When jazz drummer Jack Brand lays down the sticks and picks up a paintbrush, he changes his name to Walnut Hulling – his tongue-in-cheek alter ego- and proceeds to paint what may be called electric eclectic. Landscapes, architecture, and places of history are his main interests and he likes to paint them with a flair of the contemporary.
In 2006, Walnut came on to the art scene with several successful art shows…mostly in downstate Illinois, where he often paints at New Salem. In January of 2008, he was invited to exhibit at Moveable Feast in Rockford, where he sold more than half of the exhibit on opening night. He now divides his time between Galena and Rockford…but continues to paint throughout the country, accepting commissions and exhibiting at various art shows. This past summer, Walnut was asked to do a two-month exhibit of his works at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Visitors Center.
