Peace Arch Hospital Foundation, in White Rock, Canada, has been the beneficiary of three different pieces I’ve painted live over the years.
One was a tribute to Wayne Gretzky. Before it left my hands, it came back to my studio in Boca Raton first, where I add a hidden authentication mark to every painting I create, then photograph and record it in my Art Registry. That way, whoever ends up owning it can always prove it’s real. The Gretzky piece, along with the others auctioned that night, brought in $58,000 for the foundation.
Another was Marilyn Monroe, painted live for an “Alice in Wonderland”-themed gala with over 500 guests. That auction brought in $58,000 for the foundation as well.
The third told a different kind of story. White Rock’s pier stretches nearly 1,500 feet out into the water and is one of the longest wooden piers on the Pacific coast — the kind of place where a whole town has its sunrise walks, first dates, and family photos. On December 20, 2018, a windstorm tore through it and ripped away a section, and the community took the damage personally. I painted the pier the way people remembered it, lit up at sunset, and the piece was unveiled at a Peace Arch Hospital Foundation gala as a way to turn that loss into something the community could rally around. It sold, and the proceeds went to the foundation too.
Three pieces, three nights, one foundation. That’s what a long relationship with a charity can look like — not a single big event, but an artist coming back again and again because the cause is worth it.