When a friend of Will Armstrong’s returned to Richmond, Virginia, to open a restaurant, the artist decided to create a special piece of art for her as a welcome-home gift. As it turned out, that piece propelled Armstrong into an entirely new form of expression, defining his work and illustrating his travels for years to come.

Armstrong earned a BFA in communication arts and design from Virginia Commonwealth University. He spent time as a bartender, art director and picture framer on his journey to becoming a nationally recognized craft artist. Since then, his work has been featured in shows and exhibits across the country for over a decade.

Focusing on environments based in music and travel, Armstrong prepares his canvases with simple collages comprising sheet music, old show posters and maps. Once he lays the collage work down, he whitewashes it and then draws the scene with a watercolor pencil. From there, his process includes different inks, acrylics, a dry graphite rub – adding color when necessary – sealing and varnish.

One night after a show, Armstrong joined some artist friends for cocktails in Coconut Grove. Like the abstract expressionists bantering in the Manhattan bars of old, they discussed what to create next. “You have to go see the Tampa Theatre,” one of them said to Will. And so he did, which led to “Date Night.”

For this piece, Armstrong set out to invoke the feeling of being out on a date. So much so, one of his goals was to convey romance through the portraiture of the building itself. He also wanted to draw extra attention to the woman, hence the use of red ink for her dress. 

Regardless of subject matter, Armstrong aims to tell evocative stories on several levels, bringing spaces, architecture and people to life. “There’s often a narrative thread running through my work. You might see the same character in different places on a canvas, or appearing in the next piece of a series,” he tells WorthWhile.

Many consider Armstrong’s work to be the soundtrack of a timeless road trip. Considering the more than half a million miles along which he’s found inspiration, he smiles in agreement.

To learn more about the artist and view additional work, visit willarmstrongart.com.