me to display work in their space. The Tick Tock Tavern, a new bar on Magnolia, asked about some portraits I had done of historic figures like Eleanor Roosevelt, Lee Harvey Oswald and Albert Einstein. These portraits are somewhat characters done on paper outlined with black paint. Nicely framed and now hanging in their hallway that connects them with Steve's Hot Dogs. The Music Record Shop, a new record store on Manchester in the Grove, inquired about some paintings I'd done of St. Louis musicians, past and present. A week before their grand opening, I spent four hours hanging 20 something paintings on their bare walls. These paintings were just sitting in my studio collecting dust but now their on display for customer's to see. Very grateful to those two businesses for giving me some space on their walls.
Then some group shows popped up. With the first two being on the same date. Saturday Nov 8. ChoiceArt will be holding their annual fund raiser at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis with proceeds going to Planned Parenthood, a cause I very much believe in and I'm honored to have donated a painting for this event. On the same night, City of Night St. Louis is holding a group art show at the ever popular William A Kerr Foundation. This show will feature many St. Louis artists and I'm very excited to be a part of it. Another event in December for Poetry Scores also came up involving The Screwed Arts Collective, so staying busy on all those fronts.
Have also been completing many commissions that have come my way recently, like the one pictured above. It's always a nice boost to have people interested in your work and to have you do a special piece for them or as a gift they plan on giving someone. So you keep on going and staying busy, which is the best thing to do anyway. All the while gearing up for painting new pieces for a show in April at the University City Library.
Very grateful to be spending my time thinking about and painting pictures in St. Louis, MO.
Now playing - great set from Eric Hall at the Tap Room on Oct 30.
