Recap: "Rock N Roll Is In The Blood" Exhibit - August 2019

This past weekend, I had my official artist reception for my current exhibit, "Rock N Roll Is In the Blood," at the Arlington Museum of Art in Arlington, TX. It was a great turnout with lots of friends, family and new-comers, and I did something I rarely ever do in front of a captive audience: I painted and talked about my process and inspiration. It might not sound like a big deal, but I never really paint or talk about my work in front of people.

Around 7pm, the crowd gathered around to watch me finish out my "New Pretty Peggy Pepper" (aka 'Marilyn Monroe') piece, which I did using oil stick of various bold colors. I think they helped the overall composition of the piece, so it was a nice final touch. The talk and demo was a very shoot-from-the-hip event, and I encouraged the audience to ask questions while I painted with giant oil crayons, which, in turn, helped prompt me to elaborate on my process and inspirations.

Below are some images of the rest of the exhibit, on display thru September 15, 2019.

(The car painting, "Always Crashing In The Same Car," seemed to draw the most attention during the evening.)

The star of the show, however, was my "Vend-A-Print" machine, which dispenses original, hand-printed mini masterpieces for only $1. Since every piece is unique and random, folks kept pumping quarters into the machine all night. Everyone seemed excited to see what they'd vend, especially at such a great price point!

The main idea for my Vend-A-Print machine is to make my work available to everyone at a great and affordable price. Not everyone can afford my higher-end artwork, and this is a fun and interactive, albeit, gimmicky way, to share and introduce my art to people. Next time, I need to think about just having the machine as the art show!

Since the show's theme was rock n' roll and music, it was appropriate to have some rock star pieces placed throughout the machine, like The Beatles, Johnny Cash, David Bowie, Tom Waits and Roy Orbison, to name a few. I have more of these babies planned for another event down the road, and you can guarantee that the machine's inventory will be updated and refreshed with every new events. Heck, you may end up seeing a machine or two placed at strategic locations in Dallas in the near future, if this trend continues.

This show is essentially the last hurrah for me for the summer, and things will slow down a bit in the studio for the rest of the year. There is still the alumni homecoming art exhibit to look forward to at McMurry University this October, but after that, not much happening in the events department. Should that change, you'll hear it here, first.

And in case you are wondering, yes...all of the work from the exhibit is available. Just email for details. Sorry, the Vend-A-Print machine is not for sale. :)

Thanks to all who ventured out for the show and the reception. I'm always extremely appreciative of everyone who supports me with their time, presence and hard-earned quarters, even if I can't give everyone an equal amount if my time at these things.

Enjoy the rest of your super-hot summer and we'll see you again here in September!