I spent about fifteen years of my early artistic career painting more than 125 giant historical murals across Canada and the USA. I used my pen-and-ink style to create visual stories on concrete and brick walls. This mural was painted in Sterling, Illinois - one of four in that city. The locals enjoyed watching the process, and in this case, many elementary school groups dropped by. I always took the time to chat and answer questions - especially with the kids. For this mural, I would ask the kids to tell me their first name, and I would hide it in my painting on the wall. The names are mostly in the shadows. There are more than 150 names in the dark area under the porch. A local sports store owner visited often, and as a nod to him, there is a giant NIKE swoosh just over the DRY GOODS window lettering. Many other things are also hidden through the mural as well, and I believe the mural is still there more than three decades later.
Rush
One of the things I am ‘famous’ for is the rapid pace I prefer to walk at. I’ve never considered myself an athlete and don’t do power walks. I seldom break into a run, but I do walk fast to get where I want to be, simply to get there in the shortest time possible. Each day, I set a lofty to-do list that I know I can’t possibly achieve. But that doesn’t stop me from trying my very best. While I understand that most tasks I work at will take as long as they take to accomplish, getting from one place to the other is something that can be easily rushed. It has become a habit through the years, and when I walk alongside someone, I have to force myself to slow down to a pace that they are comfortable with. Yesterday, I bumped into someone I hadn’t seen in about a decade. As we talked, we also walked, and I thought I had slowed to a leisurely pace to match his, but it quickly became obvious to us both I hadn’t. He asked me if I had slowed down in any way. I’m happy to report that the answer was no.
Limited print
Staying in the Hazelnut Inn's Under Hill suite will be a truly memorable experience. As with the North Star suite, we are creating a limited-edition print for our guests to take home. I began work on the original art this afternoon. I have created countless pen and ink drawings through the years and well over one hundred and twenty-five editions of prints. It was good to brush up on my line drawing once more, and I had fun creating a drawing of this truly unique building! You can now book a stay in the Under Hill suite and reserve a limited print for yourself at HazelnutInn.com
