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Java Queen

10/11/2013

Since January, I've been moonlighting as a barista at a coffee shop in my hometown. It's safe to say I've become a coffee addict, and now I've left my mark on the shop, too.

The shop's owners, Jeff and Cheryll, are from Ohio. They moved to town so Cheryll could make her dream of running a coffee shop come true. She does so in view of the Mississippi River, and all the bald eagles, tourists, and riverboats it attracts.

When they requested a riverboat mural, I couldn't say no.

Jeff and Cheryll with their new mural.

The finished product, Java Queen.

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A new direction

10/11/2013

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My pace has slowed, and things seems to be taking a new direction. This summer I received a request for a painting on an unusual canvas - a longhorn skull. It took a few months, and a few different strategies, but both the patron and I were pleased with the results. I'm currently working on a bison skull for the same patron.

Unconventional canvases call for unconventional easels. I painted this in our workout room, surrounded by gloves, mats, and muscular hunks.

Henri lent her services for showing the actual length of this magnificent animal's head.

It took two trips to Colorado this summer for this project to finally reach completion. The patron requested the 'Trail's End' image be included, but the rest was up to me. The background was inspired by Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. Pictured are the North and South Gate, with Pikes Peak under a full moon.

Once I got started, I really enjoyed following the curves and lines in the bone with the drawing. The three howling wolves are something I wish I had been able to do in my travels - a visit to the wolf sanctuary near Colorado Springs.

Magpies are a personal mascot. I always take a magpie as a sign of good things to come, and I saw many in Vail this summer. So, one appeared in the painting!

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Java Queen

A new direction

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