With the pandemic, work was slow and I wasn’t able to afford to live in Austin. Around January 2021, I moved to Southern California and stayed with my brother until I found a more stable position. I made some new friends, and one of them operated an art gallery in Laguna Beach called 5 3 Gallery. The owner, Brigitte wanted to throw a Valentines Day party and she asked me if I could help with creating a floor mural.
I was new to the area and wanted to get some exposure, so I agreed to help out. She had a sponsorship with a paint company that made environmentally friendly paints, but the color palette was limited. With the basic browns, greens and pinks, I decided to paint a walkway of henna patterns with leaves and hearts. I didn’t have any exact plans, but rather I decided to sketch with paint. The overall result was great, but temporary, considering the changing needs of the gallery. Either way, it was a great experience.
A commission for my friend Andrew
Around December of 2020, the pandemic was kicking off. With the quarantine, I had a lot of time on my hands and was free to take commissions. My friend Andrew reached out to me for a portrait. Initially he wanted a painting of Kramer from Seinfeld, but we settled upon a portrait of him as Ron Burgundy. This painting has gone through some interesting evolution, but the final result turned out great. It was a great exercise in skin tones and I loved honing in the details.
This painting has gone through some interesting evolution. The original idea was to have Andrew against a green leafy background. The backdrop then changed to a “purple 4” from one of the pictures he sent as a reference. I had some struggle with painting skin tone, but my friends gave me some great advice.
A praying mantis sketch
I’ve been using this time for more creative sketching for myself. Some time ago, I found a really cool picture of a praying mantis. I finally took some time to sketch it in my moleskine sketchbook with pen and tombos.
Circle Brewery mural
I’ve been a little busy lately with painting, hanging out with friends, applications and freelance work. Its been a very random month, but I’m starting to relax a little bit more. During the past three weeks, I’ve been working on a mural for Circle Brewery.
In the past, I’ve painted large murals at the graffiti park. The largest painting that I’ve worked on would have to be Anthony Bourdain at 12’ tall x 20’ wide. This mural is about double that size. This was my first commissioned painting and was quite an experience. During the first days, I was a little afraid to work on a 24’ tall ladder. By the time I was done, it became second nature and I felt comfortable putting in details in high places. It was really rewarding to see this painting evolve from day to day.
Stop by Circle Brewery and check it out!
The old mural, which occupied Circle Brewery since they moved into their space.
Circle Brewery staff, Joel laid out the initial sketch for the design. He wanted to tell the story about the brewing process and show the location.
I created a cleaned up version of the sketch and added some color. I wanted this mural to be clean, a bit cartoonish and a little technical looking.
Some shots of my progress
My desk
Whenever I’m bored I like to draw Indian patterns on my desk. My desk is always a work in progress!