The Great Michigan Adventure

6 days, 3 cities, lots of job connections.  I just finished up my whirlwind weekend of visits with friends and work work work in Michigan.  When I return to Michigan, I can't just stop in one place and do one thing....no, I feel the need to hit up anyone and everyone in the area.  The triangle visit started in Kalamazoo where I reconnected with some friends (one of which is getting married and has interest in a painting).  From there I headed up to beautiful Traverse City for a most interesting project.
First of all, check out the color show currently going on in this state.  The commercial has got it right with the whole "Pure Michigan" campaign.

I am so lucky to have the greatest of friends to stay with when I visit Traverse City.  My old college roommate and the rest of her family welcome me in with open arms and make my stay extra special every time.  Plus, this is the view I have from their house....you can't get this from the local hotels.

The main reason I ventured up north was for a specific painting project.  I was hired by The Inman Company to paint haunted mansions at 2 different casinos.  Now, this is a little off the Reenie Rose beaten path, but I love these opportunities that give me a challenge and allow me to use my skill in a totally new way.
So, 2 haunted mansions, 2 casinos, 3 days.....talk about a challenge.  The first part of the process was to paint all of these cutout pieces to place on the facade.  Because these were houses that people would not be able to go inside and experience, the outside had to have a special character to it.

 

To go into the complexity of this project would take too long, but let's just say that a team of 5 of us came together and created an unbelievable display at these two venues.

27 hours of my time spent at Turtle Creek Casino and here's the result!  Everything with gray paint was done by my hand.

Love the Adam's family!!

Once Turtle Creek was finished, we moved on to casino #2...Leelanau Sands.  This one was smaller, but just as intense.  We got to the casino at 3pm and worked until 11:30pm.  It was like sprinting a marathon.

 

 I'm so proud to have been a part of this project and want to thank Shane of The Inman Company for allowing me to be a part of it....despite what my aching body is now saying.

From Traverse City I headed to Grand Rapids to visit with another couple of friends, enjoy GR's new found glory...Art Prize and speak to a couple of illustration classes at my alma mater, Grand Valley State University.  What a fabulous end cap to a weekend filled with lots of driving, art and hard work.  Enjoying artwork around the city and speaking to students about my business made me realize how lucky I am to be doing what I am doing.  When business and pleasure blend together without boundaries, it's such a blessing.  On that note, I leave you with an image from Art Prize of a mural currently in the top 10 to win.  I voted for it.