The DYAO Painted Violin, er...Mandolin!

Copyright Tom Sarmo 2016

Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Vanishing Violin

This year I was again asked to paint a violin for the Denver Young Artists Orchestra. I enthusiastically accepted; the Denver Young Artists Orchestra is a favorite. It's a group of young musicians auditioned from all over the Colorado Front Range, and the music they make is astounding! I'd painted a violin for their 10th Annual fundraiser, and it was a blast! See it here:
My first Painted Violin

A week or so later, I was given this gorgeous mandolin, instead of a violin, to paint.  It had once belonged to the mother of a musician in the Colorado Symphony, and he generously donated it to the DYAO's Painted Violin.

Dating from about 1918, the mandolin was damaged, but still gorgeous!

I'm a sucker for the character of beautiful old wood--and for craftsmanship. And it about killed me trying to save both the patina of the wood and the decal on the front of the mandolin. I traced it, designed and re-designed it, pestered other artists for advice, and finally realized that sadly, the front had to be covered up.

A coating of Kilz, and then a coating of red acrylic followed. The design was drawn with a fine brush and black acrylic. I was able to save the decorative circle and edge.

A progress shot...

...and a detail of the illustration. I chose a Sherlock Holmes theme because it had somehow become the Year of Sherlock for me; I was in the midst of reading some, and was painting a large Holmes piece for another show.

Click on the link for more info about this mandolin:

Painted Mandolin

And check out all the cool Painted Violins here:

DYAO Painted Violin

Don't forget to visit the site of DYAO for information about all their sweet concerts and their worthy mission:

The Denver Young Artists Orchestra

Thanks for your visit, and for your support of all of the arts!

Parallel Universe Presents: A Unique Show at Helikon Gallery!

A detail crop of my artwork for Parallel Universe Presents

Very pleased to announce a new show, coming July 1, 2016 to Helikon Gallery in Denver!

This show is the brain-child of illustrator Thomas Haller Buchanan and gallery director and illustrator Cayce Goldberg.

Helikon is known for it's fresh and uniquely exciting shows, and this one will be no exception.

From Gallery Director Cayce Goldberg:

"Helikon Gallery is pleased to host ‘Parallel Universe Pictures Presents...’ this July! P.U.P.P. is a group exhibit where illustration reigns supreme over Hollywood, and features powerful drawings and paintings of posters for movies that exist only in the cinematic imagination of the artists."

This is Sherlock Holmes from my Parallel Universe offering of the movie The Hammersmith Ghost.

I love anything Victorian, and the Conan Doyle stories, but have always wanted to see Sherlock pitted against an actual, supernatural being. Hence this version of my dream film.

 

Along with your chance to see amazing finished paintings and posters by a group of stellar illustrators, you'll view the process each artist used to reach the final artwork. Each illustrator has the opportunity to show the sketches--thought processes--that went into the production of the final works!

From the chicken-scratchings of my initial idea...

...to character studies of Holmes and Watson...

...to value and composition thumbnails; this is only part of my process.

You won't see this at the show, but using my scary self as a model helped me draw...

...the initial sketch for the Hammersmith Ghost.

Here's a list of all the other fantastic illustrators in the show:

 

Thomas Haller Buchanan

Mike Kloepfer

Elena Gunderson

Matt Needle

Daniel Shaffer

Rob Jordan

Brooke Vandevelder

Arna Miller

Vinni Alfonso

Cayce Goldberg

I can't wait to see their finished artworks--and their sketches and processes and posters too!

And a huge bonus: Portals and Parralax!

 

 

"Portals & Parallax is a duo exhibit of new work by Thomas Haller Buchanan and Willa Haller. Shown simultaneously with Parallel Universe Pictures Presents..., the work in this exhibit stands as a conceptual and narrative bridge between both shows, exploring an organically unfolding story of two artists seeking to pierce the veil of time and space. Thom works in charcoal and pastel, while Willa presents large watercolor paintings. Both artists contributed to collaborative works where their concepts and aesthetics overlap."

 

Check out more details about both awesome shows by clicking the link below:

 

Helikon Gallery

And if you're in Denver, don't miss this show!!

Thanks, as always, for your support :)