Music has always been a massive source of inspiration and creative fuel for me. I often find myself lost in albums and playlists while working in my studio. Rock and blues tend to be my favorite genres and no one did it better than the late Stevie Ray Vaughn. The way he could make a single set of 6 strings sound as if there were two, even three, talented guitar players on stage will never cease to amaze me. Nearly 15 years ago, while listening to his song “Life by the Drop” I had the idea for this painting, but as things go, it took awhile to bring it from idea, to reality.
It would start with a stylized variation of a well worn Sunburst Fender Stratocaster. I wanted a white pick guard to set off from the flat black background, and also being a fan of Kenny Wayne Shepard, who played a Strat similar to SRV’s “Number One”, it seemed fitting. I wanted this to be a bold painting, starting first with the sheer size of the canvas, which I chose to be a large panel of aircraft grade aluminum I acquired from reject piles from a major airplane manufacturer. Being heavy into automotive arts and pinstriping during that period, I wanted to execute this using various automotive paints and On-Shot Sign painters enamel. It started by spraying a flat black background. The rest of the painting, in it’s entirety was carefully completed via brushwork, no airbrushing.
I’ve loved this painting since I recently completed it, and it has since adorned my studio wall. I’m releasing it for sale to another fan of the musical arts. You can find the listing in the Shop section of my website, here. If you have any questions about this painting, my other works, or having a custom piece commisioned, please feel free to contact me.