Mural at The Painted Tree

 WHEN I HAD A BOOTH AT the Painted Tree location in Glen Allen, I painted this wall mural as a display to show potential customers what I was capable of doing, in case they were interested in getting something for themselves. I had a security camera at the booth and from time to time I'd pull up the daily feed and it wasn't uncommon to watch a person look over at the mural and then stop by to check out my booth. Even if people didn't buy from me, it definitely caught their attention. 

When I moved out of the space, a new vendor moved in and thought, you know what I should do with this mural? Cover it up. 

And by 'cover it up' I don't mean they painted over it. They slid a table in front of it and with some baseball card decorations because...why not?

Miles in Blue

I JUST FINISHED THIS PAINTING OF jazz legend, Miles Davis. A little-known fact is that Miles Davis was inspired by Pablo Picasso's Blue Period, and three of his albums reference this - Blue Period (1953), Blue Moods (1955), and Kind of Blue (1959). The background of the painting is a wash of Indigo Blue, and the gold in the trumpet is a glaze of Cadmium Yellow.

The painting is for Crossroads Art Center's Jazz Art Show in March and is framed with a beautiful floating frame. 

The original is 16"x20" and prints are available at my etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1861362130/miles-in-blue-fine-art-print-jazz-art

During The Superbowl...

 I'VE NEVER BEEN A HUGE FAN of football and while the super bowl was playing I decided to do some night pleinair painting. I went over to the Fountain Bookstore downtown near The Martin Agency and set up my easel. I've always wanted to paint this scene but with no cars. Unfortunately...that ain't gonna happen. The entire area is packed 24/7 so the chances of there not being a car there is zero. 

Anyway, I had a good time. A few onlookers heading to a bar to watch the game stopped by to chat. 

Riverbend Coffee Drawing

 

I DECIDED TO REVISIT ONE OF my coffee drawings from 2020. The original coffee shop drawings/paintings were literally created with coffee from each coffee shop. I don't know if I'll draw every single coffee shop, but I really love this particular location. For some weird reason, Riverbend reminds me of the bakery from the film, 'As Good As It Gets', when Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt are walking early in the morning, and they stop in to grab warm rolls. In reality, it looks nothing like the bakery in the film but something about it has that stereotypical 'good morning' feeling. The staff has always been friendly to us, and in the morning, there's a solid, warm glow coming from the windows, and on a rainy day, the reflections on the street just make it feel so welcoming. 

So, I decided to draw it. Prints can be purchased at my etsy store: Riverbend Roastery Fine Art Print Richmond Art Pencil Drawing Coffee Art Richmond Richmond Virginia - Etsy