Worth Two in the Bush

Worth 2 in the Bush, acrylic on board, 20x24", 2010 SOLD

I find it absolutely amazing how dog breeds innately understand the purpose for which they were born. Take this Vizsla, for example - a bird dog that never needs training. From the first blast of the shotgun's muzzle, this dog runs like a summer's breeze while keeping an eagle eye on the prey falling from the sky. And it doesn't matter what obstacles come before him; the Vizsla will simply conquer them. Water, fallen timbers, rough terrain.... not a problem. In the end this dog will bring it's owner the reward of his labor, and all while seemingly wearing a smile. Pretty amazing. In fact, is there anything that humans know how to do from birth that equals this amazing attribute??? Enjoy - Jared

Revolutionary??? or Runt

No Che-huahua, acrylic on Birch, approx. 11x22", 2010 $400

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I don't mind letting anyone know that I am strongly pro-American!!! That's right - I believe this is the greatest country to ever exist! And no arguments to the contrary can defy that statement. After all, why has America always attracted millions from around the globe who seek to fulfill their dreams? Furthermore, how many people around the world have received the blessings of freedom thanks to the USA?!! Hundreds of millions. That's why I get frustrated when I see these little x-generation teens and stoned college hippy American terrorists walking around with their Che Guevara T-shirts, oblivious to the true history of one of the largest branding trends in pop culture. I found it imperative to nip this offensive putrescence in the bud before another dog succumbs to the idea that he is tougher than reality. Bad dog - Good America!!!! - Jared

Rescued

Rescued, acrylic & pastel on Birch, approx. 11x22", 2010 $400

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From the beginning I knew that I wanted to portray this Giant in the mountains. Of course we are all familiar with the St. Bernard depicted with the barrel strapped to the collar, but did you know that the barrel is almost undeniably folklore? In fact, giving stranded Swiss mountain travelers alcohol, the barrel's legendary contents, would actually make things worse. I've never tried mountain climbing after polishing off a liter of vodka but I'm betting it's not safe. Matt Soniak writes a great essay on the origins of the barrel in this article. Enjoy - Jared

Bad Reception? Forget the Rabbit Ears

Dog Ears, acrylic on board, 9x12", 2010, $200

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I think this is my first Basset Hound in the mix. Sometimes these dogs scare me: I never quite know if they are OK or if they are having a mild stroke when their eyes roll back in their skulls. I imagine that if there were a Biggest Loser series for dogs, Basset Hounds would be what the winning contestants all look like at the finale. Droopy is the word! Then again there is a slight irresistible nature to their laid back demeanor. They are probably the best dog for the kid who has one too many aunts whose visits throughout the year translate to soar facial cheeks. With this dog nearby, one swift move can get the kid out of "Love's" way and give Aunt Pinch-a-Lots hours of cheek squeezing fun. If there are dog lovers reading this post, please feel free to send in your dogs pics for placement here on the blog. Who knows, maybe you'll see a sketch of your best friend right here on the site. Enjoy - Jared

High Maintenance Girl

Chichi, acrylic on board, 24x24", 2010, SOLD

Here's a nauseatingly cute little ankle-biter. I had fun adding the jeweled pendant. It is a combination of a couple types of metallic paints with extremely brilliant sparkle, which is cool when you're not expecting it as the viewer. I use to work for an awesome muralist who created high-end textured wall finishes similar to finishes often found in the decadent homes in Veranda. I had an old Italian stucco finish in mind when I did the background of this piece and wanted to have the text appear etched into the wall. The subdued, neutral colors of the negative space allow the playfully bright colors of the Yorkie to stand out. Enjoy - Jared

A Flying "Target"

Aerodynamic, acrylic on board, approx. 22x11", 2010 $450

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Around 2007, Barnes and Nobles, the greatest time-sponge around, closed its doors in an area of Montgomery, AL that has been dwindling due to high crime rates and low income housing nearby. Unfortunately, B&N didn't open up a new location anywhere close to Montgomery. Since my father was a manager there at the time of closing he filled me in on several great clearance cuts in the days preceding the closing. I got my hands on several royalty-free image books which were all in the $20 range, marked down to $1. The eagle motif in the background of this painting was an image that caught my eye in one of those clip art clearance scores.

The Bull Terrier always reminds me of a warm-blooded bullet with four legs. It's like this breed was made for the open road in the back of a pick-up. I thought the coupling of the soaring eagle and the Bull Terrier would be awesome. Afterwards, I kinda got the feel of a K-9 Hell's Angels jacket upon viewing the finished piece. No matter....I hope that you enjoy- Jared

Did Somebody say "Collagen Injections"?

Angelina, acrylic on board, 24x24", 2010, $1200

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Some of you may remember some of my past posts which included images of pop culture portraits that I initially contrived for a undergraduate senior thesis project titled The Entitled - The Un-Entitled. After collage a local fine dining establishment needed artworks for their soon-to-be grand opening. The pop culture portraits managed to find their way onto the restaurant walls. Since then, roughly a year and a half ago, the community has been chatting it up about the artworks in the Chop House in Montgomery. It is a strong source of entertainment and the owner, Patrick Skelton, continues to beg for more. While I am busy with two jobs and a slew of portrait commissions already, I manage to squeeze out a new cultural icon here and there.

For Angelina's portrait I wanted to step up the composition by included several intricate designs in the background, which were all slightly distressed to add and extra element of diversity to the renderings. Angie is known to be an ink aficionado and has several tattoos on her body. These are usually in foreign languages. I included some Arabic in a pearlesque pigment to the immediate left of her visage. The calligraphy lays atop gilded representations of lace. Her famously puffy lips were saved for last for obvious reasons - they were time consuming to complete. For a measure of "overkill", I placed a gloss varnish on the lips only so that they are "wetter" in appearance from the right angles. Hope you find it interesting and if there are any Arabic speakers out there, I ask you to please translate the text on the left side. Thanks - Jared

British Bully

British Bully, acrylic on board, 17x23", 2010 $500

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I am still having fun painting the mutts. As I mentioned in earlier posts, I have always liked vintage signage and early Americana arts and crafts. I found new inspiration through artists like Rodney White who turn commercial art into fine art. I truly enjoyed painting this bulldog. I am experimenting with various tools for distressing the painted layers and haven't "mastered" any techniques as of yet. I am also mixing artist quality acrylics with latex house paints. The latex paints are superior in their opaque viscosity and once they dry, are great for sanding and scratching with wet Brillo pads. I wish the letters weren't so close to the edge of the board however as this might cause difficulties upon framing. Nonetheless, I think it's a winner. - Jared

New Blog!!!

I wanted to let you all know that I have started a new blog in collaboration with my very creative better half, my wife. As I have mentioned before, both my wife and I have been hitting the arts and crafts circuit, especially this time of year. My wife is definitely the motivating force behind this. She's up before the sun loading the car with tents, chairs, tables and crafts and hitting the road. Her hand crafted purse organizers are the big sellers, but I get to sell a few of my prints here and there. One new venture is the letter photography. We have been able to sell tons of photos and many folks ask about a website to find more images for future gift ideas like weddings, new births, birthdays, etc.

This new blog has all the letter options currently available. We don't stock enough frames as of yet to be selling them through the blog but there are endless quantities of photos. All images can be purchased instantly using PayPal, which allows you to buy letters using all major credit cards or your own PayPal account. Check it out and find your favorite word to purchase. Enjoy - Jared