August 20th 2008
The First Mural
So my first mural came and went. More that I expected & less than I would have liked. Complicated by another first... that of working side by side with another artist. I won't say it was easy. We both have two different approaches. Two different opinions. But in the end... after a long hot day... it worked out pretty well.

It started out as an 8 x10 foot wall and a simple concept of contrasts. War in reality vs war in a children's game. A spray paint artist and a brush artist. That's the end of the simplicity though...
After that, it was a day of heat, worry, frustration, fixes, adjustment, compliments, photos, questions, and pain. If painting a canvas is a jog, painting a mural is a marathon. I ached in places that I never thought I would. I spent the day squatting (all of my work was on the bottom) and my thighs felt it... so did my lower back, , feet, and wrist. But even so, I will be doing it again. Especially
On another note, I had a booth at the festival that sold my stuff. Lucky for me, Trevor watched my booth while I toiled away on the mural. At the end of the day, he was bubbling over with all the wonderful feedback... and it was just that... wonderful. People really liked my stuff!! Liked it a lot. I walked away feeling really positive and exhausted. What more can you ask from a day?
July 24th 2008
The Birth of a Caterpillar
Some of you know that I have been paticipating in Live Painting since moving to Seattle. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's basically painting in front of an audience during a club event. It's a perfect mix of entertaining and painting... a match made in heaven for me.
So when I approach a live painting, I usually come to the event with an idea and even a sketch. But that's where the planning ends. After that, I let the spontaneity of the event take over. But that can make it a little trickier when the event is dead like the night I started this caterpillar. It just wasn't a good night for inspiration. The promoters were trying out a new venue on a Thursday so it was a thin crowd to say the least. And I was self conscious and not really in the mood to paint. I have been working so hard to get my career working, putting in long hours and such, that I really just wanted to do nothing. So I just starting moving the paint around. It was grueling at first. And then...

Magic.

It's not done. And I probably won't finish it till next week but it's got great bones. Suddenly that magic moment came when he stared back at me through all the boredom and frustration. And the night disappeared in painting.