When Josh Krulewitz and I began planning this painting, he told me it would be a surprise for his wife’s birthday. Under the circumstance, we had to be extra stealthy and diligent to create a meaningful piece on the sly. After numerous back-and-forth emails, we decided on a three-framed image featuring meaningful photographs and locations in their life. In the upper left quadrant, there is a “scrap booked” section featuring family photos.
It’s not every day you have the opportunity to pay double homage to artists of different disciplines. With this Kanye Bear painting, commissioned by the talented Melissa Duren, for the suave Sean Conner, I was able to give Murakami a high five, with a pound to Kanye West.
When Dave, Randi and I began discussing a commissioned piece, I asked them to think of meaningful places in Manhattan. After a few back and forth emails, they decided on the place they were married – the South Street Seaport. To get things rolling, I spent a sunny afternoon taking shots in the area from about twenty different angles. From there, I narrowed-down, cropped and emailed six choices to the Wenders.
And the Central Park Boathouse commission is now complete. To recap: In early January, Stephanie, Scott and Ryan (their son) Gurtman came by my studio for an up-close-and-personal view of my work. With a vision of a painting in mind, we discussed a commissioned piece and the Gurtman’s decided to give the image some thought. The initial concept of painting J.G. Melon shifted to the Central Park Boathouse, they place they were married.
