Elaine's Sign

Elaine's Sewing Room, acrylic on board, approx. 11x30", 2010
(Our arts & craft booth snapshot - 2010)

I had the recent pleasure of producing a custom sign for a local artisan in Prattville, AL. During an arts and craft show in October, a gentleman approached me and wanted to know if I could do a customized antiqued sign, similar to the John Deere sign shown in the booth snapshot above. I pulled a couple scraps of wood from our property and put together the Elaine's Sewing Room sign. My client, John, told me I was free to make it as I pleased so long as it had "Elaine's Sewing Room" on it. I love that kind of freedom and confidence from a client. In the end, the wife and I really loved the way it looked. About 10 days later, my wife and I were at a sewing supply store ourselves looking at sewing machines when the employee at the counter said that she recognized my name. John had been there just hours earlier and mentioned to the employees that he had just commissioned a local artist to do a special sign for his wife's sewing room. He even had the sign in his car and showed the staff the actually sign. It made me feel good to know that my client loved his sign enough to keep it in his car for show & tell - 10 days after I gave it to him! Very funny. Happy New Year - Jared

Chaplin, the Funny Man

Silver Screens & Tarnished Hearts, acrylic on board, 24x24", 2010 $1200
(free shipping)

This is the newest addition to my celebrity portraits at the Chop House. I will be delivering it with Conan's portrait - which I think is very appropriate. I loved the idea of incorporating elements of the silent picture screen into this vintage portrait. The script and pin-striping were done in platinum tined metallic paint, chased over with a dirty antique glaze for an added aging effect. I was drawn to this image of Chaplin because if the irony elicited by the photo; a comedian in pain. This led me to the text which is an additional pun and also adds to the "vintage" redundancy throughout the piece as a whole. Also, during the painting process I noticed that I overlooked one small drip that occurred in the corner of his left eye. You can see this serendipitous drip better by clicking on the image to enlarge it slightly. Normally I would paint over such an error but I thought it was too a propo. Make it yours today - click below to purchase. FREE SHIPPING! - Jared

End of Year Pillow Commissions

Customized pillows - acrylic on raw linen, 2010

Here are a few examples of my pillow commissions of recent. My wife will take the painted fronts (shown above) and turn them into pillows. They look awesome! Thought y'all would like to see these before the new year. These pillows look great in any contemporary living room setting. Contact me for prices if you're interested. - Jared

Giving thanks for the Curls

Private Commission for Bill & Cathy Perry, approx. 10x11", 2010

It's been a while since I was asked to do a child's portrait. Actually, it's been less than a year but it seems much longer than than. My wife and I were fortunate enough to meet a nice couple at one of our many arts & crafts events this year who asked me to do this portrait for them. They made life so easy for me; they told me EXACTLY what they wanted, gave me a crystal clear photo in the exact composition that they desired and told me to go from there. Of course the main feature is this tot's wild curls! I have never had to do such fine lines in a graphite portrait before. To get the bulk of the curls completed I used various erasers, some which were custom cut for fine detail work. The last step, after darkening the background, was to use an X-Acto knife to scrape away individual curls floating around the child's head. This was a great technique and I am absolutely pleased with this portrait. I just love the innocent look on the boys face! Thanks to the Perry's for lending me this opportunity!!!! - Jared

Hail the Hair!!

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

I am back! It's been a busy couple of months. I have been in talks with Upper Deck to do a limited edition series of the American Presidents for early 2011, talked with various clients for commission pieces, was laid off from one of the funnest jobs I've ever had, and have been vending at several arts and craft festivals around Alabama. In addition to all of that, I have started up the celeb portraiture for the Chop House restaurant while my schedule briefly permits. I like to hear folks talk about these portraits after they have eaten at the Chop House. Moreover, I like it when I sell them!! The more the merrier, right? I was happy to add Conan to the mix. We were excited to see his arrival back to the tube earlier this month. I thought that I could have done just the hair and still have it a recognizable piece but a little more was added for good measure. Let me know what you think and stay tuned for more updates, more art, and more news very soon! Happy Thanksgiving too. - Jared

Music Speaks

Music Speaks, private commission, acrylic on board, 14x11", 2010

A good acquaintance of mine contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I could put this painting together for her. It was a surprise for a friend of hers and thoughtful indeed. I was supplied the photo images that she had in mind. I always like to make adjustments to photo references when possible so that the final painting is a one-of-a-kind; not found in any existing photos. I suggested adding text somewhere in the painting and my good friend came up with the text which is now part of this painting. I thought is was a great piece - there is a really nice jazz vibe throughout the entire composition. Hope you enjoy - Jared

The 3 Egos

The Lover, The Lethargic & The Lunatic, acrylic on MDF, 24x12" (3 - 8x12"vignettes)$500

(scroll below to purchase)

There are intended to be studies for a particular vintage sign I have planned soon. I have done several dog paintings in the recent past, indeed they are beginning to define my art, and I thought I'd show you these quick sketches. If any of you have pets at home you know how temperamental they can be sometimes. My wife and I have two cats and they speak as clearly to us as any one else we know. Once you pick up on their ticks and traits, it's pretty hard not to understand what it is they are trying to communicate, as seen in the paintings above. If you'd like to have a closer look at each sketch, visit my Art Scuttlebutt page. Enjoy - Jared

Hitchcock Makes it to the Chophouse

Alfred Hitchcock, acrylic on panel, 24x24" SOLD

Here's another American icon for the Chop House wall. The talk about these portraits is growing all the time. Locals in Montgomery have fun tossing their 2 cents around about whomever is featured on any given week. I recently sold my Audrey Hepburn (I was very tempted to keep her to myself). This allowed for a couple more pieces to be placed on the wall. The crow's eye has iridescent paint in it and will glow in the dark; a detail that the restaurant staff was glad that I shared. I hope that you enjoy and if you are ever in Montgomery, stop by The Chop House and tell Patrick that Jared sent you. - Jared

The Shakey Hand Tattoo Parlor

Shakey Hand Tattoo Parlor sign, approx. 20x4" SOLD

This sign is painted on reclaimed pressure-treated wood. It is extremely sturdy and would make a great defensive implement next to any one's bed. Humor is always a nice addition to any piece of art and I had fun thinking of the "worst branding for a tattoo parlor". Of course there are many other names I may paint in the future, but this one made me laugh right when I thought of it. Everything is hand painted and distressed. As seen in the photo, screw-eyes are inserted in the top to allow for hanging. This item will be shipped with fine grade hemp rope, ready to hang. Stay tuned for more parlor names. Enjoy - Jared

War Eagle!!!!!!!

War Eagle sign, approx. 20x4", SOLD
(scroll below to purchase)

Here's a sign just in time for the greatest season of the year - Auburn football. I honestly think that I love Auburn football more than the Christmas season, though Santa pulls a very close second. At least my power bill doesn't spike by $200 during the football season. This sign was painted on reclaimed pressure treated wood. The weathering seen on the surface was largely done by hand, though I did leave the finished product outside for a while. I drilled two holes in the top corners for your choice of hanging material. I've used fine hemp rope in the past and it goes very well with the aged nature of the artwork. This would look absolutely awesome above a front door walkway or porch. Enjoy - Jared