On June 12, 2016 our nation had to bare the worst mass shooting in it's history. it is utterly heart breaking and hard to even fathom.  I think almost all of us shared the same hurt. My heart dropped. I feared for my friends, thought of all of the loss, wished for more for our society. Feelings that most of us all shared. I wanted to try and help toward something better. So thus the birth of this art print charity. 

Originally I was going to have these funds go toward an Orlando relief charity but I am so filled with happiness to see that SO many are donating in the millions. And although I believe every single dollar counts despite how much  it's numbers climb I started to think, "where else can love go?" There is a clear cut truth happening and that is that too many lines are drawn. We all matter. We can all practice so much more tolerance. I am a shining example of that. I need to practice having tolerance daily. We all do. 

I have decided to put my focus on just that. Tolerance, walls, understanding, and UNITY. If you strap a gun around your body or kiss a man you are all one in the same who I am speaking to. 

How this print came to be:
When I first moved to Chicago I found myself very quickly and very fortunately cast in a beautiful production of the musical HAIR at the Paramount Theatre. I played a character named Woof. If you haven't ever seen this show I encourage you to do so. See many productions of it because the story and the painting of it are told differently from cast to cast and director to director. I don't want to be bias but I feel so grateful to personally deem the production I was in as the greatest telling of this story (this is with no discredit to other's experience in other productions of it). This is my opinion. I lived it 8 shows a week. I was lucky. I cannot describe the journey each and every show that I got to take. 

It was a story of group of people facing the draft, war, love, hate, discrimination, freedom, life and death. I laughed and loved with my friends. I sang songs with them. I kissed a white girl. I kissed a black girl. I kissed a white man. I kissed a black man. I starred through the crack of a door and watched my friend die in waring gun fire. I touched his military coffin in disbelief as one of my now best friends who is leaving this city to be with his sick father looked at me telling me simply with his eyes "Yes it's real. He's gone. And you have to say goodbye now." I walked down an aisle of veterans reliving their all too true reality and past on a nightly basis as I wept, holding tightly onto my black friend named Hud.  I literally stood naked on a stage with a group of amazing souls in front of thousands of people at the end of the first act daily in a singular voice to say, "This is my body. I am human. I am fragile. Do not kill me even though you can."
This may sound silly because ultimately we can chalk it up to make believe but as I sit here writing this I am welling up with feelings of joy and love and loss and sadness through this story I got to help tell. And I get to do that because I live in a society where I am given the freedom to. I am thankful, I am sad, I am angry, I am forgiving, I am lost and I am searching. 

Toward the end of the production I created this piece at a cast get-together. It obviously stands for a lot. War, peace, new beginnings, death, tolerance, brokeness, nothingness and everything. The list in my artistic vision goes on and on. It is very special.

Print details:
Each 5x7 print is signed and numbered by me and commemorating the name of one of the 49 lost lives below the earth with their age in which they were taken scripted on to the fin of the weapon burrowed into the floating piece of world. 

Now..where your money is going:
As I have stated, I have decided to do something different. Have us think differently potentially. I don't necessarily think just I myself want more for us or the victims want more for us or their families but rather that WE want more for us. I'm doing my best to have my thoughts and intentions make sense. So with that, each print costs $10. With an initial $10 I have put in to start that will bring the total of sales to $500. So what I have chosen to do is split that up...

$100 will go to The Center- A foundation to provide a safe and welcoming environment with programs and services for the entire LGBT community. The programs range from volleyball, dance performances and cooking classes to rapid HIV testing, group therapy and vocational training.
http://www.centeronhalsted.org/cohoverview.html

$100 will go to Fallen Patriots- A foundation to provide college scholarships and educational counseling to military children who have lost a parent in the line of duty.
http://www.fallenpatriots.org/who-we-are/our-mission/

$100 will go to BUILD- a foundation to engage at-risk youth in the schools and on the streets, so they can realize their educational and career potential and contribute to the stability, safety and well being of our communities.
http://www.buildchicago.org/about-us

$100 will go to Season Of Concern- a foundation to provide care for those in the theater community afflicted with AIDS-related illnesses, Season of Concern has raised tens of thousands of dollars from generous artists and theater patrons to benefit hundreds of people in the entertainment industry-actors, directors, designers, technicians, playwrights-who are experiencing health-related emergencies and medical issues.

$100 will go to The Soldier Project- a foundation to provide care to soldiers reentering civilian life and struggling with PTSD or depression. 

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this.
Look, I'm just a dude trying to help. I don't have the answers and my view points aren't all the right ones. I make mistakes every day. I hurt people I love all the time. I fail every day and I learn every day. I know its hard because the world is a scary place but there are parts of it I KNOW we can help make less scary.  We can look out for each other. Pull each other out of the dark. Let the sun shine in. 

On May 4th ONLY all Star Wars prints will be 40% OFF (plus shipping)!!! So head over to the Star Wars section and have at it!!! 

That's right! From Black Friday through Cyber Monday I am running a Buy 1 Get 1 sale! For any $20 print get a second $20 print (or $10 print) of your choice and for any $10 print get a second $10 print of your choice! HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: When you make your purchase simply state the second print you want in the notes. THAT'S IT! If you have any issues please email me directly at adasartbox@yahoo.com  Now go forth and explore! Wether it's for yourself or friends, it's a good time to stock on up on some awesome art!

     It's a sad day in the world of creative arts. The great Wes Craven has passed but man oh man what a legacy he left behind. He haunted our dreams with his great pieces of cinema and we loved him for it! Thank you for all you have done Wes! 
 

     In our many restless nights we salute you! 
                     
                                      RIP

It has come to my attention that I have been rather neglectful of my website. Or more so I produce more work than time I have to keep updating. I'm going to be changing the updating part. The production part will remain the same. Actually the production part will likely increase.

To catch you up to speed: Over the winter of 2014-2015 I starred in Dee Snider's Rock and Roll Christmas Tale at the Chicago Broadway Playhouse downtown. It was incredible experience. So much good rock and laughter. And the surreal feeling of acting and performing with Dee and thinking "man I remember first seeing you in the Pee Herman movie and thinking how damn cool you were". Beyond that even, the people and time spent there was just so fulfilling. I have beautiful memories that will last me an entire life time and beyond. I wish I could be more wordy about it all but the truth is I don't have the right words to truly describe it. It lives in my heart and I can feel it and smell it and taste it. It's the closest I have ever come to feeling like I was living in another world. A world that I liked and that I will make part of my world at some point. 

In the spring I was in the original show Wonderland: Alice's Rock and Roll Adventure for The Chicago Children's Theatre. Really beautiful to be able to bring a timeless story to life with such rocking music and to see it fill up the young audiences and older audiences with joy always put a smile on my face. I played the ever so crazy March Hare and Red King.

Art has been busier than ever and if you follow my on Instagram then you have seen the collection of Mortal Kombat pieces I have done. Those like many pieces are exclusive to Instagram Art Auctions only if you want to buy and and own one. So follow me if you don't! Because it happens very often. Aside form Mortal Kombat I have been chipping away at many other pieces and with each piece I become happier and happier with myself as an artist. 

Other than that my main job is taking the stage with my country band. Thats right! I may love rock and other music but if you didnt already know it I also love country and my band Cowboy Jukebox that I formed roughly two years ago has been tearing through Chicago! Come check us out! We play all over. We do however slow down a bit near the fall and I will begin more writing and recording. 

With that slow down I will also be hitting the scenes again as myself and my film partner Chaz Dray will officially be launching our production company Play Dead Productions. What started out as just two friends making stuff is now gaining speed and we plan to turn it into a juggernaught of greatness! If you haven't done so yet check out our other short films: Play Dead With Me and Morbius: The Living Vampire. 

So theres your quick break down! You can come see me at Comic Con Chicago Aug 20-23! Look for me in Artist Alley and come get yourself some rad stuff. I'll have plenty of it.