Andy does some truly groovy work, check him out: www.mynameisandy.com

(from left to right: Jay,Jeff,Royce and Andy)

This past Wednesday, I had the honor of joining G. Love & Special Sauce on stage to live painting during their epic performance at The Freebird in Jacksonville, Florida.

I am incredibly appreciative of Garrett for allowing me to be a part of their performance. The show and painting and the post-party on the bus was just a blast.

This painting had been sleeping in my studio now for a couple years. I had left it unfinished in 2009 and moved on to other ideas. It was originally inspired by my friend from home Quincy Mumford who was about to put out his second album and asked me to design him an album cover. His management and I didn’t quite see eye to eye so it never progressed much past a sketch on the canvas.

A couple months ago though, I was flipping through the jungle of ideas in my sketchbooks and rediscovered this sketch which I thought had some real promise.  It was already kind of started on the canvas, so I figured I’d put it up on my easel to reincarnate it.

Original sketch from August 2009

I had intended to make it a bit more surreal, having a snowboarder morphed into the guitar player’s arm. Quincy and I both love surfing and snowboarding and I felt it important at the time to combine both. But after recently re-working it, I wasn’t convinced that really worked visually or was necessary.  I did like the idea though of being caught between winter and summer both metaphorically and literally.  Being born and bred in Jersey, we all have a love/hate relationship with the seasons.  A lot of people seem to just hibernate during the winter. For me it was always a time to create and reflect.

This piece needed to reflect where I mentally was now though since years had passed since it’s conception. The concept of living the moment between two transitional periods of life became my main focus along with attempting to illustrate ‘the zone’ that artists and musicians share a passion for. That place we all go to bend reality around our visions, where logic and potentiality take over seamlessly.

Prints are available on Shop.JayAlders.com

My friend Mark Longnecker is a well known Florida based tattoo artist and called me the other day while our friends from the band Echo Movement were staying at my place near Jacksonville Beach.  He offered the band the bro-deal on tattoo’s before their New Year’s Eve gig.

When we rolled into Cocoa Beach on December 31st,2011, Colin (drummer for E.M.) asked me for a ride to Mark’s shop for his new tatt which was to be based on my painting “Burning Inspiration” which was used for Echo Movement’s last album.  I was really honored that Colin wanted my art on him especially since this painting was originally created with his band in mind.

When we got there we only had an hour and a half before their set. Mark asked if I wanted to sketch it on Colin’s calf with a sharpie and he would ink it.  I was really surprised and stoked for the opportunity. Colin was amped and we got to work.

I think Mark did an incredible inking job on the piece. He did real justice to the original painting and Colin was really happy with it.

We raced back to the venue just on time where we celebrated 2012 with a bunch of great friends.

It was one of the first manatee’s I’ve ever drawn. They are sure weird looking creatures. Luke does some awesome surf videography, check out his work.

The entire city was pulsating with miles of art galleries, exhibits, street artists painting walls, DJ’s, live music, free drinks and almost no cops anywhere. I couldn’t believe how alive Miami was with the expressive energy of art everywhere. I was overjoyed!

My friends Carina and Kevin were cool enough to let me crash on their couch for the weekend. Carina is super into street art,works for Quiksilver and is a talented creative person in her own regard. She was my personal guide to all the hot spots and gave me some insight into some of her favorite artists.

When I arrived, I found out that my friend Garrett (aka G Love) was performing that evening, I told Carina and her and Megan were really amped on seeing him play, so we went over to Purdy Lounge and caught up with Garrett and his awesome girlfriend Sarah and friend Shelby.  It was good seeing them and a kick ass way to start a weekend in Miami.

We drank entirely too much and paid the price for it the next day…Blaahhhh. But it was a fun night of drunken goofiness and art-overload.  Kevin made me vegan pancakes and everything seemed to be ok.

I saw most of the big time indoor exhibits like SCOPE and Underbelly Project and saw some really cool stuff.   I went to the convention center which was the “main event” and was baffled by a lot of it. There were some big names like Picasso on display, but mostly a lot of shit like this exhibit of rocks arranged on the floor. (see below). I mean, what the f–k is that?

The highlight for me at the convention center was seeing Mark Ryden‘s piece (below).  I am not a believer that anything is art, to me, skill, technique and creativity is where it’s at and Ryden knows what the hell he’s doing. I definitely was more inspired by the outdoor street art than by the fancy shmancy 5 figure priced tape measure sculptures and blurry photos of pubic hair.

Overall though, I am stoked to go back next year, I had a blast and filled my thirst for culture for a little bit. I hope to be involved in it next year in some way with my art.

I came up with this rough sketch (see below) in January of 2010, drawn in ball point pen and silver fine tip marker. I wanted to depict the power of the ocean hoisting up a wall of water and throwing it with brut force. I also wanted to do this with style and eloquence. It sat in my sketchpad for a year and a half before I revisited it.

I decided to render it in acrylic to switch things up a bit. My initial intention was to do this with a limited palette much more graphic based rather than a rendered piece, I wanted to bust through it quickly.  I painted on a distressed wood panel and use the natural grain as an organic border which I felt would add an embrace of warmth & texture. I used some metallic paints that when viewing the original painting add a glimmer and depth that enhance the experience. But as I worked on it, I realized that it required a depth which required more laborious techniques. I got about 80% done with the painting and decided that acrylics just don’t cut it. Nothing has the richness of oils for this type of style, so I glazed several layers of oil over the acrylic. Those glazes really sharpened and accentuated the angles and shapes and popped out the lights and highlights.

The swirling water shapes visually bring to life the vibes, passion and grooviness of the classic rock,hip-hop,funk and jazz that I was listening to when painting. I think the feel-good-flow is counterbalanced with the strength,direction and reckoning of the guillotine-like wall of water which is hurling back towards the depths from which it came.

Rough sketch of what became "Throwing Lines" -January 2010

Click here to purchase an archival limited edition signed print.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have an incredible lady in my life for over five and a half years now. She accepts me more than I accept myself at times, supports my dreams and improves my self-worth.

So last year when my friend Julio after becoming a father questioned me about my future relationship status and my desires to someday be a Dad. I sorta’ shrugged it off at the time thinking, yeah of course someday. But it got me thinking. He offered some advice which stuck with me. He said, “The ring won’t go on her finger by itself”.

I began some serious pondering on what a good thing we have going on and it was time to start moving forward with the next chapter of our lives.  I contacted my jewelry designer friend Kevin Feldmann in NYC and began a 5-6 month process of designing a custom ring.  I didn’t know the first thing about diamonds or what a carat was, but I sent him sketches, ideas, thoughts, pics of clay sculptures I made, digital layouts, revisions to his CAD designs and by late summer it was taking form.

After making her wait almost six years, she deserved nothing less than an epic proposal.  I wanted to wait until our move to Florida was completed so we would be in a more relaxed mindset and symbolically feel like we had a new fresh start. I wanted it to be on the beach since it’s where we both feel most at home. I wanted it to be a party, a celebration with friends, a perfect ring and I really wanted it all documented. Not too much to ask for right?

A couple years ago we spent New Years in Jacksonville with Donavon Frankenreiter and band and before they went on stage Donavon included us in the pre-show private New Years Toast.  Some very loving words were said and as he often did to us, he put me on the spot with some verbal nudges about marriage. He did the same thing on stage last year in Asbury Park and called Chelsea my “wife” on stage.  So when I found out Donavon and the guys were performing at the upcoming Slater Brothers’ Invitational in Cocoa Beach, I knew that would be THE night.

By September, I got the ring in the mail and locked it away. I kept stealth about everything,my plan was on a need to know basis. I called Donavon and told him of my intentions for the Cocoa Beach show. He was stoked and supportive as I knew he would be. He and I brainstormed some ideas; We agreed that I should do live painting as part of the proposal. It was the perfect front for what was really going on. If I looked on edge, I blamed it on having to paint in front of everyone on stage. If I seemed stressed, it was because I had to prepare for painting on stage. I talked only to my friends Eric Brigmond and Craig Barnette from the band and April Slater and Julie Stine from the Slater Invitational to help get the details worked out and to keep my nerves in check.

Friday evening, October 28th 2011 came after a nice day at the beach for the surf event where we had been set up since the morning. We had some great Thai food for dinner with friends and I must have checked a hundred times to make sure the ring was still in my pocket.  I got to the venue to set up the night commenced.

I had a couple beers but my mind was racing.  My friend Sean Slater knew my secret for the evening and gave me a pep talk at the side of the stage before I started painting which was much needed at that moment.   My friend Justin from GoPro set a camera up next to my easel and Craig set up a Contour Camera near him over the drums. All systems go, it was time to kick things off.

I got on stage after a few songs into Donavon’s set and started painting, it was actually the calmest I’d felt the whole day. I decided to paint a romantic piece of Chelsea and I in a loving embrace in front of everyone declaring my love.  She had no idea what was really going on as I was doing this. Eric brought me up a whiskey and a beer because he knew how nervous I’d been all week. Donavon asked me how much longer I needed and we finally agreed, it was time. I wiped off my hands and he proceeded to show the audience the still wet painting I had just completed.

I remember the cheers but in my head it was quiet, I just wanted to do it already.  Little did anyone know, on the back of the wooden panel that I made,I had painted “Chelsea Will You Marry Me?”. It was covered with brown paper and Donavon turned it around, ripped off the paper and showed everyone. Chelsea still had no idea what was happening and whispered to me something like “what is going on?“, I played along and said, “I don’t know, what IS going on?“.  Then as Donavon turned around the panel to face Chelsea, which felt like an eternity, I got down on my knee and asked her to marry me.  She dropped to her knees and we kissed. She was in complete shock. It was a glorious moment.  I asked her , “So does this mean yes?” and she said “yes” and I put the ring on her finger.  She saw the back of the painting as the band snuck in some wedding music which I didn’t even hear until later on watching the video.

We got up and hugged and I saw Sean and April with Champagne. We each took a glass as Donavon proceeded to spray the entire bottle in our faces.  I was pretty much blinded for a minute but couldn’t stop smiling. What an surreal & glorious moment for us. I poured the remaining drops of champagne on Donavon’s head and proceeded to hug everyone and live in the moment as a newly engaged man.