Rick Steves....

Last night.... i sold a painting to Rick Steves.

Not that Rick is a huge celebrity like Brad Pitt... or is he?
If you've traveled, you've most likely seen his book and maybe even have used it.
so in some regards, he is an international star... along the lines of Jared from subway (except way cooler).

I was painting at this even called the U2charist, a worship service to end global poverty, and Rick was there sharing his words about the world, traveling, and how he thought we as americans could be involved in global justice issues. For a travel guide, he had some serious opinions, and his talk wasn't easy for the casual listener. and even though i enjoyed all those opinions and words, i still found myself wanting him to give descriptions on early european architecture or the best place to get gelato in Rome. I have to admit that if i'm watching TV at 7pm on a weekday, i watch his travel show. it beats entertainment tonight for sure.

anywho, after all the hub bub and clean up, holly and i ran into him and his wife anne on the way out. we got to talking, shook hands.... he really liked what i did and thought that i had a gift to give the world (nice... hence journaling that moment in my blog). he inquired what was going to happen to the painting and i told him i was hoping someone would buy it so i could support my artist lifestyle. he asked home much i was hoping to get. i said i would be happy with a hundred bones.... and right there, he pulled out his wallet, took out a benjamin, and bought the painting. trinity lutheran turns out to be his church and he said he wanted to give it to the church as a memorial of this event.

i thanked him. he said he hoped we met again. we parted ways.

this meeting, in the scheme of things, was fairly insignificant. but it's hilarious to me. it's funny to me the people that i've gotten to meet by being a live painter. no one who makes magazine covers, but people who i think are interesting and affecting the world... in some kind of way. it's such weird and glorious job, and i just want to remember these fun moments and remind myself that i love what i'm doing.... and i want to keep doing it, even when it sucks at times.

but rick steves... he's my dogg.

Alpharetta Art Show

it's sunday night. my last night in georgia. i'm sitting in my friend mann's house typing out this blog entry as the final cap to a busy today.

i only arrived three days ago... and in those three days i've done an 3 assemblies at a school, a concert in atlanta, painted at an art show where i was the main artist showcasing work, signed posters, went to meet a greets, varnished a painting in someone's living room, went to the hospital to visit my friends new born (which when they picked me up from the airport callie was still pregnant), made t-shirts for africa, stayed in three different homes, stayed out til 3am on friday with an old friend from bible school who lives here now, and ate at chick fil-a two times.

it's been a very ecclectic weekend.

it's been cool to be here. very wierd though. weird in the sense as you see your life through your own eyes... and you get really used to it. the art work i do, the things i live through, it all becomes just the norm. i'm not ungrateful for it... it's just my life, you know? so i come out here for this art show, which was a fund raiser for Heart for Africa, and because i'm the main artist at this show, they have hyped me up a bunch and people no about me. at this school i went to, kids new my artwork and were asking me about my paintings. all very cool... but in my head i'm just like "ah... i'm very ordinary and not that big of a deal." and i'm not. i don't think i am. and i get there response. i get used to my work and my painting live. it's nothing new to me. but seen through new eyes, i forget it's impactful... that it brings people joy and i some ways it's inspirational to them. so when they express gratitude, i know what they mean, and i'm thankful for their words. it's just bizarre being in my skin because i think a lot of my life is lived in quiet monotonous places.

i was thinking about all the artwork at that show. it was all made in my studio... which is cool, but it's just me there. i'm painting away, listening to music or books or talks online... just doing my thing. but then take all that work and put it all together in a show and invite a lot of people to it... it then becomes an impactful experience. and people want to shake your hand and tell you their appreciation for it..... it's a great experience, but all very wierd. i don't know if i'm explaining this quite right. thanks for bearing with me.

it's just that i think making great work or doing anything of importence usually starts in boring unexciting environments. with creating, it's usually the quiet trying times that the work is produced in. no one is there but you. it's a very simple place.

but when it comes to an audience, it becomes this thing that moves people and starts something.....
it's a very interesting experience.

well, i hope that made sense in some way to you the reader.

thanks to all who helped with the show, who took care of me by giving me food and a place to sleep, and all those who encouraged me with the words and hugs. i had a great time in alpharetta.
can't wait for my next show there....

Give Me Jesus

i'm stuck here at Sea-Tac airport cause i forgot to bring my paper tickets to the airport as i'm going to Atlanta today. i haven't used paper tickets in years.... and i dumbly blanked last night as i was packing everything. so here i am, waiting for holly to bring me them later on. not only is it a 5 hour flight there... but now i get to wait 5 more hours in the airport as well.

sorry to be a downer.... i'm kind of gruppy.

anywho, yesterday i made a video. it's just a photo montage to a song by fernando ortega called "give me jesus". it's a fairly simple song, but i love it. i've been collecting pictures for it for the last month and i finally just put it all together.



i've written and erased some thoughts on this video about 5 times now. so i'll just leave it as is....