I wasn't mad about it, just caught off guard. I don't usually do paintings for recognition purposes but because I enjoy them...I don't normally sell my artwork either...if I have a friend of family request something I'll charge them for the canvas and paint, but not for my time...If it is a painting that I just felt like doing and think that someone I know will enjoy...then I just give it away...
The piece I did for Jane was the first piece I ever sold. I didn't charge her anything ridiculous (though when I got started on it good really kicked myself in the head for agreeing to do it in the first place, but it all worked out...) Perhaps I should start from the beginning:
Back at the end of September Jane, who works at our Jacksonville, FL corporate office came up to the plant here near Virginia Beach for some product testing and plant visits with potential customers. I had just finished giving our break room a much needed makeover. Our raw materials are dirty/dusty so everything inside gets dusty and built up overtime...combine it with about 10-12 guys who get filthy either from machinery or just the product in general, it's safe to say the break room need an update. It looked dirty, no matter how clean we managed to get it. This bothered me in general, but especially at the thought of potential customers seeing it and thinking that we're gross--when really our plan is the cleanest one I've ever seen considering the materials we use.
I did an accent wall in red, the other 3 walls a silver gray and on the wall that you see first when you enter the break room, I painted the company logo. They didn't have a banner large enough in the marketing department at corporate so I took a normal size bumper sticker and blew it up to be about 2'x8'...
The CEO liked it when he came up on the same trip and Jane was really impressed. She showed me a picture of a painting that is at one of her and her fiance's favorite Mexican Restaurant down in Florida... The owner of the restaurant had told them he bought it in Mexico City--three trips to Mexico City and they still couldn't find the artist and the restaurant owner wouldn't sell it to them...
So she asked me if I thought if I'd be able to paint it. I don't typically copy other people's work, but figured hey what the hell...she really wanted to surprise her fiance for Christmas. She thought it would be perfect since he's the most difficult person to shop for that she knows...
Well I gave it a go and I pulled it off. I normally do paintings that are more abstract or "flowy" if that makes since... I like to take an object and do a version that isn't realistic at all...I'm sure there is a name for it but damn if I can think of it right now...
So the original:
And Mine:
I can safely say I impressed myself... I didn't know I could do something like that!!! I also impressed her... I was a couple days behind schedule but was able to get it shipped to her and delivered by the 23rd of December and a friend of hers who does custom framing... had it framed and wrapped for her by Christmas Eve so that it could be opened/unveiled on Christmas Day...
A success. Her fiance said there was only one problem... he isn't sure how she is going to top this gift next Christmas, lol. Some of the people who work for the company all over the country responded with how great it was...and even the CEO said, "Are you sh''''in' me? WUNDERBAR." Needless to say our CEO is pretty awesome if he'd say shittin' me in an email...lmao.
