Nacogdoches, TX. Home of the Lumberjacks (and my first ever Mural!)

This project was honestly a dream come true. If you told me a year ago that I would paint a mural, I never ever would have believed you! When I first got the call about doing some artwork for The New Sunshine South in Nacogdoches TX (where I had attended university), I was in shock. I had briefly worked with the owner in the past as a brand ambassador for a pizza company he owned, but never dreamed he hire me to do a mural! I was so so excited to work on such a massive project and so humbled that the store owner wanted my artwork in his brand new store. As you can see, the old alcohol ads were hideous! I pulled them down as soon as I arrived on site and, since the wall was not sheet rocked, cut wood panels to span the length of the wall the owner wanted painted. It ended up being thirty-one feet long and about five feet tall all the way around. To my delight, the owner encouraged me to have full creative control of the project. I was able to actually paint the mural in an empty building next door to the convenience store, which made the process much easier. After about a week of work, a few learning curves, and several unexpected circumstances (including a hurricane!) the mural was finally finished. I am so thankful for the opportunity to create such a massive commission, especially in such a genuinely supportive environment. It is incredible to have a permanent piece in my old college town. I will forever hold this experience and the amazing friends I made doing it near and dear to my heart. I would like to give a HUGE thank you to Rezwan Mirza (store owner), Jace Herrington, Wayne Whipple, and Bailey Muschweck (store managers) for being so helpful, kind, and encouraging to me throughout this whole process. I cannot say enough good things about the New Sunshine Group down in east Texas!