How fantastic it is when art beautifies spaces and supports such meaningful causes.

My daughter, Evelyn Laurence, and I had a wonderful time at the Community Service, Inc. 13th Annual Steve Willbanks Tribute. CSI’s mission to lead in providing quality services to youth and families—empowering them to succeed in their homes, schools, careers, and communities—is truly inspiring.

The event featured a silent auction, and it was an honor to have “Mater” included. How fantastic it is when art beautifies spaces and supports such meaningful causes!

Thank you to Ray Moll for inviting us to be your guests. And congratulations to Shawn Halbrook on your well-deserved community service award!

How did the Rusty Vehicle series get started?

A few years ago, we purchased some additional property that connected to ours. As we hiked the property, we stumbled across two rusty vehicles. A 1951 Mercury Coupe that had been altered with a Chevrolet truck bed and a 1970 Rambler. The Mercury was nestled in the woods with the sunlight filtering through the trees, across the ground, and up the side of the car. I was fascinated by the light, chrome, and rusty colors. Not to mention, I love old cars. I thought to myself, I need to try and paint that. Where do I begin, I’ve never painted a vehicle before. I had to remind myself of the basics of drawing, don’t think of it as a car, but rather shapes, values, and color.

I absolutely fell in love with creating the textures and rich multi-colors of rust and chrome. Now don’t get me wrong, I certainly faced some challenges, like I painted the glass three times before I got it right. I had so much fun, that I’ve been working on a series of rusty vehicles ever since.

A few of the pieces are still available for purchase through my on-line gallery.