Just posted this news to my client Gary Aagaard‘s site: Holy Holly was a winner in the 2013 Applied Arts Photography & Illustration Awards juried competition (Portrait Category).

Gary was shocked that his painting won. But I wasn’t. He’s an incredible genius of character and painterly storytelling. Last year, he wrote about the  paintings development for his web site.

“My most recent commission, Holy Holly (my working title), was a collaborative effort. Harry Nasse, the owner of Ward-Nasse Gallery in NYC, was contacted by a collector who had seen my work several years ago while strolling through Soho. Shortly after speaking with Harry, the collector, James, contacted me and shared his vision, apparently something he had been fantasizing about for over a decade. James, a huge Buddy Holly fan, imagined Buddy crucified on the instrument of his untimely demise, a 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza 35 (V-tail). As a backdrop, James wanted the background of the Mona Lisa, one of his favorite paintings.”