Plaistow Town Hall

Plaistow, NH or you might as well call it my second hometown! I spent so many years of my life traveling back and forth to Plaistow for every reason under the sun. Whether I was going there to shop, eat, or visit my grandmother, Plaistow was always the place to go! I even took my art lessons there!

One day I was at one of my art lessons when my grandmother caught word that the town was looking for someone to paint them a picture of their historic town hall. So naturally my grandmother came to me and asked if I would be interested. Since my grandmother had lived and worked in the town all her life, she had a lot of friends and had connections with the town board and gave them my name.

Obviously I agreed to painting the picture for them, so I got right to work on it and spent maybe a month or two. I knew this was a special project and since I was so connected to Plaistow already I knew I wanted to make this just as special for them. Once I finished the painting I figured why don’t I make it a surprise and just donate it to them? So my grandmother got together with one of the guys she knew and we set up a special showing of the painting at the town library! That way the other members of the board and chair could be surprised with my painting! We set up at the library one Saturday during the beginning of summer to kick of the sunny season with something they would really enjoy! Of course lots of people had caught word of my painting showing and the turnout ended up being full of the town’s community!

The board saw my painting and absolutely LOVED it! Even though I was giving it to the town as a gift they still awarded me for my hard work and even had me join in on one of their evening town channel talks. So much they displayed it on the wall in the lobby of the Town Hall itself so that the board and people in the community could all enjoy it! It still hangs up in that same spot to this day! If you are ever in the area and would like to see my painting in person, stop by the town hall!

A Special Project for My Favorite Paranormal Investigators!

If you’ve poked around my on website and have seen my About Me page, then it might be pretty clear to you now that I am a fan of the Ghost Adventures! Paranormal science has always been a huge interest of mine and the Ghost Adventures do it the best! It is absolutely my most favorite show to watch because Zak, Aaron, Billy, and Jay are so connected to the spirit world and constantly teach me things I didn’t know. As dangerous as their job is, they are always so funny and genuine at what they do. I have been watching their show since day one and I follow and support them in everything else they do! And not just because they are on my television everyday or live in nice houses. They have helped so many people through that unknown darkness we all wish we knew more about. I really can’t get enough of these four guys for who they are and their incredible hearts (insert the Spongebob list GIF that flops over Gary’s head)!!

About a month ago now, I was making my plans on going to Phoenix, AZ for a work conference that was coming up at the end of July 2021. Already half a week into July and not planning on doing anything else until my father sprung a surprise bonus trip to Las Vegas to end my week after Phoenix… Well that was the quickest trip to the art store I ever took! Vegas?? So of course, there was only ONE place I really care about and wanted to go to! You know where!!!

I IMMEDIATELY booked my spot for the RIP All Access tour on Sunday August 1st at 7pm at the famous Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum! Not only was I excited because I was finally about to see the BEST Haunted Museum in the world run by the BEST guy in the world but because I finally had a chance to make and bring them some of my art! It is something I’ve always wanted to do for them but didn’t want to do it until I had a reason and way of getting it to them safely. The only problem was I had only 3 and a half weeks to put in what would maybe take me roughly 6 and a half months worth of work… no big deal! Right?! I can do it! And power through the nights I went!! Don’t ask me how much sleep I got or how many mosquitoes I sacrificed myself to (since oil paints are toxic and messy I only use them outside)! Remember, I’m in New Hampshire… it’s bug central here!! I still have welts on my legs and arms!

Anyways, I knew right away that I wanted to make something for Zak and thought what is something I could make him that he really loves that could be unique for him? Something that would show him I truly care and come from my heart? Um… GRACIE! He adores her and she is really special to him so I wanted to paint her for him so that he would have a way to keep her forever. Beloved pets hold a special place in all our hearts and when they leave us we are left with a very difficult pain. I painted a picture of my beloved beagle (which you can find on my Home page and under my Pet Portraits) years ago when she was still alive JUST the way she always looked. She isn’t around anymore but being able to look up at her life like painting makes it feel like and look like she is still in the room with me. And let me tell you, when I miss her the painting really does help!… I want Zak to have the same for his beloved Gracie and someday (LONG FROM NOW) I hope my painting of her helps him the way mine helped me. And since Gracie is legitimately one of the most unique looking dogs I have ever seen anyways, I knew painting her would be so much fun and motivating enough to keep me inspired! But I also knew I didn’t only want to make something for just Zak.. After all I love all four of those goofy, lovable guys and Aaron, Billy, and Jay deserve something nice too! Then I thought, “Why don’t I also draw a portrait of the four of them?!” because that alone is something very unique too and HOPEFULLY something they don’t already have! I wanted to draw them a portrait because I wanted to capture the most beautiful and my favorite part about them…their brotherhood.

The four of them are not just best friends! Over the years they have been through hell and back together (quite literally) and that brotherly family bond that they have tied is something so unique that absolutely no one can ever touch it! When you’re in a career like theirs it’s a no soldier left behind situation, and they do exactly that! Paranormal Investigating is no joke and not as easy as the tv makes it seem. Each experience they go through together strengthens that brothership knot even tighter and even though most of the time they have to deal with very serious and dangerous matter it is important to be reminded of the good and happy times too! I want my portrait of them to reflect on that which is why I made them all smiling (which I realized they don’t seem to have very many photos of so I decided to combine all of my favorite photos of each of them into one). I want them to look at my portrait and get hit with all of those wonderful memories and emotions they have had together and put warm feelings in their hearts each time they look at it. I want my portrait to show four genuine smiles of the four best brothers you will ever see in this lifetime. The love and support they have for each other unifies them on a level none of us can ever reach and I want my portrait to capture that! I want Zak, Aaron, Billy, and Jay to see that special bond they have captured when they look at it. I hope I did a good job at that and I hope that they smile every time they look at it. Even after coming back drained from a really rough investigation, I hope they can look at it and make them smile.

Now don’t be fooled and think I just do this for everyone!! Let me tell you something, if I willingly spend my time, my supplies, and my money to draw a portrait of you and or paint you something really nice… you have to be really special and mean something to me. If I did this for everyone I’d be the one holding up a cardboard sign!!

This project for them was a special one for me and I hope it is as special to them. And after being in an artist slump with zero motivation, inspiration, or courage to pick up a pencil or paint brush for nearly 3 years it was really nice to finally break through my own darkness and find the artist in me again. Why didn’t I think of drawing my four favorite guys before?! I should’ve known they would be the ones to help me bring myself back! They always have before! But I’m not one to post all over social media. It’s just not me. I walk my own path. I take the side roads down the scenic route when everyone else takes the highway. I like the rain when most others like the sun…Well… If the Ghost Adventures want to read this really nice story I wrote for them, then they’re just going to have to take a break from that social media highway and follow me down the side road through this scenic route! :) There ain’t no way I’m fitting this on Twitter!!

Oh yeah and by the way….I had paranormal experience during my visit at Zak’s Museum. One that was absolutely thrilling and I think worth talking about!! But.. I will only share my experience if I can tell Zak first. If only I can get his sweet attention.. But he’s a busy dude so we’ll just have to wait and see! Then maybe I’ll find out what he thinks of my artwork too!!! Hearing his words would mean everything to me! They really truly are my four favorite guys!