Best of all worlds

 So, Sammy Hagar has embarked on a new tour to celebrate and honor the music of Van Halen, as well as his career, and the careers of his band members, which right now consists of Michael Anthony of Van Halen, Jason Bonham, and Joe Satriani of Chickenfoot with Sammy and Michael Anthony. This friday, August 2nd, the "Best of All Worlds" tour is going to be hitting Pine Knob music theater in Clarkston michigan, where I and my brother will be going and taking artwork to hopefully give to Sammy and the band. I have not done this and a long time, because I didn't want to put my brother through that again. Since 1997, I've been taking artwork to concerts to try to give to musicians that I admire, and feel as though my brother and my wife have had to suffer through me trying to finagle a way to get backstage over get to the front of the crowd or get to security to try to get the artwork to the bands. So for the last almost 10 years I've given up on bringing artwork to musicians, and that includes Sammy Hagar. But my brother just kind of hinted the other week that the reason he gets tickets so close is so I could try to get artwork to the band on stage, which means that he's always intended for me to do that without actually saying anything! So this concert I'm going to try it again, which works because Van Halen is one of the biggest reasons I got in to music and Middle School, particularly the Sammy Hagar era because that's when I got into music was around the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album, which is my favorite album of all time, and not just favorite Van Halen album. We were lucky enough to see Van Halen in 1993 and twice in 1995, that's the last time we saw Van Halen. The 2004 tour was too expensive for us to go to, but we've seen all but maybe three Sammy solo tours if you include the Chickenfoot shows. Here are some of the pictures that I created for the band members. Wish me luck on giving these to them face to face!

Full Circle

 I've been working on a LOT of Van Halen artwork since the passing of Eddie Van Halen in 2020, but I've focused on the Sammy Hagar years, because that's my guy.

I've also done multiple drawings and paintings of Sammy Hagar. This is the current oil painting I'm working on, of Sammy's latest band, Sammy Hagar and the Circle featuring Vic Johnson (of the Waboritas and the Busboys), Jason Bonham (from BONHAM, Foreigner and countless other bands), and Michael Anthony (Van Halen and Chickenfoot).

I still have to add Michael Anthony to the painting, but this is what I have so far 

So, the holiday season is upon us, and with it comes an onslaught of projects-for-hire, so I am keeping busy! When I'm not working on commission art, however, I'm working on my own projects. Below is an example.

I'm also participating in the West Branch Art & Wine Walk December 1st at the Ogemaw County Historical Museum, along with my wife Melissa and her ceramics. December 6th I'll be doing caricatures at the Tolfree Foundation dinner at the Willow Tree Restaurant (I AM available for hire at parties! :D )

Sammy Hagar Jump! The Series

Here's the series so far (including a photo rendering of Sammy that's NOT him in mid-air)...

The Sammy show Saga continues...

I am still trying to set up an exhibit focusing on my Sammy Hagar series (part of my "Heroes/Inspiration" series)in Detroit that coincides with the Chickenfoot concert (the band that Sammy is currently part of), to share my view with other Hagar fans (REDHEADS!!!). I'm not doing it to make money because my Sammy series is "Not 4 Sale" (title of one of his albums and songs). It's more for the exposure but mostly just to give the Redheads a place to go prior to the concert where they can walk around, hang out and not be in a drinking environment. I know that alot of concert-goers like to get blitzed before the show even starts, and to each their own, but this would be a safer environment. I also think that it would be great to get a different group of people into whatever venue might show my exhibit, and give them more foot traffic.
I'm currently working on more paintings for the series in between commission work. Once I get more work done, I'll post it here and HERE only!

Reach for the sky

I have a new goal. It involves others believing in what I'm trying to accomplish. Bear with me.
Chickenfoot, the band Sammy Hagar writes and sings in, is performing at The Fillmore in Detroit. I had it in my head that the next venue he performed at, I would try to organize an art exhibit of my Sammy Hagar series in a venue as close to whereever Sammy was playing at as possible. The exhibit would be for Sammy's fans who are in the area for the show to view, and to show my appreciation and admiration of Sammy. I have the date of the show and the place of the concert. I now need to get the gallery or other venue to exhibit my work. I have one gallery that's just down the street from the Fillmore.
What I would like is for you, the reader, to contact the surrounding galleries and mention my name, or give them my site, but just get a bug in the galleries' ears. The Detroit Artist Market is the closest, and I'm going to try to contact them very soon. The concert's May 14th!!! We must move FAST!!! Maybe a word to some local rock stations would help, too....