Heather O’s husband contacted me and commissioned me to paint something for Heather’s upcoming birthday. Like I do nowdays, I documented the process, and now that Heather is in possession of the finished piece, I can show you all how I did it.

For the background, I used some snapshots of Heather’s trip to Jerusalem as a jumping-off point, and then used a paraphrase of a scripture given to me by her husband.Laying down the ground, I paint on dark masonite, and love the depth a dark background can give to a painting. Even if most of it ends up covered in paint, it shows through in spots, and I love it.This shows the background from the mount of olives, and the city of Jerusalem is supposed to be vaguely implied in the purple. Adding the foreground and the olive tree.

When I do the lettering, and yes, it’s freehand (I’m a type snob, what can I say) I often paint upside down, because it helps me focus on just the form, instead of my logic brain, underdeveloped though it is, taking over and focusing on the words.A view of the whole mess in my living room, as I create. The Underwood usually lives on the coffee table, but was relegated to the wingback.And the finished piece, and a detail shot. you can see my letters are imperfect- and I like it that way. Handmade, freehand letters are never going to have perfection- and while I’m biased, I know which I prefer.