Acrylic
Canvas
55” x 24”
Acrylic on Canvas
Echoes of the Real
Nature, Visionary
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This piece is a blur between worlds — where the rugged stillness of Lake Tahoe meets the rhythm and motion of the sea. Mountains rise, waves curl, and the two landscapes merge into something that feels both real and imagined.
A single line travels through it all — starting high in the peaks, winding through pines and shoreline, and finally drifting out into the open water where it begins to resemble a piano. It’s subtle, but it’s there — threading the entire scene together like a wandering melody.
If you look closely, you might catch it: the magic of improvisation, the wild pulse of Tahoe, and the free-spirited soul of the Grateful Dead echoing through the color, motion, and mystery.
Tags: Lake Tahoe, Grateful Dead, Landscape
This piece was a commission from a friend who asked me to create a Tahoe-meets-ocean scene with a Grateful Dead twist. The only detail I was given about the collector was a set of initials: D.D. I didn’t know who I was painting it for — just that it should carry the energy of Tahoe, the sea, and the free-flowing spirit of the Grateful Dead. I was also asked to subtly weave those initials into the painting.
I let the rest unfold instinctively. I followed the flow — let the line dance through the piece, let the color bend like sound, and trusted the process the way we do when we’re creating from somewhere deeper.
When my friend came to pick up the finished painting, he was thrilled. He said, “Drew is going to love this.” I paused — Drew? That’s when he pointed to the upper left, above the bird in the sky, and we both saw it: in the clouds and the lens flare, the abstract shapes formed the name “DREW.”
I hadn’t planned it. I didn’t know his name. But somehow, it found its way in.
That moment will always stick with me — as proof of the unseen thread we tap into as artists. We don’t always know what we’re channeling… but sometimes, the painting knows before we do.
