This series of paintings were birthed after I was struggling to complete a portrait of my father for Father's Day.  He's been gone for a few years now but it seems like it was yesterday when he passed.  Since I was having a hard time completing I shifted my focus instead onto the things I new my father loved and music was one of those things...more specifically soul/gospel music. 

   I decided to make a series of these...Most of them are what I like to call a Digital Traditional Smash Up.  I begin the work traditionally, loosely sketching it out trying to create a "feel" that fits.  From there I add paint, ink chalk or whatever I can get my hands on at the time...my goal at this point is merely to create textures and a layered look.  From there I scan or photograph it and continue the process digitally utilizing a combination of software choices which includes Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter and a lesser known software called ArtRage Studio Pro by Ambient (which rivals Corel Painter at less than a 3rd of the cost)