Let's go Red Sox! {clap clap} {CLAPCLAPCLAP}

Tonight is the first game of the 2013 World Series featuring some of my close personal friends...

From Left to Right: Stephen Drew, Will Middlebrooks, Jackie Bradley, Mike Napoli & David Ross

They stopped by Beth Israel (aka my real job) after the marathon bombings to say thanks, be awesome & check out my window. Job well done.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!

{clap clap} {CLAPCLAPCLAP!}

Approved by 1/8 of the Red Sox

Five players from the Red Sox came through work today to personally thank some of the staff who were here last Monday with a meet-n-greet and while they were here they stopped to see my new window.

From Left to Right: Stephen Drew, Will Middlebrooks, Jackie Bradley, Mike Napoli & David Ross

It's been a difficult week in Boston and an especially trying week here at work so it was really classy of these gentlemen to come by and spread some love. #redsoxnation

#icantbelieveimissedthemby10minutes!

Photo by Bruce Wahl.

2013 Boston Marathon window painting

In honor of this upcoming Monday being Marathon Monday in Boston I painted a course map of the marathon route on the window in the EU.

At the beginning of the marathon in Hopkinton, MA we have some excited runners posing for a photo next to the now-famous 'Welcome to Hopkinton' sign.

From there it's time to stretch and make your way to the starting line.

At the starting line you may recognize some familiar faces, father-and-son Rick & Dick Hoyt who to date have competed in over 1,000 races together. You can read more about their inspirational story at their website.

The race then takes you through Natick, into the halfway point in Wellsley, MA and then up the dreaded Heartbreak Hill in Newton.

Over the hump and down the hill, the route now goes through Brookline where a Subway car with the name Rosie on it speeds past the other runners. Rosie Ruiz famously "won" the 1980 Boston Marathon only to be stripped of her title moments afterward when it was revealed that she took the T for most of the course and actually only ran the last mile of it. Tsk! Tsk! Rosie!

The course goes through Coolidge Corner and towards a packed crowd at Fenway park which is the marker for the final mile of the race.

And on to the finish line on Boylston Street downtown where the whole of Boston is there to cheer you on!! Congratulations!! You did it!!

And, because one of our own is running the marathon this year, I obviously had to paint her a special message from some adoring fans and her cute dog, Bachi.

We're proud of you Jackie! You're gonna do great!!

Happy Marathon Monday everybody!!

100th Opening Day at Fenway Park!

Fenway Park is the oldest park still in use in Major League Baseball and today we celebrate her 100th opening day! I work about 1/2 mile from Fenway and the energy outside is palpable. Everywhere you look you see people decked out head-to-toe in Sox gear heading for the game. I couldn't go to the game so instead I've compiled a small collection of Fenway Park murals that I've paited through the years to celebrate.

Above is a window painting done in the waiting room of Beth Israel: the Official Hospital of the Boston Red Sox.

A wall-sized Fenway done for Dylan in Marshfield, MA, 2011.

Corner mural for little Zoey's room in Jamaica Plain, MA, 2009

Night game for Andrew in New Hampshire, 2010

Go Sox!!

Before & After: the Painting Process

Makeover shows, be them human or residential, are a major weakness of mine. Mostly because I love a good before-and-after picture. I love seeing a neglected little kitchen in Iowa that hasn't been updated since Reagan was in office be turned into a gormet cookery fit for the White House. It's so satisfying to see the design come to life and the before-and-after shot at the end is what makes it all come together.

The same is true for paintings. Whenever I'm asked to do a custom painting I always start with a sketch to make sure the customer and I are on the same page. Once the drawing is approved, I get 'er painted up and no many how many times I go through the process I still love seeing the before and after shot at the end.

For instance, you can go from hand-colored sketch to nice looking piece of art (if I do say so myself):

From an idea in a notebook to a wall-sized triptych that is now the highlight of Lil' Dillon's room.

From a basic scribble to a full-blown stadium.

From outline to outstanding....ya, I just said that.

Click HERE to see more before-and-afters.

And feel free to email me if you have an idea for a painting...or if you just want to talk about muffins.

Dylan's Fenway Park

This is the Fenway mural I did in Dylan's room in Marshfield this weekend.

The scoreboard is painted with chalkboard paint and was left mostly blank (per Dylan's request) so that he can fill in whatever game he wants or just write a loving note to his little sister to politely remind her to scram. The ads on the jumotron were also personalized and include Spiderman and Darth Vader as a Lego character, two of Dylan's favorite things and a little stick-figure-Dylan with his name under it is up there too.

GO SOX!!

Little Willy Mo!

Customized name plaque for Little Willy Mo!

Born in Boston and moving Kentucky, these little paintings will

always remind him of where he came from and where he's going.

Not to mention that his "Aunt" Jennifer clearly thinks the world of him!

Get yours here.

And Matilda was her name-o!

She's here! She's here!! Baby Girl Rubin has come in to the world and her name is:

No, it's not John Hancock.....it's Matilda Zoey Rubin.

I love it! She was born bright and early as babies tend to be; both Mom and baby are doing well. I was supplied a key to get in and paint her name while the family rests and gets ready for the big homecoming. No-one was happier about that than Beckett, the family dog. (Yes, Beckett, like the pitcher, these are some serious fans!)

Here are some more shots of the Jumbotron & Matilda's custom jersey:

Congratulations guys!! Can't wait to meet the little lady!!

A Ballpark for Baby Girl X

I got my second Fenway request a couple weeks ago. This time though, it's for a little girl's nursery. Awwww. I LOVE it when people can, pardon the expression, think out of the box! Not that I have anything against pastel pinks and fluffy bunnies, I'm actually quite partial to both, but there's something truly unique about painting the Green Monster on a baby girl's wall. Something that makes me want to burn my bra and get my commercial driver's license! Or at least it makes me proud to be a girl...I think I'll keep my bra.

This Fenway, like it's predecessor, is chock full of personalized bits and pieces that make it a true original.

Here are some of the bits:

Charlie Brown in the bleachers;

The family name slapped right on the Monster;

Snoopy, Bob Dylan, a wolf & Kermit on the Jumbotron (which has been left blank until Baby Girl Rubin arrives, until then, her true identity will remain a mystery).

And here are some of the pieces:

Love replaces Gulf on a well known ad;

Some fans show their love for their favorite player...awww;

and this being New England after all how could we not include Dunky's, I mean really.

I had such a wonderful time painting this mural! The Rubin's were as nice as could be and made me feel more like a celebrity than hired help. Such a great couple to work with; they are going to make wonderful parents to Baby Girl Rubin! I just hope she likes baseball.

Here's Robyn & I messing around on day 2. See the rest of the pictures here.

Paul Levy blogged about me!

Oh man! It might be ridiculous that I'm so excited about this but Paul Levy, the head honcho over at Beth Israel, blogged about my Green Monster mural over on his blog!

Check it out!

Thanks Paul!

Green Monstah, kehd!

How's this for incredible? One weekend 8-year-old Andrew's parents took him to Florida from his native New Hampshire to go to Disney World. Amazing, right? But that's not the story I'm telling. The story I'm telling is that while he was away his parents hired me to paint Fenway's famous Green Monster (pronounced "Monstah") on their Red-Sox-loving son's wall.
If you're from around here then I don't have to tell you how important Boston sports teams are to New Englanders- and that is never more true than with the World Champion Boston Red Sox. You can hate the city, you can hate the weather, you can even hate the people but just about everyone draws the line at hating the Red Sox. It's just not done.
That being said, Andrew is in for a suprise of a lifetime! Over the course of a weekend my faithful assistant Liz, seen here "helping":

and I transformed Andrew's boring blue room into a night game at Fenway. Complete with stadium lighting & a few of his favorite things on the megatron: McDonald's, Bubble Yum and Gatorade.
Here's the finished product: