Annie and David Progress

Quick update on Annie and David's painting....

Winning Painting!

I started composing this post in a bar down the street from the United Center, 2 1/2 hours before Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals....and I'm finishing it this morning.  What an unbelievable evening for my Chicago Blackhawks!  It's times like this I am truly thankful for my job and the flexibility it allows me.   So, while I sat sipping a beer, I thought I'd introduce you to my next painting and client.....another reason to be thankful for my job: clients like Annie and David.

I met Annie at Indie Wed last year where she fell in love with my work and continued to support me throughout the year by attending FORM.  A year after originally finding me, she booked a painting of her colorful bouquet. She was married this January in Orlando, Florida under sunny skies.

Coming off of a white bouquet, Annie's vibrant flowers are a warm welcome.

There are so many fun textures and color variation in this bouquet.  After much deliberation, Annie and David chose one of my favorite compositions:

This is going to be an awesome 20 x 20 inch painting.  You know that you can always follow my progress on Instagram with Loreen_rose.  I'm usually a couple steps ahead on this site (hint hint, the painting is coming along beautifully).

Finally, one more shout out to the Blackhawks and the good life.  I went to the Art Institute of Chicago yesterday morning with a good friend.  What a wonderful way to start out the day being inspired by old masters.  I highly encourage everyone to see the current exhibit, "Impressionism, Fashion & Modernity".  It was so excellent, and I'm still feeling the inspirational itch...I must go paint!  Ending the day with a Stanley Cup win...couldn't ask for a better day. Let's ride this celebratory wave!  Go Hawks!

Reenie Rose Painting Reveil Video

Earlier this week I let another painting go out into the world.  Anna came by to pick up her piece of art, and I decided to try something out....and share it with you.  Though I am terribly embarrassed about videoing myself, I think you may be seeing more videos from me in the future.  Take a look!



Painting Pickup from Reenie Rose on Vimeo.

Let me know what you think and if there are any other things you'd like to see via video from Reenie Rose...painting tips, diy projects, etc.

Guest Post: Wine, Weddings and Hidden Reenies

It's a dreary day here in Chicago, but there are a lot of exciting and celebratory activities going on in the city today.  For one, the Blackhawks are going to be winning game 2 in the Stanley Cup finals.  Yes, I'm a big fan, and though I may not be able to watch the full game tonight, I will be ready to toast to a win later this evening (gosh I hope I didn't jinx anything).  Second event to raise a glass to is the wedding I will be working today.  I'm excited to once again be working with Loren of Clementine Events at the Chicago Art Institute.  To me, a wedding at this location exudes culture and class and seems only right to have a glass of wine in hand the whole time (I will watch others but not take part in this activity while working of course).

Toasts and cheers all around with your beverage of choice.  Wine however, has always been at the top of my list. So, when my wine aficionado Uncle Tom offered to write a blog post about wine, it was a no brainer.  Uncle Tom and his family have been friends with my family forever (since before I was born) and have thus adopted the family titles.  He is a part of the wine community in St. Louis and has really developed his wine knowledge to the point where my family benefits greatly whenever we get together...lots of laughs and tons of good wine.

Enjoy Uncle Tom's breakdown of wine and weddings, and take a peak at some of our good times together.

Wine, weddings and hidden Reenies

Weddings make my head spin. Having planned 3 weddings - my own, my daughter’s and my son’s - I know a little about how complicated things can get. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t plan alone. My wife, Judy did most - check that - all of the work. 

Wine. Now there’s something I do know a little about. Wine is so versatile, it’s really the only beverage you need at your wedding.

Let’s think about some of the things that happen at every wedding, and how wine fits in:

• The ceremony: If you’re Catholic and are having the ceremony at a church, there will be wine. This will not be good wine. The swill you drink will be either pink or red, and most likely be served by the priest saying the mass.
• The reception: One of the most important events that occurs at the reception is the toast. There may be several toasts: the best man, father of the bride, maid or matron of honor, and really, anyone who wants to can make a toast. But, the one thing that’s the same for all the toasters is the wine, in this case Champagne or sparkling wine. Champagne is a region in northeast France. Only wine from the region can legally have “Champagne” on the label. Prices for Champagne run from  about $40 to thousands of dollars per bottle. Champagne is one of my favorite beverages on the planet. Everything else, whether it’s Prosecco from Italy, Cava from Spain or bubblies from the United States is simply “sparkling wine”. California makes some great sparklers - as good as many Champagnes. Prices for California bubbles range from $20 to over $1,000 per bottle
• The food: Let’s go course by course. First course: with salads or appetizers, I definitely like something white, or, maybe a rose’. You can also stick with sparkling wine here. You want something light and crisp, with a touch of acid to get those salivary glands ready for the main course. I prefer a Pinot Grigio from Italy, a Sauvignon Blanc from California or White Burgundy from Burgundy, France. Main course: Definitely red. Reds and food are a perfect marriage (pun intended). If you’re having fish, especially salmon, domestic Pinot Noir or red Burgundy fits the bill. Chicken calls for domestic Pinot Noir, Merlot or Grenache from California, Spain or France. And with hearty steaks, you just can’t beat Cabernet based wines like French Bordeaux, Italian Super Tuscans and Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. Desert: Syrah, Cabernet or Merlot with chocolate; sweet wines like Moscato and Sauternes with your sweeter desserts; and finally, don’t forget about fortified wines like Ports and Madeiras, which are really great all by themselves. 
• The drunks: Ahh the wedding drunk. Is there anything more traditional? I’ve seen people drunk at weddings that I didn’t even know drank. If you plan to get rip roaring drunk at a wedding, why waste your time on wine? You some kinda wuss?  Huh??  But this is a post about wine, and granted, this is a stretch, but I’m going to go with Grappa on this one. Technically, Grappa is not wine - it’s a spirit. You know, “hard stuff”. But it’s made from grapes, and stems, and seeds and anything else you might find on the floor. Reenie’s dad, Terry, hates the stuff. But he never had any taste in anything - except maybe his women. His wife, Mary Ann is a saint. Trust me on this one. Grappa’s alcohol content ranges from 70 - 120 proof. If you want to get hammered fast, go for the Grappa.

So. We talked about wine and weddings. But what’s with the “hidden Reenies”? Just for fun and a FREE REENIE ROSE CALENDAR, scroll through the wedding pics below and find the hiding Reenies. You’re going to have to look closely. The first five readers who respond correctly get the calendars.

BTW, one of the old geezer’s below is me giving a toast at Becky's (my daughter) wedding.

 

Tom Bush

tbush876@aol.com

314-583-8431 (cell)

My parents with my Uncle Tom and Auntie Judy.

I will give away a "Reenie" and say that my face does not properly reflect how good his speech really ones.  Come on Loreen!  Geez.

Besides wine, we always have good food.  Uncle Tom's son, Michael, is a chef, and his daughter-in-law, Dani, is a pastry chef.  What an excellent pair!

Proud papa of his son (Michael), daughter (Becky) and granddaughter (Grace).

BFF's

My family all together at Dani and Michael's wedding where the wine was paired beautifully.

One of my favorite pics of my favorite people.

Anna and Wade's Completed Painting

I am so thrilled to have a cd of wedding images in one hand for my next project and a painting ready to go out the door in another.  Things are moving along.

Poetry evades me in this post, so I'm going to keep it simple and just show you Anna and Wade's finished painting (if you haven't already seen it on Facebook....do you "Like" Reenie Rose?).

It really came together with every hint of a flower that was so important to Anna.  I hope they love it as much as I do!

Up next....COLOR!!!!

Sunday Secret

I have a confession to make, and one that might come as a big surprise to a lot of people.  Get ready.....painting is not my passion.  As a matter of fact, Reenie Rose is not my passion.  Crazy, right?! How disappointed are you to hear this when all along you thought I had created and built this business all out of this passionate love for art and my skill.  Sorry, but nope.

Curiosity #1: Travel

I felt compelled to write this today after reading an article that almost made me feel like I finally had permission to say such a thing.  I've always been a pretty passionate person, mainly about travel and food, but tend to feel guilty when people have made the statement, "It's so amazing that you are doing something you are passionate about."  In my head I'm thinking, "If you only knew..."  So, when I received my Splendid Sunday email from Think Splendid this morning, there was the statement "*Forget your passion, follow your curiosities." that completely caught my eye.  Emily Olson, co-founder of Foodzie, wrote about wanting to find and define her passion in life.  After creating what seemed like the perfect business, she sold it and was left again to find her next passion.  But here's the thing she discovered along the way....it's all about discovery.  She writes, "Toss out the notion of finding your passion (at least to start) and explore your curiosities."  Think about it...if you continuously discover what you are curious about, the path you journey down will eventually intersect with your passions.  You wouldn't keep trudging through mud if it wasn't going to lead you to greener pastures.  

Curiosity #2: Food

I also love this: 
Finding your passion is a lot like finding a husband. Who wants to evaluate every first date, asking yourself if he is the one? It’s far easier to ask yourself, if you simply want one more date with this dude.  So my advice? Go on dates with ideas, until you realize there’s this one you just can’t stop hanging out with…when you’ve found that, you’ve likely found your passion.

Talk about some words of advice I'm going to start following!

Curiosity #3: Flowers/Nature

So yeah folks, I'm not passionate about painting but I like it and I'm good at it and I'm always curious about what the next painting is going to look like and the customers and fellow vendors I'm going to work with.  I'm sticking with this for now while I indulge in all my other curiosities.....

Curiosity #4: Beer & Wine tasting

Curiosity #5: Weddings

Curiosity #6: Crafting

Curiosity #7: Reenie Rose

Meet the Photographer: Shane Welch Photography

It's time for a painting update and the long awaited interview with the talented photographer for this painting...Shane Welch.  Enjoy!

1.  How long have you been in business? 

This is the start of my 3rd year in business!

2.  Toot your own horn....what’s your specialty?

My specialty is documentary photography. I strive to photograph all of the real moments that make up a wedding day coupled with environmental portraits that incorporate more than just a bride and groom. I want to create and capture environmental portraits that really show off what the couple loves about the locations we're at.

3.  Who or what are your favorite subjects to photograph....your dream photo session?

My favorite subject is hard to narrow down, really hard... I photograph a wide variety of subjects, I've worked extensively with the chronically homeless, people suffering from substance abuse problems, victims of torture, battered women, and so many more. But I would have to say some of my favorite work is landscape photography. I just got back from a 6 day backpacking trip in the Andes Mountain range in Colombia. It was amazing! I've never seen anything more beautiful in my life and I can't wait to go on another adventure. I can't say what my dream photo session truly is, but it definitely involves climbing a few mountains, getting dirty, and loving every minute of it. 

4.  Craziest thing you’ve captured on camera?

The craziest thing I've ever captured on camera is definitely too graphic for a wedding blog! If you're interested in seeing the shots, click on the gallery titled "Another Life" at www.shanewelch.com You'll know right away what the image is. 

5.  What do you like about working in the wedding industry?

My favorite part about working in the wedding industry is that it incorporates so many different fields of photography in one day. It's not just a documentary, it's also fashion, it's portraits, landscape, and still life rolled into one of the happiest days of a couples life together.

6.  What is something you wish your clients knew about your job?

Just how much I absolutely love my job! I dreamed of becoming a photographer and I couldn't be any happier.

7.  When you are not working, what are you up to?

I'm usually hanging out with my girl friend and our dog Lily also known as Tiny, Little Face, Dog Breath, Smalls, Lils, Lucifer, Lilith, and probably a lot more that I can't think of right now. 

8.  Anything new and exciting coming up that we should know about? (either professionally or personally)

Well I have a new website launching very very soon! It's about 98% done right now and we're just working through a few kinks before it's absolutely perfect. I also just opened up my first store front in Logan Square with Five Grain Events!

Shane Welch

2841 W Armitage Ave

Chicago, IL 60647

630.550.1982

shane@shanewelch.com

www.shanewelch.com

Thank you so much for sharing Shane!  Definitely be sure to check out his documentary work too...it's amazing.