I had the rare privilege to paint haunted houses. I have never been rewarded so much for a volunteer job than working on a small haunted house on highway 544 in Wylie.

I was helping with a non-profit and walked into a haunted house in the process of being created. I was given large brushes and paints and allowed the freedom to paint within some guidelines but with much freedom to be creative.

It first started with Alligators and snakes on a giant black wall. What followed was a life-sized skeleton in a broken down boat, masks on a wall and finally disembodied hands and skulls climbing the wall outside. I even put a scary painting of mine inside on the walls.

My son was just 10 or so and I remember how much fun we would have hanging out for a few hours while I painted. He would explore the rooms and finally we were able to visit when the attraction opened.

I got several call-backs and paying gigs painting for haunts afterwards. One humbling experience was a haunt in Terrel-Thrillvania.

When I was first offered the job, I thought I was the creative with a whole lot of creative ideas to share. I knew they would use all my skills and creativity but what they really needed was a set painter.

I ended up painting doors and hallways, spray-painting a large brain and painting fences with new-aged paints that allowed three dimensional effects.

After I recovered from a bit of humility I learned so much from watching set people paint and create a haunt that was truly spectacular. I learned the trade of painting and doing a lot of the grunt work and actually enjoyed a very hot summer and my son and I got to enjoy the haunt during the next season.

In recent years I have been able to paint on the walls of friends and family and look forward to doing more in the near future.

The first mural was a planter with Passionvine and the most recent is a flock of doves that was actually part of a logo I created for a close friend and colleague.