Michael K Hewlett, aka Mike Hewlett, founder of Yatzi Studio & Gallery and is developing The Yatzi Arts Foundation is a Phoenix, AZ based abstract artist, that focuses on a theme of "Tranquility Interrupted". Paintings include a Certificate of Authenticity (COA), float frames, and insured shipping. All work is one-of-one and he accepts custom commissons. Standard sizes are 36 x 24 or 24 x 18 priced below $2000. Commissions can be any size and prices vary.
Cheryl,
A Commissioned Painting
Personality, interpreted from a distance.
Cheryl is a commissioned painting shaped not by traditional sittings, but through conversations, personality, and creative freedom. The artist and subject have never met in person; their relationship exists entirely through video calls. From those exchanges emerged an impression of someone warm, expressive, and possessed of a wonderful sense of humor.
Rather than asking for a conventional likeness, Cheryl offered a simple invitation: be creative. That freedom became the foundation of the painting.
Her thoughtful sideways glance and hand resting against her face suggest a moment caught somewhere between curiosity and amusement. The oversized red-and-white popcorn box transforms the portrait, introducing an unexpected element of whimsy while allowing the figure to emerge almost cinematically from the composition. Textured popcorn adds dimension and contrast against the flatter painted surfaces, while the deep atmospheric blue and restrained palette keep the humor grounded in a contemporary portrait.
Created with spray paint, acrylic, and texture, Cheryl is less about documenting a person precisely than capturing the personality revealed through conversation. It reflects the unusual connection that can develop between artist and subject even across a screen—and what can happen when a commission begins with trust and permission to experiment.
Medium: Spray paint, acrylic, and texture on canvas
Size: 48 × 30 in.
Year: 2026
