Introducing, my latest neon painting — ‘The Virginian’ — an iconic beacon in the Jackson Hole skyline. But why The Virg? Why now?
Well, you may have heard the property is on sale for a crisp $60,000,000 (the painting will be available for slightly less)… and, as it happens, the broker is friend, collector and patient golf partner — Greg Prugh. So, I figured the timing was perfect.
Care to see this beauty come together in 46 seconds? Look no further than the link above… set to the aptly named track, “Borbay 2.0”, courtesy of my guys Nelson and Ahmed.
I ran my first (and only) marathon in Las Vegas. We celebrated Erin’s 30th Birthday in Sin City. Since 2011, I’ve painted in the land of neon seven times.
So, you can imagine the stoke factor, when Kevin Barry Fine Art commissioned me to paint The Sahara — two times!
You can check the entire double feature above, in a shade over sixty seconds. Huge thanks to the Ambershift for a sizzling custom soundtrack! Now let’s take a closer look at these bad boys…
I’m honored and delighted to share the commissioned collaboration between yours truly, and artist extraordinaire — Brendan Ben Feeney. I met BBF on Twitter many years ago… in fact, he was kind enough to send Erin and I a photograph for our wedding back in 2011.
As time developed, so too did our friendship and admiration for one another. When Ben reached out with his idea, I couldn’t wait to begin our Twin Peaks collaboration.
Here is Ben’s amazing photograph, which guided the way. This work was featured in Tufts Magazine, along with an in-depth profile on BBF.
I’ve been wanting to paint this sign for well over two years… and, so, Four Seasons Jackson Hole’s Ascent Lounge was the place, and Saturday was the time.
Whenever I return to Manhattan, I find myself wandering the streets… memories, flowing like wine. In November, I met good friend, Tony Black, for a pint of the dark stuff at Old Town. Before leaving, I told the owner, Fitz, “I’m going to paint your sign.”
They say, “do what you say you’re going to do,” so I did… and here was my source image.
My legally issued artistic license allows for interpretation. If you’d like to see the entire process in one minute in time lapse, narrated by yours truly… view this video… more of a photo and commentary person? Read on dear friend.
Sometimes… the connection finds you. While researching neon signs, I discovered the Blue Swallow Motel. My attention immediately turned to the swooping bird… reminiscent of Twitter’s logo. Most 140-character-missives dissolve into the collective unconscious… some, as we now know, can change history.
I’ve been wanting to create a piece exploring Anthony Weiner’s pseudonym, ‘Carlos Danger‘, for ages — and the Blue Swallow triggered a memory. I met Weiner back in 2011, just as his first scandal hit the airwaves. Weiner is an ice hockey goalie, for those who don’t know. Clearly, Anthony had his hands full, so the team needed an emergency substitute keeper — not uncommon in beer league.
So there I am, half suited-up and ready to skate — when a distraught Weiner shows up in long baggy basketball shorts and a rather unseemly tank top. He began whining to the captain, who was sitting next to me getting his skates on. Needing the “stress relief”, he pleaded for the crease. I told the captain, “your team, your choice. If I bounce, you need to give me 30 bucks and a six pack.”
Well, the captain paid up, I got undressed and went home. The next day, I received a call, “sorry man, I wish you played, we lost 12-3. I’m trying to get a municipal contract out of him, so you know how it goes.” Even beer league hockey is ruled by politics.
I digress. Here is the dangerous process from start-to-finish captured in time lapse, with a soundtrack courtesy of my man MH the Verb. Read on for the creative process…
At their root, all signs exist to provide information. Some hope to offer a warm welcome. Great signs do way more, they evoke emotion and often memories.
For those of you in the community of people who had the privilege of spending a summer, or more, at Camp Echo Lake in upstate Warrensburg, NY, there are a series of signs that, when seen in sequence, take each and every one of you from happiness to bliss.
2015 was so huge, it took me until mid-January to post the year-in-review! The game changer? On February 5th, at 7:45AM, Vega arrived aquatically in our Manhattan living room… joining Erin, Coraline and me. One month later, she had a passport and was living in The Bahamas… we then left Manhattan, moved to Minnesota, then to Jackson Hole, and back to Minnesota…
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