Brian has been an invaluable volunteer since he first assisted painting murals four years ago. He readily admits that it once took him two weeks to paint a blowfish in an ocean scene, but from that rather humble beginning, he has graduated into being our “king of the castle,” where he is currently completing 40 ceiling tiles for our Huntington Hospital project. He works quickly and efficiently, and has perfected his own style; the backgrounds are airbrushed in subtle, opaque colors and the foregrounds hand painted with intricate and delicate figures. He is a self-taught artist and loves to try new things, just for the challenge of figuring them out.Brian states that his involvement at Splashes of Hope has “no downside,” and he looks upon his involvement at Splashes as leaving a legacy of hope. He loves the camaraderie, and will do anything that is asked of him, be it prepping for murals, driving the Splashes van, face painting, painting and installing murals… and all with a smile! (And does he have ANY idea how much he resembles Derek Jeter?) We know that he will bring the same commitment, generosity, kindness, and enthusiasm to his work in medicine.
Heather Buggee describes Brian as a “beacon of light. He possesses a unique combination of talent and compassion in both arts and sciences.” She further stated, “The Huntington Hospital ICU staff has already seen Brian’s ceiling tiles make a difference. Patients, when coming out of anesthesia, need to reorient themselves. Focusing on Brian’s ceiling tiles helps them accomplish this in a positive and nonthreatening way.”
Although Brian will be moving to Florida, he is adamant that he will remain a Splashes volunteer, painting ceiling tiles for local Splashes projects. The Southeast branch of our organization looks forward to stalking (er, keeping in touch with) him… so, it’s farewell, but not goodbye!