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Heart of Stone’s short stay on a gallery wall

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This new painting of mine made its gallery debut on the closing night of my solo show. One hour later it was sold and heading home with its new owner.

This new painting of mine made its gallery debut on the closing night of my solo show. One hour later it was sold and heading home with its new owner.

When I decided to revisit one of my previous paintings called, “Heart of Stone”, I had no idea that it would ultimately sell in less than an hour at my closing solo show at Good Weather Gallery in Edwardsville, Illinois.

But that’s exactly what happened and I’m still a little stunned to see it go.

My original “Heart of Stone” painting was done back in the early 90s. At the time, I was doing a combination of airbrush and acrylic which always gave a nice contrast between the two. I had become a fan of Mark Kostabi, a New York artist who painted mannequin like looking figures. So I decided to emulate his approach, creating about 60 or so mannequin like figures all walking toward a giant heart of stone set on a pedestal out in the middle of a desert, set against a purple sky.

The description is probably a lot better than the actual execution.

Having just finished the simplified painting of “An Apple A Day”, I was wondering what to do next and the ‘Heart of Stone’ visual popped back into my consciousness. I went down to my storage area for my paintings and took a hard look at what I had done years ago.

I immediately knew I could do better – but also knew I had to change the venue. I couldn’t do another giant heart of stone in a desert setting. So instead, I decided to put it on its own little island, rising out of a churning sea against a tumultuous sky.

I sketched it out and liked what I had done so I set to work. Initially, there was going to be a couple standing on the rock formation at the bottom left of the painting. In my mind, having a couple staring at the giant heart gave more meaning to the ‘heart of stone’ expression.

I first created the sky, choosing an orangish-brownish palette. Why, I’m really not sure. Next, I started in on the churning sea, creating waves that were crashing all around the island. The couple staring out at the giant heart of stone seemed to approve so I moved on to the rocks at the base of the island.

Painting the actual heart of stone took quite a few sessions. At first, the stone was more the color of the rock base below. But I quickly discovered that color palette wouldn’t work as the stone was blending in to the sky instead of standing out. I shifted to more of a greyish-blue, doing my best to make the stone look a bit ragged as if it had been worn by the elements.

Next came the rock base at the left edge of the painting, followed by adding the couple. Once all the elements were in place, I asked for a few family comments. My wife, Chris, immediately said, “Get rid of the people.”

She said they did nothing for the painting. I always show work in progress on Instagram so I did a little poll and the results were mixed. Some said keep them, others said get rid of them. My deciding factor was when I looked at a few Magritte paintings where he had giant images floating in the sky. No people were present.

So the people were removed and I went in and did a lot of fine tuning to the water, rocks, sky and more touch ups on the stone itself. I completed the painting on a Wednesday, liking it so much that I hung it in our house.

Saturday was my closing show at Good Weather Gallery and I had decided to bring the four paintings I had done since the show opened back in late November to replace some of the sold work.

So that’s what we did and when the show began at 6 pm, Chris told me, “I bet ‘Heart of Stone Revisited’ sells tonight.

She was right. Turns out, the couple that had bought “Ascension” came in to pick up their painting and when they saw this new one, had to have it.

So away it went. Twelve paintings sold from one show was a record for the gallery and for me as well. I now have my first sale for 2021 and the question becomes, “What will you do for an encore?”

That remains to be seen!

As an aside, I’m happy to have eight of my paintings featured in an upcoming group show via B Extraordinaire that will be on display at both locations of the Missouri Athletic Club, February 2-March 31. More on that show will come later.

And one more aside – if there are any paintings that you see on my artist website, you can now order prints in a variety of sizes, papers and finishes by contacting me directly – tom@bloodlinescreative.com

Finally, my apologies for not posting more often. These days, I seem to spend more time marketing my BloodLines Art than I do with my BloodLines Creative marketing. That portion of my business still keeps me very occupied and I still love the challenge of a new assignment or client in need of marketing communications help.

In addition to creating advertising and marketing communications work by day, I also paint at night and have been fortunate to develop a world-wide following of the surrealistic art that I create. My recent show at Good Weather Gallery is yet another step on my artistic journey. If you would like to see more of my work, you can visit my online art gallery. You can also make purchases of my work of items like prints, iPhone covers and a variety of other items by visiting this site. Original artwork along with a variety of prints are available at this new site which supports local St. Louis artists and allows them to show their work at a variety of places throughout the metro area. Please visit!

What it’s like to be a ‘sold’ artist

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Five of the ten paintings that have sold at Good Weather Gallery.

Five of the ten paintings that turned me into a ‘sold’ artist at Good Weather Gallery.

Paintings Sold II

Along with the other five that have been sold!

November 21st was a rainy night during this COVID-19 restricted year that has devastated lives, our economy and the way we live. It was also the Opening Night of my solo show at Good Weather Gallery in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Going into it, I didn’t have too many expectations. I knew attendance was going to be down and that was a good thing – we didn’t want more than 10 people in the gallery at a time to begin with.

Tom Jr. was going to provide the musical entertainment – which is always entertaining. I had bought a bunch of straws so people could sip their beverages without having to remove their masks.

I’m so grateful to Brooke Piepert, who is the owner and curator of Good Weather Gallery. She took a flying leap of faith in giving me a show – something that other gallery owners that I’ve approached here in the St. Louis metro area have been reluctant to do.

I’m beginning to think her leap of faith has paid off. At about the half-way point of this show, we have sold ten paintings.

The images you see in the two pics above are the ones that were bought. There are 32 of my paintings on display, so roughly 1/3 of the show has been spoken for. On top of that, multiple prints have been sold – both high gloss and a little more expensive semi-gloss printed on metal.

It’s a great feeling. It’s a weird feeling. Each painting I create takes several weeks from the initial concept to the time I sign my name on the canvas. You become attached to it. You think about how you could make it better. And then you reach a point where you deem it done.

The majority of my paintings reside in our house. Most of them are in storage, out of sight of even myself. I create the art. Then I share what I’ve done via social media and after that, it goes into hibernation.

So the chance to have a solo show at an art gallery where my work can actually be seen – and seen as a complete body of work – is an awesome feeling. I love creating surrealistic paintings and I must admit, it’s a very surreal feeling to be surrounded by my work.

And it’s an even better feeling to know that people really do like the work that I’ve been doing. I have now sold 16 paintings in 2020, more than any year previously. It inspires me to want to paint more – to use my God-given gifts of creativity and see where it takes me.

I’m not sure what else, if anything, will sell during the course of the show. There are several hanging there now that I will be almost sad if they do sell because I like them so much. Whether they do or not, my actions moving forward will remain the same – paint more and try and get better at what I do.

___________________________

Can’t afford the original but maybe you’d like to buy a print? Here’s your chance to get an awesome print of any paintings found on my Fine Art Studio website. Not all paintings fit this format. If there is something you like or you’d like to explore in a different size, contact me and we’ll figure it out!

High gloss prints 12″ x 16″ format – $35 per – includes mailing cost

Semi gloss metal prints 12″ x 16″ format – $130 per – includes mailing cost

Finally, for those of you in the St. Louis metro area, consider yourself invited to the closing show at Good Weather Gallery in Edwardsville, Illinois on Saturday night, January 9th from 6-9 pm. Social distancing guidelines will definitely be in effect!

 

Being Thankful For A Great Opening Night

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The artist and his awesome wife

The artist and his awesome wife

It was a rainy Saturday night in Edwardsville, Illinois. COVID-19 restrictions regarding indoor gatherings were in place. Odds were against a successful gallery show opening at Good Weather Gallery. Yet the show went on as scheduled and I am truly thankful for such a great opening.

Guests were entertained throughout the night by the music of Tom Blood, Jr.

Guests were entertained throughout the night by the music of Tom Blood, Jr.

The combination of Tom Jr. playing his music and getting to see 32 of my paintings on display in an awesome setting was fun. Having many long-time friends and supporters of my work show up made the evening even more special. Add in the fact that I sold two paintings the night of the show and another one the next morning online along with seven high gloss prints and one metallic print (all of which look quite awesome) made it an even more successful evening.

The show at Good Weather Gallery will be on display until January 9, 2021

The show at Good Weather Gallery will be on display until January 9, 2021

So what’s next? The show will remain on display through January 9th, 2021. Private showings of the work are available and it’s looking like I might do an artist talk sometime in mid-December as well as host a closing show on January 9th.

I’m grateful to the gallery owner, Brooke Piepert, for taking a flying leap of faith on my work. And I’m thankful that I’ve been able to continue to grow and improve as an artist. Special thanks to each one of you for following my journey.

If, by chance, you’d be interested in purchasing any of the 29 paintings that haven’t sold yet, or would like to buy any of the 32 images in the form of either a high gloss print or a semi-gloss print on metal which gives a spectacular sheen to the image, please visit Good Weather Gallery’s website or contact me direct. More info on prints will be coming soon!

In addition to creating advertising and marketing communications work by day, I also paint at night and have been fortunate to develop a world-wide following of the surrealistic art that I create. My recent show at Good Weather Gallery is yet another step on my artistic journey. If you would like to see more of my work, you can visit my online art gallery. You can also make purchases of my work of items like prints, iPhone covers and a variety of other items by visiting this site. Original artwork along with a variety of prints are available at this new site which supports local St. Louis artists and allows them to show their work at a variety of places throughout the metro area. Please visit!

An idea that demanded that I paint it

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Gorilla at the Gate, 40" x 30", acrylic on canvas

Gorilla at the Gate, 40″ x 30″, acrylic on canvas

As I continue to develop as a painter, I have learned that I should listen to my subconscious, even if it’s not always clear exactly what it is telling me.

People sometimes wonder where I get my ideas as there is rarely any rhyme or reason to my subject matter. If an idea pops into my head, I’ll try and sketch it out – and if I like it enough, I then turn it into a painting.

With this ongoing coronavirus, there has been a lot of gloom and doom always in the news and often on my mind. Thoughts of my own mortality have drifted in – and drifted out.

Though I don’t know where this particular thought came from, the idea of a gorilla at a gate kept entering my mind. Not just once or twice. I’d wake up in the morning and there would be something nagging at me.

It was the gorilla.

Though I’ve never painted a gorilla before, I’ve always been fascinated by them, going back to my days as an animal show announcer at the St. Louis Zoo. Yes, I was the announcer for The Chimpanzee Show, The Elephant Show and The Sea Lion Show. It was great fun and I got to see a lot of these animals on a daily basis during my two summers of announcing the shows.

The Chimpanzee Show was held inside an arena that is no longer there. On the outside of the arena, there were orangutans, chimps and a great big gorilla called Rudy.

Rudy used to love to splash visitors from his wading pool. He would sit quietly next to it, waiting for a crowd to gather and then would saunter off a bit, only to take a running jump at the pool where he would then sweep his arm in and send a giant wave of water out towards the people.

There was knowledge in that gorilla. Perhaps that memory came to me as some sort of symbolic guard at heaven’s gate. (You’ll notice an ‘H’ at the top of the ironwork.)

“Have you been good enough to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?” his stare seems to say.

Certainly I hope that he will let me pass when my time comes.

We all have a day of reckoning awaiting us. And I’m certainly not trying to convey the thought that this is any semblance of what heaven is or what it means to me.

It’s merely an idea that I tried to paint.

My daughter thought the painting represented Harambe, the gorilla that was shot and killed after it grabbed and dragged a 3-year old boy that entered his domain.

That works.

It’s just a painting. How you view it is up to you.

So, what do you think?

In addition to creating advertising and marketing communications by day, I also paint at night. My paintings have now been sold on three different continents and I’m excited about an upcoming solo show at Good Weather Gallery that opens on November 21st and will be on display through January 9, 2021.

If you’re interested, you can order prints of my work on Artfully Walls. You can also order prints as well as get my artwork put onto a variety of items like iPhone covers, pillow throws, tote bags, greeting cards, coffee cups, shower curtains and a wide variety of other items by visiting my other website on Pixels. As if that weren’t enough, more items are now available on Vida on an even wider variety of items – from umbrellas to yoga mats, clothing and jewelry to household items. I also invite you to follow me on Instagram to see work in progress from start to finish!

Delivering the Good for Caritas Connections – part one

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A frame from the new Caritas Connections video.

A frame from the new Caritas Connections video.

Caritas Connections is a faith-based, not-for-profit organization that collects donated items and distributes them at no cost, to worthy organizations in the St. Louis metropolitan area, who in turn use them to clothe, feed and assist the needy in our community.

I’ve been involved with Caritas for a number of years – first working on kind of a subset of the organization that collected laptops and distributed them to ex-offenders and then becoming a board member about three years ago. Previously, my biggest contribution was helping them re-fresh their newsletter look with a new name and design (courtesy of Madeleine Neuner) and then writing content for each edition.

Caritas never had an overview video before – since they’re a not-for-profit, they have always been extremely conservative when it comes to spending money. But the topic continued to come up at our board meetings. As circumstance would have it, I had a lunch back in December with Scott Huegerich, who is a managing partner at Aligned Media.

Scott and I have worked on many projects together during the course of my career. He’s a tremendous editor as well as a super nice guy. I asked him whether Aligned had ever done  any work with other not for profits and when I told him about the type of work that Caritas Connections does throughout the St. Louis metro area, he was intrigued.

When I brought up the possibility of creating a new video to our board, they enthusiastically told me to go for it. So I developed several script overviews, eventually settling on two directions that I presented to our board as well as the team at Aligned Media.

Ultimately, we had a unanimous decision on “Delivering the Good”, which tells the story of what, how and why Caritas does what it does through the words of our volunteers and clients.

It’s about a five minute video overall and it lives on the home page of our new Caritas Connections website. I invite you to watch it by clicking here.

Getting all the footage and interviews for the video was no easy task. I began by going out on several delivery runs with Father Tom Bryon in the Caritas Connections van. Those involved some early start times – meeting Father at the Caritas garage at 5 am and then hitting the road.

While making these runs, I used my iPhone to take a lot of video. Many of those shots ended up in the finished product but the bulk of the footage (and all of the live videos) were a result of Scott Smith who handled the camerawork and Brad Brueggeman who captured all of our interviews in a variety of locales on audio.

I put together a ridiculous production schedule for our shoot, starting at 7 am and involving ten different locations in both St. Louis city and county, filming people who had never been on camera before. What could possibly go wrong?

Our worst mishap came when we were interviewing the driver of our van, who made an unexpected quick stop which sent Brad, who was sitting on a milk crate manning the mic into the back of the driver’s seat. Other than a minor scratch to his forehead, everything turned out okay.

Our in-van interview session had a few bumps along the way.

Our in-van interview session had a few bumps along the way.

Once we had all of our footage, Aligned provided me a time-coded version of it and I went to work crafting the story, adding sub-titles where I thought things needed more emphasis.

Chris Myers did a great job with the edit and somehow, the stock music piece that I selected seemed just right for the video.

Originally, we were going to showcase the video at the annual Caritas Connections golf tournament that takes place in May. But that got pushed back, and then cancelled completely. So now it lives on the website.

The message is fairly timeless.

A special thanks goes out to all the people in the video as well as everyone who had a hand in making it happen.

Lots of volunteers were happy to help in telling the Caritas story.

Lots of volunteers were happy to help in telling the Caritas story.

Caritas Connections is a tremendous organization doing a lot of good for this community and the need for what they do seems to continue to grow. It’s my hope that this video can help in some way – maybe someone will volunteer their services or choose to donate to the organization.

If that’s the case, it will be well worth the effort that went into making it.

 

Social Distancing with a touch of Magritte

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I took a surrealistic viewpoint of Social Distancing and this is the result.

I took a surrealistic viewpoint of Social Distancing and this is the result.

To say that the Coronavirus has changed the way we live is an understatement.

In January, no one had ever heard of the term, “Social Distancing”.

Now, it’s the new norm and there’s no telling how long it will be in effect.

These days, a simple walk in the park is no longer possible. You have to go out of your way to stay out of the way.

I totally get it.

But I certainly don’t like it.

Personally, we have been lucky so far, able to avoid the ravages of the Coronavirus. Like so many others, we have abided by the rules, sheltering ourselves at home and when we do go out, keeping our six-foot distance from others.

I thought to myself, “Why not somehow portray this in a painting and do it in what I think is now my own unmistakeable style?” The man in the bowler hat, my on-going homage to the Belgian surrealist master, Rene Magritte, would anchor the right portion of the painting. And in a similar style, a woman with her blond hair braided and in all black occupies the left portion of the canvas.

There is a noticeable gap between them.

They each stand with their backs to the viewer, so that you, as well as they are all staring out at some body of water and a distant horizon.

Though the sky is blue, the moon is out – another Magritte reference. It could be dawn. It could be dusk.

There’s a light on the horizon, perhaps signaling that better times are just ahead.

I like to think so.

When you see this painting for real, it is quite striking. It’s 36″ x 48″. The two figures really stand out against the background.

It’s a painting that had Social Distancing never entered our vocabulary – if the Coronavirus had never come our way – would still be quite striking.

But with this damn virus, it has a whole new meaning.

I hope you all are well and healthy and that we can return to some sort of normalcy in the very near future.

Thanks for reading!

In addition to creating advertising and marketing communications by day, Tom is also a painter by night. His work is available on a variety of websites. For example, you can order prints of my work on Artfully Walls. You can also order prints as well as get my artwork put onto a variety of items like iPhone covers, pillow throws, tote bags, greeting cards, coffee cups, shower curtains and a wide variety of other items by visiting my other website on Pixels. As if that weren’t enough, more items are now available on Vida on an even wider variety of items – from umbrellas to yoga mats, clothing and jewelry to household items. I also invite you to follow me on Instagram to see work in progress from start to finish!

The idea for this surrealist painting came from out of the blue

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A spiral staircase rises out of the ocean with a woman in a long, red dress standing atop it.

“Out Of The Blue” – 30″ x 40″, acrylic on canvas                           A spiral staircase rises out of the ocean with a woman in a long, red dress standing atop it.

 

 

Generally, right about the time I’m finishing up a painting, my mind begins to churn over the basic question, “What will I paint next?”

For artists who paint abstract images or focus on landscapes or portraits, perhaps the answer to that question isn’t quite as wide-ranging compared to what I choose to do.

For me, you have to have an idea in mind before you begin the painting process. And that idea might lead me anywhere.

Sometimes, different visuals will pop into my head. They’re totally random thoughts but if I find myself going back to the same one, I generally pursue it.

So for some odd reason, I had a spiral staircase in my head. I had done a painting before featuring a spiral staircase and I didn’t want to repeat myself.

Yet the image persisted.

So I looked for some spiral staircase reference material and came across a rather unique looking one where the steps appear to be free-floating, anchored down by three different beams at the top, middle and bottom of the staircase.

I liked it. But then, what to do with it? In the previous painting involving a spiral staircase, it rose out of the clouds and there on top of it was the man in the bowler hat.

I knew that wasn’t a solution. So then I thought, what if it rises out of the water in the middle of nowhere?

I sketched it out and liked the starkness of the image. So I committed to the concept and sketched it out on the canvas. And with this painting, I decided a woman should be standing at the top, looking out on the horizon. And why not have her in a long, red dress, just to add a little drama to the scenario?

It wasn’t much of a sketch. Just the staircase, the woman and the shape of a few puffy clouds.

I started in on the sky and as I was creating it, I really liked its blueness, knowing that there would be even more blue to come with the sea. When it came time for the ocean, it was done in different shades of blue, using five different blues overall.

All that blue was overwhelming. Which is when the title for the painting came to me, “Out Of The Blue”.

The spiral staircase rises up from out of the blue.

The woman is standing atop it, seemingly from out of the blue.

It’s a very simplistic, yet powerful visual.

Perhaps, in this, ‘Year of the Woman’, it represents women’s ability to rise up, seemingly from out of nowhere. Maybe she’s waiting for her ship to come in. Or maybe it’s a melancholy look at singularity.

Its beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

In addition to creating advertising and marketing communications by day, I love to paint at night. If you’d like to receive regular updates about my paintings, you can sign up for my free newsletter: http://tblood.faso.com/email-newsletter

Also, if my prices are keeping you from purchasing anything, know that you can order prints of my work on Artfully Walls. You can also order prints as well as get my artwork put onto a variety of items like iPhone covers, pillow throws, tote bags, greeting cards, coffee cups, shower curtains and a wide variety of other items by visiting my other website on Pixels. As if that weren’t enough, more items are now available on Vidaon an even wider variety of items – from umbrellas to yoga mats, clothing and jewelry to household items. I also invite you to follow me onInstagram to see work in progress from start to finish!

Artfully Walls gives my painting exposure a big boost

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For the next few days, visitors to Artfullywalls.com will see this upon arriving at the site.

For the next few days, visitors to Artfullywalls.com will see this upon arriving at the site.

As most of you know, when I’m not creating advertising and marketing communications, I also have a passion for painting.

If you’ve ever seen any of my work, it’s quite obvious that the paintings I do are a little off the wall.

Most people like the work, but they don’t necessarily envision my paintings adorning the walls of their home or business.

So I was thrilled to receive an email this morning from an e-commerce website called Artfully Walls promoting some of my work as their Featured Artist of the week. You can view the email that will also take you to my page on their website here: https://mailchi.mp/artfullywalls/featured-artist-tom-blood?e=beb13f45f0

I have had some success over the past year selling prints on Artfully Walls. I’m hoping that this promotion created by Artfully Walls will lead to a few more.

If nothing else, I am getting a lot of free exposure to my work. I am guessing that the Artfully Walls email list goes out to more than 100,000 people.

That dwarfs the living daylights out of my newsletter email list – it’s still under 100 people. So the email I received is a definite brand-building boost.

I’m hoping for continued growth as an artist in 2020 as my on-going goal is to get better with each painting that I do. Of course, the same applies with all of my advertising and marketing efforts – you’ve got to keep learning, keep expanding and always continue to try and get better.

I have been blessed to be able to successfully pursue both of these endeavors – and I love doing what I do which is essentially use my creative talents in as many ways as I can.

So if you’re not in need of any advertising or marketing communications help, perhaps an off the wall print from Artfully Walls would suffice instead.

Happy New Year!

If you know anyone who would like to learn more about my artistic pursuits, please  invite them to sign up for my free newsletter. And if you haven’t, please do!

Also, if my prices are keeping you from purchasing anything, know that you can order prints of my work on Artfully Walls. You can also order prints as well as get my artwork put onto a variety of items like iPhone covers, pillow throws, tote bags, greeting cards, coffee cups, shower curtains and a wide variety of other items by visiting my other website on Pixels. As if that weren’t enough, more items are now available on Vidaon an even wider variety of items – from umbrellas to yoga mats, clothing and jewelry to household items. I also invite you to follow me onInstagram to see work in progress from start to finish!

Any publicity is good publicity

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'Key To Success', one of my recent paintings, graces the cover of the September 2019 issue of Gesso Magazine.

‘Key To Success’, one of my recent paintings, graces the cover of the September 2019 issue of Gesso Magazine.

I was surprised last week when I found out that one of my recent paintings made the cover of Gesso Magazine, a monthly publication that covers the arts scene on both sides of the river here in the metro St. Louis area. (https://issuu.com/gessomagazine/docs/september_2019)

I had been in contact with them regarding some of my recent works and knew they were interested – but had no idea that my work would not only grace the cover of their September issue but that they’d also give me a full page on the inside showcasing more of my work (page 35 if you’re interested).

Awesome news.

With virtually no results. I featured the cover on my Facebook page, on twitter and Instagram. Yawn.

Instagram seemed to have the most reactions – but that’s still fewer than 100 likes. And as for sales?

Well, not yet.

It’s been a great year for generating awareness. In addition to this recent cover, I had my solo show that was up for a month at the Renaissance Airport Hotel. My art was noticed by Art Sleuth, an online art gallery out of Hong Kong that wanted me to join their lineup of artists and they’re doing a direct mail piece that goes out next week promoting my art. I was approached by another online art gallery called Turning Art that sells prints and they asked that I join their roster as well. Eleven of my works are featured on Artfully Walls, another online service that sells prints. They’re supposed to be featuring my work in a promo in the next month or so.

30,000 views of my artwork on my pixels website. Almost 1200 followers on Instagram.

In a sea of millions of artists, I am only one. To rise above, you have to be seen and noted.

I’m working on it.

And in the meantime, I’ll just keep trying to get better as a painter.

In addition to creating advertising and marketing communications by day, I also paint by night. I’ve had a number of solo art shows, and my work is attracting worldwide attention via my pixels website and also on art sleuth.

If you’re interested in seeing more of my work and potentially buying a print or two or would like to buy my artwork on a variety of items like iPhone covers, pillow throws, tote bags, greeting cards, coffee cups, shower curtains and a wide variety of other items please visit my pixels website via the link above. I also invite you to follow me on Instagram to see work in progress from start to finish!

The shirt seen ’round the world

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Look in the crowd, a little to the right of the middle and I'm the guy wearing the shirt with the Blue note on it.

Look in the crowd, a little to the right of the middle and I’m the guy wearing the shirt with the Blue note on it.

How does one assure that you’ll stand out in a crowd of about 35,000 people at a Major Golf Championship? You wear the Blue note.

That was my plan as Chris and I embarked for an epic vacation to Ireland and Scotland that would include attending The Open, held at Royal Port Rush Golf Club in Northern Ireland as well as playing The Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland.

How it all came about, resulting in the photo you see above is somewhat amazing, involving two of my fellow Blue Buddies from St. Louis U High and an ancestral journey that my wife, Chris, made to Ireland about seven years ago with her mom.

I guess I’ll start there as Chris and I would have probably never made this trip had she not first gone across the pond with her mum (we’ll use the English vernacular) to see if they could find any ties to her mum’s grandfather who hailed from a town called Ballymoney. The trip was a success, including their stay at a Bed & Breakfast. Two years ago, while Chris and I were watching The Open, a promo came on announcing future sites for The Open which included this year’s event that would return to Northern Ireland for the first time in 52 years at The Royal Port Rush Golf Club.

Chris said the site of The Open was less than 15 minutes from Ballymoney and that she would check to see if we could stay at the same Bed & Breakfast.

It was available – so that set our travel plans in motion which we expanded to include a round of our own at the birthplace of golf, St. Andrews in Scotland. Chris was quite the travel planner as she blocked out and booked all aspects of our journey. The week before, as we were discussing what all we should pack based on temperatures in Northern Ireland and Scotland at this time of year, I mentioned I was going to wear the Blue note. I know I could have opted for a Cardinals jersey but saluting the Stanley Cup Champions on a completely different continent seemed like the right thing to do.

Chris and I, striking a pose with the Open logo on the grounds of Royal Port Rush.

Chris and I, striking a pose with the Open logo on the grounds of Royal Port Rush.

I was hoping that someone, somewhere might notice. Turns out that someone did. Dave Hemenway, one of my high school classmates from SLUH was watching The Open on an early Saturday morning from his home in Cary, North Carolina and noticed someone wearing a Blues jersey behind the 6th green.

He got out his phone and snapped my image from the TV coverage and sent it along to another class of ’76 grad, Pat Leahy, who’s one of my golf buddies. Dave’s message to Pat – “Look in the gallery”

And there I was, right next to Chris, proudly wearing my Blues shirt. I don’t think it drew any comments from the TV analysts. But it did get noticed. And now, through the power of social media, will get noticed a bit more.

It’s a small world after all.