Going on an adventure with daddy.

On top of Wheeler Ridge with Highland and Silver Peaks over my left shoulder.

Many of my designs begin as what our family calls going on an “adventure with daddy”.  Over the years since our son Anderson (he is now 3) and daughter Greta (she is now 16 months) were born, I have taken them on many little adventures.  Whether it's a bike ride in a trailer through Calaveras Big Trees State Park, a hike to the top of Wheeler Ridge on Ebbetts Pass, or a camping trip out on Union Reservoir, I have come to treasure these "adventures with daddy".  

The little adventures have also served to be a spring board of sorts for inspiration and creativity.  These excursions naturally lead to ideas for many of my paintings including the one at the top of this post called Highland Silver Peak which I painted shortly after the hike seen in the video below.  

I love spending time with my children in the outdoors and where we live provides us with an endless supply of destinations for our "adventures with daddy".

How it all began... (the art business that is)

The date was March 17, 2011.  It was a cold and clear day in Murphys, California at Murphys Irish Day, at an annual street fair and parade to honor our town’s Irish history.  My wife and I had been back from our round the world backpacking trip for three months and without full time employment I found myself with time on my hands to draw again, something, beyond our recent trip, I had done little of since college.  After creating a set of souvenir travel prints of three famous peaks in Patagonia, I designed a series in a similar style of the near by breathtaking Yosemite National Park, also featuring three famous peaks.  Friends and family began insisting I try selling my art and although I thought nothing would come of it, we had little else going on and on a bit of a whim we decided we’d try to participate in Murphys Irish Day Street Fair.  

That day I displayed a total of 8 designs, stacked in layers precariously situated on one folding table.  I had done the Yosemite series, The Celebration Series which was inspired by our experience in Munich at Oktoberfest, and a print of an iconic barn in Murphys.  I was nervous but hopeful for my first day ever attempting to sell something I had created with my own hands. Unfortunately the weather had different plans for the day and although it had started clear, by late morning it wasn’t just storming but actually snowing in downtowns Murphys at 2500 feet elevation.  Huge sliver dollar sized snowflakes fell all around as we began dragging everything into the center of the booth. It didn't take long for vendors to start packing up and we followed suit.  Despite the weather that day, I sold 15 prints, not too bad for my first event.  I went home in a bit of shock both at the snow we received in Murphys that day and that I had actually sold my first set of prints, something I had no intention or plan of doing only months earlier.  Three and half years and two kids later, I have done over 45 travel prints and dozens of shows.  Looking back at our first event that snowy day on Main Street, I would not have believed it if you told me this would be your full time job in a few years.  It’s been an unexpected journey and one that has just begun.  ...And it hasn't snowed on Irish Day since then.