8:15 - Original - Framed - The Traveling Girl

The Traveling Girl series invites viewers into a world as experienced by a curious, adventurous girl as she journeys. Where? That seems yet to be decided. Each piece captures a fleeting moment—whether she's reading while waiting at a bus stop, deciding which train to take, reflecting on life and her own image in a stream, staring inside a store window during the rain, offering friendship to animals or simply exploring. Though we rarely see her face, her presence speaks volumes. She represents wonder, quiet strength, and the joy of exploring the unknown.

This series was born from a personal desire to convey emotion without words or facial expression. She could be any of us. By placing the traveling girl in a variety of settings from forests to cities to oceans, I aim to reflect the feeling of being small in a vast, beautiful world—yet never insignificant. Every background is carefully painted to evoke mood and atmosphere, blending realism with a touch of storybook charm.

Ultimately, The Traveling Girl is about connection: to place, to feeling, and to the stories we carry. I hope viewers see a bit of themselves in her journey, and are reminded that even solitary moments can be filled with meaning and magic.

And as is true in each of my paintings, Beau is always nearby.

8:15 is the very first piece that was painted in The Traveling Girl series.  I had the vision for 8:15 - a girl with her face obscured, sitting at a bus stop with a wooded scene behind her, seemingly waiting ... and I wanted the subject to have a dangling flip-flop from a crossed leg, the same way my girlfriend's flip-flop dangled. So, while my then girlfriend (now wife) sat on the bench at the dining room table in her apartment, I sketched until I thought I had the look just right.

This original has been hanging in my home until first exhibited during 2025 at the West Osceola Library as part of Osceola Art's program Art in Public Places.

Title: 8:15
Type: Original Oil on Canvas
Framed: Yes (as is in an aged, recovered barn wood frame with linen liner)
Size: 30x40 (painting dimensions, does not include the frame dimensions in this number)
Availability: After Nov 17 when the current exhibit concludes