In the Black

"Mocking of the Tiki" SOLD watercolor 16x22
Inspired by a trip to Long Doggers- a surfer dive in Florida- which had hand carved tiki poles on their deck- a quick rough sketch made its way into my backpack to be retrieved almost a year later and made into a watercolor.

This piece was in my shop window when I first opened two years ago- and being a "good shop keeper" I traded out the display in the window frequently to keep it fresh. Well, a gentleman working with FEMA, out of California was in town doing adjustments in the area, and passed by my shop several times. One day he called me in the morning about 10:30 and I was at the lumberyard getting supplies. He goes on to tell me there was a real colorful piece in the window last week but it isn't there now, and wanted to know if I still had it and if it were available for sale. I wasn't sure which piece he was referring to, but I told him I would meet him in 5 min.

When I opened the studio he was relieved to see it right away, and his eyes lit up. I told him," Unfortunately that piece belongs to my husband, ( but thinking quickly I said) , BUT....I can make paint one like it." Relieved, he smiled and went on to tell me that he and his wife travel and collect masks and this would be a great addition to their contemporary style home. Typically, I don't copy my own work, but in this case I thought it would be a great challenge to recreate the watercolor effects. So I took a deposit and went to work in the next couple days and just for fun made a few other sketches because I thought it would make a great series. When he came back to pick up the finished piece, I showed him the sketches and he was so excited- and asked if I could do a second piece and choose a sketch. I was thrilled- and of course said yes and set to work, again he came in to pick up the second piece and decided to commission a third to complete the series. Needless to say this was a very good month for me and set me up for a while keeping the business in the black. This is one of my favorite stories because it was such a fluke- a guy from California on business finding my studio and something that means so much. After a trip to my favorite framer- CLEOS, they were ready for their flight home when he was due to return.

Prints are available- of all three pieces , and found a home in Australia- through a friendship built over facebook. The inspiration piece still hangs in our dining room, where my husband says," I just love that piece, it just makes me happy." Each character has an essence of its own, and kinda makes you wonder what they are thinking.