The Meaning
“Turn on the Heat fundraiser illustration” was done to raise money for the Arts Incubator four story building where I had a studio from 2006-2009 with over forty different talented artists from all over the world. One of the artists was Mher Khachatryan (now known as The Smoke Artist based in New York) who created many paintings while in Kansas City.
Arts Incubator Icon
The thumbprint was a symbolic icon which hung from the front of the studio building on 115 west 18th street in the Crossroads Art District of Kansas City, Missouri.
Fire and Ice
I added the fire and the ice melt on the hand and finger to express what we needed, more money to keep the furnace ablaze during the frigid winters.
Flying Chili
We sold a few different types of chili, which was a big hit at the event.
Luck of the Irish
We had a fantastic local Irish band called The Elders play for us that night (hence the Irish flag tattoo with a three-leaf clover on the wrist).
We also hired a circus act that juggled fire with many different objects and played tribal rhythms with a few percussionists backing them up. This turned out to be a successful event for us, and a great party, one I will never forget!
The Promo Poster
The Process
I used a sheet of plywood for this illustration, which I purchased at Home Depot. I sanded the surface of it down, brushed primer on it and used an acrylic medium to finish it off.
I remember having to stroke many layers of paint on this board before it covered up the primer. It was very different than canvas, but what I did like was how the background blended my black smoke coming out of the flames with the different shades of blue and white.