David Blanch never went to art school in any way that stuck. He started drawing on walls as a kid, moved into spray-painting and tagging as a teenager, and picked up a brush around 17, learning the rest by grinding through years as what he calls, without irony, a starving artist. A decade ago that changed. Blanch has since sold more than 2,000 original paintings, refuses to make prints of any of them, and has built a client list that includes comedian Theo Von, rapper Yelawolf, Jelly Roll and, at the time of this interview, a painting in progress for Russell Brand, who Blanch was set to hand deliver at Brand's Rumble podcast studio on Longboat Key.
The more striking thread of the conversation is what Blanch calls his wet period, a stretch of heavy drinking during which he fell into a fire pit and suffered third-degree burns across his dominant right hand. Rather than stop working, he painted a landscape entirely left-handed, and it sold immediately, story attached. Blanch has been sober for just over two years now and says his work has gotten noticeably better since, more focused, better framed and presented, and driven by what he describes as the same addictive personality now channeled into his craft instead of alcohol.
Murals Over Prints Blanch's business runs almost entirely on word of mouth and Instagram outreach he initiates himself, including direct messages to the celebrities whose paintings now hang in podcast studios and green rooms. Locally his murals cover businesses including Superior Plumbing on Cattlemen Road, Trusted Wellness on Main Street, and Skyway Gutters, and he argues a hand-painted mural beats a sign for both cost and word-of-mouth advertising. He is engaged to Morgan, whose father George owns the Rosemary in Time restaurant in the Rosemary District, and the two plan to marry there in November.
On roundabouts, Blanch does not hold back, calling them ridiculous because so many drivers in Sarasota are not locals and do not know how to navigate them, while also using the moment to push for more public art and color in a city he says is drowning in the same shade of gray paint on every new building. He closes the episode by recommending Skyway Gutters owner Derek and his future father-in-law George as future guests, alongside a long-shot pitch to eventually land skateboarding legend Bam Margera, a longtime friend, on the show.
What you'll take away
- Blanch has sold more than 2,000 original paintings in the past decade and refuses to produce prints, keeping every piece one of one
- He has painted for celebrities including Theo Von, Yelawolf and Jelly Roll, and was completing a piece for Russell Brand at the time of the interview
- A third-degree burn to his dominant hand during a period of heavy drinking led to a left-handed painting he calls part of his wet period, which sold quickly
- Now sober for more than two years, Blanch says his art and business discipline have improved significantly
- His Sarasota murals include work for Superior Plumbing, Trusted Wellness and Skyway Gutters
“Every single painting I do is one of one in the entire world, and that's what I like about it.”
“My art since I've been sober has gotten insanely better, and it just keeps getting better.”
Places mentioned: Rosemary District, Longboat Key, Cattlemen Road, Main Street