I Purchased My First Piece Of Original Art

Some who call themselves “photographers” are creative types who lean toward the arts. That’s never really been me. The creative or artistic side of photography is where I struggle the most. Which is probably why I’ve always gravitated more toward photojournalism vs. fine arts photography. That’s not to say I haven’t tried to expand my horizons in order to improve my photography. And I’ve been to some of the greatest museums in the world and viewed art pieces which are similarly world renowned. But I can’t say that I’ve ever connected with art or an artist. That is until I discovered the work of Erica Arndts.

 

I was first exposed to Erica’s work in Miamisburg, Ohio.  Erica is originally from the Dayton, Ohio area and has been commissioned by several municipalities and businesses in and around the Dayton area to do mural work. The first piece of hers that I saw was on the side of the Plaza Theater in Miamisburg:

This mural really spoke to me on several levels. Firstly, the scale of the mural is quite awe inspiring – it takes up the entire long side wall of the Plaza Theater. Then you instantly recognize the people in the mural – these were iconic actors depicted as the characters in some of their most famous roles. These are actors and characters in films which are extremely influential in the world of cinema, and it’s easy to see why they were chosen for the mural on the Plaza Theater. Erica clearly painted each actor in the likeness of a famous image or photograph of that actor – for recognition and greater connection for the audience. For example, if you Google “Charlie Chaplin” you’re likely to see an image that quite clearly was the basis for the version Erica painted on her mural:

What was also interesting is that that the mural is almost absent of color – it has an almost “sepia” tone, like we’re looking at an aged black and white photograph.

Just up the street from the Plaza Theater is the home of “U! Creative” – a creative agency. Theirs is an interesting story – as part of the City of Miamisburg’s ongoing revisitation efforts, U! Creative purchased the old, dilapidated Kondoff’s Records building and rehabilitated the building for their headquarters. Part of the rehab project was to commission Erica Arndts to pain a mural on the side of the building which pays tribute to the buildings historical roots, as well as the classic musical artists depicted in the mural. The project has quite an interesting story which you can read about on “The Last Record Store In America” webpage which U! Creative…created. In contrast to the Plaza Theater mural, the mural Erica did for U! Creative is bursting with color:

Like the Plaza mural, the iconic music legends painted on the mural are inspired by famous photographs of each artist. It may be my favorite Erica Arndst mural – its positively captivating.

On the opposite end of town, The Eagles Club commissioned Erica to do murals on two separate walls of the building. One patriotic mural of the US flag waving in the wind, and the other which ties this local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Eagles to the Miamisburg community in which it resides:

Relative to the other murals Eric did in Miamisburg, the murals for the Eagles Club are simple, yet powerful in the emotions and messages conveyed. Patriotism. Community. Both the images and the bright, beautiful colors never cease to make me smile.

Erica also has done three fantastic murals for the Stratacache Tower (formerly known as Kettering Tower) which is the tallest building in downtown Dayton. One either side of the 2nd Street entrance to building are these two murals:

The painting of Winston Churchill, here again, is based on photographs which often depicted Churchill flashing the “peace sign” and shows one Churchills many famous quotes.  The “Greetings From Dayton” mural is another favorite that displays similarly famous, iconic images associated with Dayton inside each of the letters. It’s like each letter has an “Easter egg” that only Dayton residents will understand.

Inside the lobby of Stratacache Tower is an enormous mural depicting world famous innovators and tech influences – once again, the painted images bear a striking resemblance to famous photographs and historical imagery.  The mural is vibrant and colorful, but deeply complex and thought provoking. It would likely be my favorite local area mural Erica has done were it not for the fact that I don’t go downtown all that often to experience it.

Fast forward to about two weeks ago and Eric posted on her Facebook Page that she was in the process of moving and wanted to sell some of her original art pieces:

An original piece of art…of what may turn out to be one of the most iconic moments in US Presidential Election history…painted by a locally renowned artist?  I immediately reached out Erica and am now the proud owner of this fantastic painting.

This particular moment that Erica has captured is quite meaningful to me.  Up to that point in Donald Trump‘s campaign for reelection to a non-consecutive term, I just wasn’t sure.  I still harbored a lot of resentment against Trump for how he self-destructed in his first term and opened the door for Joe Biden to walk-through.  I didn’t vote for Trump in the primary elections in either of his campaigns, though I did vote for him in each of his presidential elections.  In his second campaign I just couldn’t conceive of how someone who had so much going against him could possibly win the election.  The scandals.   The impeachments.  The lawsuits.   The indictments.  The felony convictions.  Yet he continued to persevere.  July 13th, 2024 changed everything for me – that was the day of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.  My wife Karen and I were on  the couch watching TV when the news broke of the attempt and I immediately switched over to Fox News.  They replayed the whole incident – Trump turning his head a split second before rifle shots rang out and the bullet that otherwise would have killed President Donald Trump instead hit his ear.  Instantly he was surrounded by Secret Service agents, who took him to the ground.  Pandemonium ensued.  Then after several seconds which seemed like an eternity, President Trump rose to his feet with blood streaming down his face, raising his fist in righteous resistance, uttering those famous words.  “Fight!  Fight!  Fight!”  It was at that moment that I knew.  Donald Trump was my President.  For all his faults and foibles, that man has more fight and determination than any I’ve ever known.  I turned to Karen and said, “The election is over.  Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States.”

So yes, while I was never a diehard Trump fan, this pivotal moment changed everything for me.  There never has been nor will there ever be a campaign quite like the one that Trump ran in 2024.  I’m proud to have been alive to experience it first hand.  And I’m thrilled to own Erica’s painting, the captures this moment so beautifully.

The painting is signed on the back by Erica and dated – completed one day after the Butler Pennsylvania assassination attempt:

“Give Peace a Chance” – the title of the John Lennon and Yoko Ono song.  I like to think that the Dove in the painting represents not only peace, but also God watching over President Donald Trump in that moment and protecting him.

Erica does sell prints of this painting along with many other examples of her work on her website.  I would encourage you to check it out.