Painting Out Loud

In my last post, I mentioned “painting out loud.” It’s a term I coined to describe live performances in which I complete a multi-layered large-scale work of art on a museum-quality canvas before a live audience in as little as 15 minutes.

The first such performance I ever did was for a church. I painted a powerful portrait of Jesus for a local congregation while church music played over the loudspeakers for even greater inspiration.

A professional music production, marketing and branding guru by the name of Mark Haffner provided me with some ideas about how to make my performances even more impactful. The result is my present “Painting Out Loud” multi-media show, which features splattered paint, glitter, lights, music and over-the-top special effects.

The Remember 9/11 Tenth Year painting of a soaring American eagle that now hangs in the library at Florida Gulf Coast University was created at just such a “Painting Out Loud” event. I rendered that one before a Standing Room Only crowd at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theater to observe (not celebrate) the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

It was a time to honor heroes, so I pulled out all the stops. I arranged for Fox4 Morning Blend’s Carly Wegner to emcee the event, invited a choir to sing while I painted, and had firefighters and an honor guard on stage as well. It was an emotionally-charged event that neither I nor those who attended it will ever forget.

And that, after all, is the goal of one of my “Painting Out Loud” performances - which is precisely why you should catch one if you ever have the chance.

I typically schedule “Painting Out Loud” performances in connection with fundraisers and other charitable events, conventions and corporate meetings, and have done several for Bealls Department Stores in order to promote my line of casual attire, sportswear, luggage and home goods. Check back here or follow me on Facebook. I’ll post notices of future “Painting Out Loud” performances in both places.