A chance encounter in Vegas — Back in 2011 during our first Vegas Trip, Ari was asked to create a temporary tattoo on the arm of Sheila… a renowned performer on the strip. It was our first day in Vegas, and she asked us to live paint at Broadway Bares… a charity show.

Here I am with Sheila in 2012, one year later, after our second Broadway Bares. We’ll get to it again this Sunday… our third Vegas Bares. One chance encounter… a lifetime of awesomeness. This is Vegas, and this is not unusual.

Welcome to Las Vegas by day…

Burlesque charitable goodness by night.

Through Sheila and Broadway Bares we met Paula Caselton (above with Paul Zepeda) (PS, Paula, my apologies, we need to get a proper picture together this year!) The ladies introduced us to a gentleman named Pauly…

Who hooked us up with a cabana at Surrender to paint the action…

The starting point and finish line are rarely connected.

Last April, I finished a commissioned painting of the Carnegie Library in Paulding County Ohio…

On Easter Sunday, 2011, I was painting the El Cortez Hotel on Fremont street when I met Susan Pieper… who snapped this picture.

One year later, Susan, who works at the Carnegie Library, commissioned the library painting… which was written about in the Paulding County Progress, recapping how we met.

From the El Cortez to the Carnegie Library… unexpected and awesome.

Through beer league hockey, I’ve met many of my best pals, including goaltending superstar Jim McClure.

Jim introduced me to a longtime friend of his — JP Carmona, who happened to move back to Las Vegas last year. JP has been our guy in Vegas… this will be the second year we get to hang with JP… who has literally opened his doors to us. Incredible.

Vegas is as much about the experience as it is the unexpected. What will happen in 2013? Three days until Vegas.

Why Vegas

My first blog about this years trip… check yo’self.