Make Time: Hotlanta

I used to do a lot of work in Atlanta (ironically when I lived in SF), so I know a couple people there already. One of my closest friends is a girl named Leila, who works in the same industry as me. Leila is kind, generous, smart, hard working, and just a fun person to be around. She's always making sure that everyone around her is taken care of, and so it was nice to be able to stay at her apartment while I was in Atlanta. She lives in midtown, and the views from her balcony are stunning - so classic. We hang out and talk a bunch when I arrive, and then she makes some great pasta dinner. The next morning Leila flew to Chicago for a bachelorette party, so I was then in her apartment by myself for the rest of the weekend. I had only planned to be in Atlanta for a few days, but I ended up staying until Monday morning. There's just so much cool stuff going on in this city. I was able to see small galleries in different neighborhoods, have great lunches and dinners with people I used to work with, and then met a bunch of great people while riding my bike around this huge park in midtown - Piedmont Park. And yes, I painted a bunch. I did a two-canvas piece for my very close friend Will, and his wife Amanda. I have stayed close with Will over the years and it's always great to spend time with him. I promised him a long time ago that I would do a painting for him, so it was great to finally deliver it. Couldn't have been happier about how it turned out too! Will and Amanda just had their second child, so I spent some time over at their house with them and just laid low before heading back to Leila's place and doing a huge painting for her as well! The best advice that Will ever gave me was to step out of my comfort zone. He told me to look at the canvas, and then when I think I had it figured out, step back and do something totally different. I did this with Leila's painting for sure. I've never done fireworks in a painting and I really think they turned out great! Leila has since told me she loves it, so that made me feel even better. I hung at her place and just enjoyed my time, and then left Atlanta on Monday and headed to Memphis, TN to visit some friends.