Magic Bear Art featured in Williamsburg's Next Door Neighbor September Arts issue!

This past September, I was truly honored to be included in Williamsburg's Next Door Neighborhood magazine as part of their annual Arts issue.  The interview discusses my beginnings in art, my sources of inspiration, and my work both at Magic Bear Art and as the Manager of the Williamsburg Contemporary Art Center.

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You can read the article and learn more about the people of Williamsburg by clicking the button below.

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How a Vase of Flowers Became a Love Boat

Back in 2015, when I was just starting out on my artist journey, I painted the following picture for a fundraiser.

I called the painting "Fantasy Flowers."  I loved it so much, that I actually didn't want to donate it.  But I had promised, so the painting was donated and it sold to help raise funds for a child development center on the Peninsula.

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Fast forward to 2022.  I have a poster of this painting hanging in my office, and a friend and fellow artist sees it and encourages me to paint another one.  

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That following weekend, I was exhibiting at the Port Warwick Art & Sculpture Festival in Newport News.  Whenever I do a show, I like to set up an easel and create some original paintings.  It allows me to demonstrate what I do, and to date, every time I create a painting at a show it sells.  Every time.  But this time I set up two easels: another copy of the Fantasy Flowers, and a replica of another painting, which I am still working on and will showcase here when it is complete. 

So I had started work on my "Fantasy Flowers II" painting, and was taking inspiration from the Fall colors around me.  I had just started working on the vase, when a man and a woman walk up to me, and the lady says, "wow, that's a beautiful boat!"  I smile and look at her and say, "well, actually it's a vase." She started laughing, and it seemed she felt a bit embarrassed so I said to her, "it's okay.  I can see where you might think it's a boat.  And you know, if you buy it, you can call it whatever you want!" She laughed some more and said she would come back around later to see what progress had been made.

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The day went on.  I was working on the other painting as well as the "Fantasy Flowers II" when the man and woman came back around. At this point, the greenery and the flowers had been painted on and she goes, "that is the most colorful sail I have ever seen on a boat!" And I respond with "well it's made from a pile of prom and bridesmaid's gowns, it better be colorful!"  With that we struck up an instant rapport. She told me her name was Geri, and his name was Derry.  And it turns out that Derry was the Board Chair of the Port Warwick Foundation, the organization putting on the Art and Sculpture Festival!  She also told me that she absolutely loved the painting, and that to her, it would always be a boat.  I told her that if they bought the painting, I would call it "Derry & Geri's Floral Love Boat."  

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Suffice to say, they bought the painting before I even had a chance to finish it.  I promised them that I would finish it up and get it to them as soon as it was finished.

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So here I present, my "Fantasy Flowers II painting......

And here are Geri and Derry with the newly christened "Derry & Geri's Floral Love Boat!