Why is it that music makes you feel so much more?? 


I want my art to rouse those same feelings. I want you to get lost in it and see your life flash before you. I want there to be tears of joy, anger, bewilderment, yearning for more. I want you to walk away and ask your self what just happened but want more. I want you to feel…


Do you see what I can see, can you feel what I can feel? 

Howd'y

I actually forgot about this site and blog. I am not very good at blogs or life in general I guess. I miss my studio and I need it  back in my life.  Just to give a little update I have been doing a lot of work on my house and trying to get it ready to sale. Hopefully this time next year I will have a new space. I need to get working on my art really bad and I want the ability to shoot photos in it as well. 

I just wanted to post a little follow up on the studio closure post at the beginning of the month. This weekend marks the first month of no studio and I am still with out a space. Thats not to say that I haven't been looking or received offers.  Timing is everything right? Well I think this is a new chapter in my life and I need to spend some time on my personal life and my house. I need to move to a bigger house and I want one that has a big shop/studio in the back. So for now I am going to direct my focus on that and create new work when I can. I have a small shop at my house currently that I can work in, or if the right space comes along I will jump on it. 

Until next time, keep creating! 

Well, as much as I hated to let it go, the studio is no more. It was a sad day as I dropped the keys of yesterday and said goodbye. I will cherish the many good memories I shared with my studio mate Bryan and I look forward to bigger and better things.

Renting a studio can be a joy and a headache, and it was definitely a learning experience for me. Trying to juggle it, creating new work, while having a corporate day job and a family over the last two years has been hard. The first year I was in it 4 times a week at least, working, thinking and growing as an artist. I am still amazed at how much work I created and started on. Then schedules changed, "life happened" and the last year I might have made it up there once every two weeks. Ultimately we just couldn't justify paying for a space that we weren't using. If only I could have made money from the space to justify the expense, or so I seem to think. The question(s) I still ask myself are; when do you let go? Did I try hard enough to make it work? Did I do the right thing?

Every artist wants to sell their work, as do I. It's one thing to create the work and an entirely different one to create a market for it. Just because you create it doesn't mean people will want to buy or if they do, can justify the expense. This is one thing I have had to learn and come to terms with. How do I help create a market for my work in and around my life and busy work schedule. Today's internet connected world makes it seem so easy to "get your work out there and you will be an instant success", the money just comes flowing in. It didn't for me. I didn't start this overnight either. I have been painting and working on my art since before 2001. I am just now reaching a point where I thought all my efforts getting to this point were about to pay off. Well lets just say Im still pushing, still trying to let out what's inside of me.

Now the biggest question I have is... where do I go from here? How many of you have home studios, families and or day jobs? How do you do it? I don't feel like I am alone so any insight would be really helpful.

Until next time... keep creating.

Community Art... What is community art?

Is it “urban art”? Is it free arts classes that all can attend? Is it neighborhoods that rally around beautification and use the arts to bring them together? Is it just Murals in public spaces? Does it encompass more than just the visual arts to include any media like theatre, music, or dance?

Do we, as working artists, as a global arts community in the US, make sure all ages have access to art? Not just going to a museum or seeing it on the street, but learning it, studying it, or practicing it.

Are you a part of a guild, art council, or art community where you live? Do you actively participate? What services do they provide, is it a big group, or small group? I would love your feed back.    

Memphis actually has a decent sized art community but it is fragmented and I am looking in to opening up a space that provides; art practice, learning, studio space and focuses on bringing these fragments together to collaborate, and grow the youth and help prepare artists and aspiring professionals to become what they need to be.

If you have any experience in anything similar to this, or non-profit work I would love to talk with you via phone, email, Skype, or I'd buy you lunch if you are in local and can spare some time. 

This is going to be a short post, just a little update of what I have been doing lately.

Well my design job has been super busy so I haven't had time to paint... at all. I have been doing a lot of admin type stuff for the studio though, what I call the business side.  I had some back in forth emails with a gallery in NY last week. Not sure where thats going, they want me to pay them for representation. Is that normal? I mentored some art students from MCA last week too. I have been trying to get renters insurance on the studio space and setting up an LLC for me as a business as a whole. Which I need badly. All this stuff is just resting on my shoulders and I need it off. I also got a mentor, something I have needed for a while to help me run a business as an artist. Things have been really, really busy, but exciting. If I can connect all the dots things should be picking up for me soon.

If you have any experience with this stuff and can give me some pointers I would really appreciate it!!

"Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn."
Harriet Beecher Stowe

I am always looking for commission work, whether it's for your home, business, or public space, big or small I can do it. Please contact me via my contact page and I would be glad to discuss your needs and pricing. 

Found these little gems today surfing the interwebs  Memphis Type History and Memphis Type 

Memphis Type is two artists’ obsession with the words, letters, typography, history, and colors of Memphis.  These images are insight into Memphis as Memphians know it. (taken from their about page)

It's really good to see people chronicling vintage signs, art, type and it's history in Memphis. Great job guys and good luck on the book!

I finally got some studio work in over the weekend. I even had a little helper with me. It was my daughters first time up at the studio and she didn't do as well as I hoped (she's 10 months old). So me getting work done was cut short. I was only able to do some setting up, cleaning and made a few notes in sketchbook before I put in about an hours actual work. Until next time I guess.

I have been watching SKY News a lot lately and at the end of their segments they give an art and gallery show update. They post big and small art exhibits that are going on in England, all over Europe and a few large shows in the US. What cant we do similar? If its not "breaking news" here in the US it doesn't make the circus that is are news. 

I am currently looking for upcoming gallery shows to submit work too. If you know of a blog, website that lists upcoming show or specific gallery that is taking submissions for shows please post in the comments. 

Thanks and go make some art!