Larkin Ford

One More Jump
96 x 48”
Latex and acrylic paint on wood panel
Painted 6/27/2026

I had a great time painting alongside 19 talented folks at the Brush and Box Fest live painting event in Smyrna this past Saturday. The 8-foot-tall boxes are on the Village Green by the Community Center, and will tour around Smyrna all year.

This was my first live painting event, and while it ran from 2-8 pm, the organizers graciously let me stay late to finish. I’ll likely streamline things more in the future, but it was an exciting challenge.

Thanks to @cityofsmyrnaga for hosting, and thanks to my wall-neighbor and fantastic muralist @alisonhamilart for the photos of the finished piece! Check out her mural for the event, too!

I wanted to capture the carefree feeling of long, unstructured summer days. These kids are still doing cannonballs, candlesticks, and can openers off the rock, and as the sun starts to set, there’s just time for one more.

My first draft didn’t include the splash at the bottom, but when I heard David Hockney had passed, I decided to include an homage to his painting, A Bigger Splash—and it made the composition a lot more dynamic, at least to my eye.

You can decide whether these kids are enjoying Lake Allatoona or Lake Hartwell, or maybe plunging into a little-known deep spot in the Chattahoochee. It’s made me happy to hear that seeing this painting has inspired some friends and family to visit their favorite swimming holes. I’m overdue for a dip myself!

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#mural #figurativepainting #livepainting #atlantapainter #atlantamuralist