I got to take on a very challenging and REALLY fun project over Christmas: Painting another person into an incredible painting by Andy Thomas in a much looser style than I’m used to painting in. We have a friend who loves Andy’s painting, Grand Ol’ Gang (shown below).

The original painting by Andy Thomas

We thought he would flip out if he were painted INTO it, like he was just hanging out with the Presidents (and I happened to have sneaky access to some great head shots of him). So, I did a little research on the best way to do this and preserve the integrity of the giclee’ while matching the style of the painting. It turns out that me and acrylics still don’t get along, though they are recommended for painting on top of canvas prints. But, after a little more research and an intuition check, I decided to treat the area to be painted with clear gesso and then I painted on top with my beloved oils. Yay for finding a way!

The completed painting! Our friend likes to hang out with VIPs.

Below is a close-up of my portion of the painting. He was floored when he opened it for Christmas and it made all of the hours I spent making it perfect so worth it! I’m framing it for him this week.

Detail of my work

I’d love to know what you think about this project. Comment if you like it. Share it on Facebook if you love it. Thanks!

My Most Recent Charcoal Portrait

You may have seen my last drawing of Ethan. The cuties below are his cousins! These drawings will be Christmas gifts for my customer’s sisters, so it’s sure to be a special holiday for his family.

Want to Give a Sentimental Gift This Christmas?

Tis’ my busy season, so I can only accept 2 or 3 more commission requests to complete in time for Christmas. If you’re considering a portrait this year or next, go ahead and get on my waiting list for 50% off to save! Otherwise, spread the word and earn some Referral Love Cash ($100-$300 per referral).

Thanks for stopping by! It means a lot.

My Latest Charcoal Portrait

I recently had the joy of drawing a cute little kiddo named Ethan.  The drawing will be a Christmas gift to my customer’s sister, and he is also having me draw his two nieces as well, which I’ll post soon.

Is he not the cutest thing?  (Well, the cutest thing not related to me at least) I think there’s a Mama rule about thinking your own children are the most precious, right?

Christmas Gift Idea!

Have you been wondering what to get someone in your life who already seems to already have everything?  It’s not too late to place your portrait order for Christmas, and now you’ll receive extra perks like free matting (for drawings) and framing (for paintings) as well as two free prints of your portrait to keep or give as gifts!  I have to stop taking Christmas orders sometimes as early as the last week of November in order to complete them all in time for the holidays.

Want to Save 50% On Your Portrait?

I’ve started a scholarship program!  It’s basically this:

I discount 1 drawing commission per month and 1 painting commission per quarter by half of my posted portrait prices. 

The discounts are given on a waiting list basis, but since I’ve just implemented the program, the list isn’t long yet (Lucky you!) If you’re considering a portrait this year or next, go ahead and get on the list for substantial savings.  Otherwise, spread the word and earn some Referral Love Cash  ($100-$300 per referral)!

Amazing Grace…

I’m walking down a familiar hallway for what I know will be one of the last times. I’ve come to visit my sweet, 94 year old granddaddy.  He greets me with a warm, toothless smile.  He’s frail, but strong in spirit.  He’s been longing for heaven for some time now, even telling us that he sees the gates and angels that await him. “Let’s sing,” he says.  I ask what he wants to sing, and he chooses “Amazing Grace,” his favorite. Together, we sing the words that he truly believes.  He has experienced so much of God’s grace in his 94 years, and though he mixes up some of the words now, we had a moment together that day that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.  We had only two more visits after that.

“’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.  How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.”  Seven years later, as I sing these words now in worship, as always I remember my granddaddy.  But this time, I also see what I know will be my next painting, as clearly in my mind as if it was already completed.

The Hour I First Believed

A man, tattooed and masculine, is shackled, but Christ is releasing his chains.  It is the moment of his salvation… the hour he first believed.

As with most of my “God paintings,” I knew that to not paint it would be disobedience. However, I wanted to use a model who had truly experienced God’s transforming grace so I started looking.  I called the Nashville Rescue Mission that has a rehabilitation program for breaking addictions, and they directed me to a young man named Chris.

Chris’s Story

Chris came from a home where he always felt loved.  However, at the tender age of eight, he encountered marijuana, and began smoking.  By thirteen, he had moved on to abusing prescription drugs and narcotics.  At 16, he was arrested for possession, and began dealing drugs to others.  During the next 6 years, Chris led a life of utter debauchery: a 6-month drug binge, multiple overdoses, being forced by a judge to enlist in the Navy only to go AWOL, and a marriage that dissolved into the “swinging” lifestyle.  By the time his wife became pregnant, Chris had begun dealing cocaine, making $200,000 per month.  When she gave birth to their son, Chris was so busy partying and spending money that he eventually just paid her a weekly allowance to leave him alone.

Hitting Rock Bottom

During the next few months, Chris was involved in several stabbings.  During one fight, he even shot another man.  After spending all of his money on partying, he began living with friends, stealing from them to support his drug habit.  He got arrested for one of those thefts and went to jail. Upon his release, as a last resort, his parents dropped him off at the Nashville Rescue Mission.  He completed the program only at the insistence of his probation officer.

He had gone from being one of the most successful drug dealers in Virginia to being homeless, without even a change of clothes, in a rehab facility…and an intense anger set in.  For his entire life, Chris had been an atheist.  However, at the Mission he heard about God daily in devotions. The more he heard, the more he wanted to learn, and he dove in to God’s word with feverish intent. Near the end of his program, God finally became real to him and he gave his life over to Him. At that very moment, he was free!  Free from the bondage of his addictions and sinful life. Free from chasing after things of no eternal value. He now lives on his own and works as a landscaper, is working to get his son back, and is sharing what God did for him with whoever will listen:

“I’ve realized something looking back on my life: because I was so hard-headed, God allowed me to reach a high that most people will never see financially, then He let me hit rock bottom to humble me and allow me to find Him.  The testimony of my life is that, no matter how much you achieve, you have nothing if you don’t have God. I’m ready to start over and to love God with all of my heart and prove to the world that I AM someone who can make a difference in people’s lives.”

“The Hour I First Believed” is a painting that depicts freedom.  It is a freedom that every person who accepts Christ experiences, though one person may feel the weight of their former life more than another.

Romans 3:23-24 teaches us that “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.

Set free!

Painting With Purpose

My hope is that this painting will be used in people’s lives who see it. How God uses my paintings is always a wonderful mystery to me, but I can’t wait to see what He’ll do with this one!  Please feel free to comment and share this with the people in your life.  Churches and ministries may use it after asking permission in their services or printed material. Canvas prints (full-sized at 30×24) are available on my website. Purchase one here!

If you’d like to see other paintings that God led me to create, please visit Paintings With Purpose.

It’s a day I’ve waited for . . . a company that I branded now has international presence!  Better yet, it’s international because of a friendship I have with a former logo client. Twitter and Facebook have made the world so very, very small. Read on to hear how this all came about!

Almost three years ago, I was approached by the nicest lady who was opening a self-serve frozen yogurt shop here in Nashville, TN called Sweet CeCe’s.  Though many “competitors” have sprung up since then, Sweet CeCe’s was the first of its kind in our area, and remains the best in my opinion. I created her logo, which led to promotional material, which led to me becoming their “official” graphic designer, handling all things aesthetic up until corporate took over late in 2010.  I also had the opportunity to set them up with a Twitter and Facebook presence and manage it, which which they have agreed has fueled (along with the amazing froyo experience, of course) their rapid success.

A year or two into my working with the company, a former logo client of mine who follows me on Twitter, asked me what I thought about him opening up a Sweet CeCe’s… in Kuwait!  He had seen my constant tweets about the delicious yogurt and success of the store here.  I was thrilled with his idea, and I put him in contact with the people in charge.  After a few months of negotiation, he ended up buying the rights to open 10 stores in the next 5 years in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and United Arab Emirates.

I’m writing this today to show off his STUNNING store that opened last week. Check out these photos to see how the middle east does frozen yogurt!

LOVE the glasswork

Now you know what "Sweet CeCe's" looks like in Arabic

Custom bench, contemporary light fixtures... they did such a great job!

It’s not often that a graphic designer in the States gets to see his or her work on signage overseas.  I was actually thrilled when I saw my design on the “coming soon” sign for the first store, so to say that I’m excited now would be an understatement.  While I’m no longer doing much work for the corporation since they now have over 30 locations now and I have a BABY, I feel blessed to have been a part of this venture.  CeCe had a beautiful dream, and I am happy that it has become such a huge success!

Wow!  A whirlwind of a few months it has been.  Last September, I was writing about my amazing experience designing for Extreme Makeover Home Edition.  If you missed that post, you may read it here!  Then, I had a baby girl in December, and now I’m able to post photos of the completed EMHE project since it’s aired and we’re past all of that legal secrecy mumbo jumbo. I know that many of you watched the episode, but if you missed it, the following photos will give you a pretty good idea of how me and my team spent our time and talent working on “Trike Town” with an incredible show that changes lives forever.

Day 1 - My blank "canvas" - The carpenter extraordinaire is to my right.

Talking with Paul DiMeo after the set was primed. He was a trip!

No getting to bed early tonight! Thankful for my tireless team.

Me trying to play it cool while Ty Pennington admires our work. "Just keep painting... just keep painting..."

The finished piece, Trike Town, installed and ready for the kiddos!

Over the years, I’ve drawn quite a few celebrities! Most of these were drawn while I was in college and a couple of years after graduating because I found them to be a great way to draw something once and then sell prints multiple times on eBay or to local collectors. They’ve ranged from old movie stars, to musicians, to successful sports figures, and now it’s time to let them go as my husband and I prepare for a new baby and we’re in “clear it all out” mode! (Don’t get me started on the paintings, frames, and canvas prints that are sure to get the axe before too long.)

I’ve decided to price these ridiculously low to sell.  I am no longer attached to any of them, and this means that you can own an original, stunning drawing of your favorite star for just $50.00! I would typically sell such a drawing for $320 or more. Purchase more than one and receive free shipping. Please contact me to see any of the drawings seen or listed below larger.

These will be sold on a first come, first served basis, and you may see my full selection here.  These are 11×14 drawings:

Movies and TV:

Lucille Ball, James Dean, Clint Eastwood, two Gone With The Wind drawings, Shirley Temple, Audrey Hepburn, George Burns, Jack and Rose from Titanic, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Batman, Mister Rogers, Harry Potter, Batman, and Charlene Darlin’ and Gomer Pyle from The Andy Griffith Show

Sports Figures:

Michael Jordan, Mark McGwire, Goldberg, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, and Mia Hamm, TN Titans, and the Rams

Musicians:

The Beatles, Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, Celine Dion, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Shania Twain, Elton John, Ricky Martin, James Taylor, The Backstreet Boys, and Carl Perkins

Political Figures:

JFK Jr. and Princess Diana

Can’t live without one of these? Reserve your favorite today before it’s gone!

Most people think of my paintings in terms of inches, not feet! And rightly so, as I’m a portrait artist who strives for a high level of detail in each of my pieces. I do, however, make an exception now and then.  My 2005 mission trip to the Bronx in 2005 presented me with an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up: to give a dark and desolate neighborhood a splash of life and color!

It started with a wall… a double handball court at a school that got vandalized often.  In the aftermath of 9/11, the school officials thought that a patriotic painting on the wall would not only be a thing of beauty, but would discourage graffiti artists. When our team from a local church in Brentwood, TN showed up to paint the interior walls of the school, they asked if there were any artists who were interested in working on a “big” project.

My "canvas"

I have to say that I was hesitant to volunteer, having never painting anything on this scale before, but I knew it was a great way to leave my artistic mark on the city and bring a little hope and excitement to the kids who went to the school!

I was told I had 2.5 days to design, plan, and execute the project, and I could recruit other team members to help. Five of us put all of our energy into the project, not knowing if we’d be able to pull it off in time.

Planning stages - lots of painter's tape and size calculations going on here.

I got over my mild fear of heights.

I decided to go with a stained glass look, out of sheer necessity if nothing else.  This way, I could design and mask off everything and just put a dab of the right color in each block so that we could work quickly as a team. It worked well, and some neighborhood children even got to help!

Amazingly, the school officials overseeing our work allowed us to include a cross and a scripture about the name of the Lord being a strong tower. This thrilled me, as it wasn’t something that I thought was remotely possible given the PC society that we live in. There was definitely a softer attitude and renewed gratefulness from people in the years following 9/11.

Messages of hope

Finishing touches...

At last, it’s completed! I know this wasn’t possible on my own strength. Five years later, I still look back and am amazed at what was done. The most rewarding part of the experience was seeing children come by as we were working and them saying how excited they were to start school that fall because of this painting. It’s proof that a little artwork and a little love can make a big difference! I hope you’ll think of ways that you can shine into someone’s life this week.

The finished mural at Bronx Junior High School #117, Bronx, NY.

It’s not every day you get a call from an NBC producer, asking you to create a special piece of artwork to use on the Today Show.  When you do, you say “YES.”  Oh, you need an extensive drawing planned, completed, recorded on HD video, and delivered within 28 hours? “I’ll make it happen.”

And make it happen, we did! “We” refers to Ryan Osborn (@Rozzy and @TodayShow onTwitter), the tireless producer who had the vision for this project after he saw my speed drawing of Ellen Degeneres on YouTube, and my amazing husband, who came home from work early and stayed home the following day to make sure it got done. Nate is the video expert of this outfit. I’m just in charge of the things that involve pencils and paint. All in all, we spent the better part of the given 28 hours on this project, and rolled into bed at 5:00 am this morning, just 3 hours before the clip aired.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

So what that I’ve had 10 hours of sleep in the last 50?

Hearing Matt Lauer call me a “great artist” on national television, and watching Meredith Vieira and Al Roker admire the completed piece printed on a huge poster in Rockefeller Plaza was more than worth it.

To see more of my speed drawing videos, visit my YouTube channel.

To see my portraits, fine art, and graphic design work, visit TheArtistOfLife.com.

I am available for custom portrait commissions, logos and branding, and of course, high profile custom projects for major television networks.

The completed drawing, 18×24:

As you can see, the lineup for the concert series is amazing, and includes Sting, The Script, American Idol, Justin Bieber, Christina Aguilera, Rascal Flatts, James Taylor & Carole King, Maxwell, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias, John Mayer, Carrie Underwood, Train, Kesha, Keith Urban, and Katy Perry.

It will be tempting to take Ryan up on his offer to get Nate and I tickets to some of these events!

Good Friday and Easter Day!

As a child, I was perplexed by the name “Good Friday.” Wasn’t it the day that acknowledges Jesus’ death? Jesus, who was sinless and pure, who deserved no death, but who chose it? Now I grasp how good this day really is. It’s a day that represents the death of our separation from God. Our sin separated us from our loving Creator, and Jesus’ death bridged that gap. We couldn’t do it on our own.

The miracle and power of this weekend, however, lies in Jesus’ resurrection, which we celebrate on Sunday! Had Christ remained on the cross, we would still be lost. But he didn’t. Jesus was buried, but rose to life on Sunday, and showed himself to over 500 witnesses before ascending to heaven. Amazing!

I completed a painting last year which embodies the spirit of Easter, entitled “Risen.” An empty cocoon hangs off of one side of the cross, and on the other side, a butterfly ascends toward heaven. It is red and white, symbolizing both the purity of Christ and the blood which has saved us. This Easter weekend, don’t let the miracle of Christ’s resurrection pass you by. “It is Finished” changed everything.

This painting is available as a print here.