From Nov. 2019 to Nov. 2024, I painted and gave away 500 paintings.

What started in Sheffield, UK slowly spread around the globe. My paintings have been left for people to find in places like park benches, playgrounds, paths, shop windows—and they have found homes in Japan, Germany, Spain, Portugal, the Middle East, United Kingdom and the USA from the east coast to the west, including Hawaii.

Why?

This project started with an idea to celebrate my 33rd birthday with a random act of kindness. I decided to paint, package and distribute 33 canvases to celebrate the day.

I loved doing that project, and the response to that first art drop was so positive that I decided to keep going.

Because I was in a situation where I couldn’t sell my art—I’m from the states and from 2018 to 2023 was on a work visa in the UK. That visa comes with stipulations about how you can generate income. So, while I’ve always done art and sold pieces here and there, collecting an income from art was strictly off limits for me for those years, until my visa advanced to a “settled” status. So, for that period of time, I couldn’t really sell my art, but that was never going to stop me from practicing my art. And because people like art I was sure to find homes for each and every piece I created without having to worry about my home turning into a colorful hoard of canvases.

I had plenty of time, so my goal for the paintings quickly grew from 33 to 100, to 300, and eventually 500. I dunno, it just had a nice ring to it! 500 paintings. Real, human-made paintings. Done with love. All given away to complete strangers. Hidden like Easter eggs in cities across the globe for finders to find and keep (or gift to a friend).

It was bitter-sweet for me when the project came to an end! But despite the challenge of it, it gave me so much and helped to shape me as an artist. The 500 Project gave me space to explore my art, to hone in on my process, to find real meaning in my work. It’s taught me that you reap what you sow. When we give our gifts to the world, we get gifts back.

The messages I’ve received from finders throughout the years are what kept me going. It turns out you really do reap what you sow. So thank you to everyone who reached out. I hope my work inspires others to put something good into the world… just cause.

If you want to dive deeper into this story, you can read more here in this article, “How a small act of kindness became an act of prolific giving” and “The 500 Project: Complete.”