The June Advocate features artist Cabe Booth, who painted all of the portraits in the lobby of the Verizon Theater in Grand Prairie. Booth ran himself ragged to meet the demands of that gig as well as painting portraits for other live-music venues in Dallas and other cities.
He says he found it frustrating that he put so much into that job yet no one ever seemed to notice or mention the hundreds of portraits he did for Verizon. Then he got an agent, and she called him one day from the lobby of the Verizon. She said something like, “Cabe, I know why no one ever says anything about these paintings. It’s because no one can tell they’re paintings. They all look like photographs.”
It’s true. Booth’s portraits are so realistic, they look like photos. And when they’re on canvas, like the ones at Verizon, they look like poster-sized photos. Sometimes booth creates portraits of artists he admires, but he paints them on broken wood. That way, you can tell it’s a painting.
Booth also accepts commissions for portraits. A lot of people hire them to paint their pets or loved ones. And he is often surprised at how emotional his clients become when they see the finished work.
But his passion lies in the artwork he makes for himself. His work usually involves flying things — planes, birds, butterflies, bugs — which he paints on pieces of broken wood.
Check out Booth’s website to see more of his work or to hire him for portraiture.
