UFC MAG FEATURING VETERAN BEN "KILLA B" SAUNDERS

Many may not know, but I've created a few custom apparel designs for UFC & Bellator Veteran Ben "Killa B" Saunders.  These apparel designs have been seen major networks such as Spike TV, MTV 2, Pay-Per-View and numerous Live Events, Press Conferences and all over social media.  Ben always  receives a similar response, "Hey bud, that design is so unique and like nothing any MMA Fight Gear has out there!"  It's always a pleasure to really pay attention to my clients, listen to what their passions are and create a visual that blows their minds.  When I first showed him the first draft, utilizing Bruce Lee and all the core disciplines of Ben's Jeet Kune Do, as well of his love and respect for Imperial Dragons and the way of the Samurai, his reaction was priceless...."HOLY SHIT!"

There's more to come where that one spawned from.

"DANIA BEACH SEAFOOD & ARTS FESTIVAL", DANIA BEACH

A few days prior to this weekend I received a message from a Talented Local Artist that an Organization needed a few Artists to Live Paint at this annual Seafood Fest.  Like always, I made it happen.  I was completely in the dark about the expectation and subject-matter requirements.  Nearly 20 min before the Live Painting was to begin, the promoter decided to turn this gig into a Street Art-Graf competition!  I am in no way a Street Artist and definitely not a Graf Artist, so this was definitely out of my comfort zone.  They told me it was also 100% spray paint and we had under 3 hours to complete a decent-sized mural for the Dania Beach Skate park ramp.....oh boy, lol!  I've never really used spray paint before, so I knew I was about to learn a little about my capabilities and how well I adapt to discomfort.  I grew up in the Dania Beach area, and wanted to customize a commemoration piece for the Sea Turtle Sanctuary.  So, I sprayed this Sea Turtle Aquatic Design in under an hour.  During the whole process there were spectators and festival crowds voting on their favorite piece.  To my surprise, I won the entire competition and even received a generous ca$h award!  Are you kidding me?  Truly blessed.  Since then, I've been experimenting with spray paint more and more, and been getting pretty decent.  It's a very different medium than airguns, so it's quite challenging.  My respect for the Graf and Street Art crews increased for sure...they are insanely talented!

"CUSTOM CHILDREN'S BEDROOM", NORTH MIAMI BEACH

I absolutely LOVE creating unique concepts for Clients, but there's no greater joy than to put my brain, blood, sweat and fears into something for my loved ones.  My 9-yr-old was in need of a timeless upgrade to his bedroom.  We wanted to demo his entire closet, put a custom full-sized bed inside it, and custom a large cabinet-styled dresser across the opposite side of his room.  Time was of essence, due to him having to relocate to his brother's room for the time being.  The initial phase was to customize this massive cabinet-dresser with reclaimed wood panels from old wood-paneled paintings in my archives.  When you open each drawer, you can actually see pieces of an old painting!  Each drawer was custom fit and installed with soft-close sliders.  I then customized the tabletop, adding my all-time fav superhero Wolverine!  I kind of did a throwback of the "styles" of Illustrated Wolverines from my old comics.  Once the drawers and table top was completed, I utilized recycled palette wood for the faces of each drawer.  Now I had a place to put all the closet items.  The second step was to demo the entire closet, recycle any studs and discard all the debris.  I closed in one of his small windows, did all the drywall and finish work and duplicated the existing knockdown texture.  Once dried, within 3 hours a airbrushed a surreal-abstract universe-type of design across the 2 corner walls.  Once this was finished, baseboards were put back and now the custom wood bed frame was built, stained and lacquered.  Next I customized a reclaimed palette wood headboard, stained a few blue hues, lacquered and installed.  Final touches were a small reclaimed palette step to the right of the bed, his own little niche and shelving for his personal things above that, and Bam! we now have a timeless room for a youngster that could still appreciate when he's still a teenager!

....now it's time to customize his brother's room.....

"VIRGINIA KEY GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL 2016" LIVE PAINTING AND EXHIBIT

Curated by Yo Miami, had an opportunity to just relax, enjoy some tunes and a chill vibe, while panting one of many pieces from my current "Heard" series.  This piece is cut and carved out of wood panel and painted using acrylics.  The series revolves around being "plugged in and in-tune with one's surroundings".  How we filter sound and it's qualities.  In this specific moment (and every time I create), I am absorbing the music and culture around me, filtering it and expressing how it's moving me in my painting.  I'll be there next year, definitely.

CUSTOM STUDIO WORKSTATION

It's been a long time coming.  As I have narrowed down my formula to create and the tools + mediums I utilize in my arsenal, I decided to give myself a little gift and create some Art for myself.  I sanded my existing table tops and airbrushed a H.R. Geiger-inspired surreal design across the face of it.  It begins with the dark, borderline morbid deep skull, morphs into a bio-mechanical type of change, and ends up into an enlightening sun.  Knocked this out in a just a few day phases, stained the negative space and lacquered with my favorite water-based lacquer!  Done!

CONCRETE BEACH BREWERY: SOLO EXHIBIT & LIVE PAINTING, WYNWOOD

Curated by Yo Miami, they teamed up with Tampa Natives Concrete Beach Brewery.  Great venue, very chill owners and management and amazing selection of craft beers.  Since this exhibit, I have frequented this brewery and recommended to numerous colleagues.

"FWC LIONFISH FUNDRAISER" SILENT AUCTION FOR GUY HARVEY MAGAZINE, PENSACOLA

I met the Chief Editor of Guy Harvey Magazine at the 2015 Miami Boat Show and we discussed my portfolio and my Aquatic Series I was currently working on.  He informed me of an upcoming Fundraiser and Silent Auction concerning the "Lionfish: Pest of the Reef" in Pensacola, FL.  I customized this Lionfish for a silent auction, and possible trophy for the winner of the most Lionfish caught for a cookout.  This piece was created using reclaimed wood panels, airbrushed background and hand-painted Lionfish.  To my surprise, the famous Guy Harvey himself made an appearance and really liked my work.  What an honor!  It's only a matter of time before we get to collaborate....I'll just throw that energy into the Universe.