Back in 2018, I created a painting of the 15th hole at Teton Springs, which was reproduced as the bag-tag for our member-guest tournament. That weekend, the now Bronze Buffalo Sporting Club at Teton Springs, hosted an art exhibit showcasing my portraits.
During the reception, I struck up a conversation with a gentleman named Stan Pajerski. He was interested in a portrait, so I snapped some photos… and, well? The rest is history…
I had the opportunity to work with Stan and his amazing lady, Janice, on this portrait. We had a blast, and became friends through the process.
So, when Janice reached out about creating a surprise gift for Stan — I couldn’t wait to get started. The concept? A painting of the Biltmore Country Club in North Barrington, IL — showcasing the clubhouse, putting green and a clock Stan was instrumental in having created. Based on a brilliant photo taken by Wyatt Byrd — we decided to go for an extremely colorful palette, and add Stan, putting on the green (captured from a video still), with the 5th Flag prominently showcased to celebrate Stan’s recent ace from 152 yards (!).
It all began with a basic outline, some cadmium orange, and a dream.
With the red added to the underpainting, I began a rough sketch, laying out the elements across the canvas (and, importantly, identifying the shadows).
The sky began as a graphic series of tonal shapes. I wanted to identify the major color shifts first.
Placing the dark tones early is an effective way to establish and anchor the key elements.
Next, I dove in, with a series of 20 colors, and painted the sky in something of a frenzy. I wanted the colors to be deeply saturated… and, add texture through a classic impasto application. I also began sampling the sky colors throughout the picture plane for visual symmetry.
If I have one thing in common with Bob Ross, it’s our love for painting happy trees. I jumped in there with a size five-zero brush, and began anchoring the horizon with happy little trees.
Every time I create a picture, I think to myself — “I’ll just perfect this section and move on”… and then, my training kicks in, and I realize it’s always best to work the entire canvas at once (thank you Mrs. Livesey). I jumped into the rocks in the foreground, as well as the stone wall, and let the colors do the talking. You can now see the shadow of Stan on the green.
And there he is… putting on the green. Now, everything is feeling far more balanced throughout. I went abstract on the foliage up front. It began with a couple of leaf shapes, and I found it exciting… so it carried through. As you can tell from the source image, I also took some liberties with the window colors… again, this was a visual connection to the sky for synergy.
And, with the finishing touches (including the #5 flag, lots of flowers, and a finished clock with a very special time to Stan and Janice) — the work is complete! It was such a blast to create this piece… once again, marrying my love for golf and painting.
Janice, I thank you for choosing me to be a part of this surprise! Stan, I hope you love it… and I really look forward to showing you both why I won’t be quitting my day job on the golf course later this summer.
Thank you, thank you 🙏🏻
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