One for the 'Keep: Part II

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a 'beer dinner' held at BJs with my wife, Mikelynn and my cousin Melissa. At first I thought it would just be a four course meal paired with various beers from Rogue at one of their regular tables. I was pleasantly surprised when we walked into a 'classroom' type setup with long tables all facing the front of the room. We quickly shuffled to a table toward the back and the program began! A nice gentleman by the name of Jeremy walked us through each beer and food pairing, describing the beer and giving us background on the brewery and why they chose to pair with their various dishes; All-in-all, we had quite an enjoyable evening. I was working on finishing up a painting I had started at lunch that day and was feeling fairly pleased with my progress.

The meal progressed and as I continued work on my painting I started to get an 'itch'. I felt like I was swaying into a very 'literal' frame of mind. Usually when this happens I like to shake things up by painting something abstract or a little more loose. I excused myself from the table to change my water in the bathroom and passed a great example of a loose abstract painting on the way. I snapped a quick photo and went back to the table with a mission!

I didn't realize it then, but it had been exactly a month to the day since I created my first piece in the "One for the 'Keep" series. I decided it was time to create another piece that I could give away to someone who has given me a little joy that day. This day the painting went to Jeremy, he did such a good job entertaining and enlightening on the various beers and plates that made their way onto our table. I started feverishly working on the painting and had to ask for a couple of free refills on my beer to complete it, but at the end of the night...I think it was successful. Jeremy was very happy to get the piece, I think it caught him off guard but I think he was happy. It was a very fulfilling experience, one I'll definitely repeat in the future!