Shel Silverstein’s darkly comedic epic tells of Billy Markham, a reckless gambler and songwriter who loses his soul to the Devil in a rigged dice game, beginning a profane journey through Hell and Heaven. Billy continually outwits Satan through sheer bravado and wit.

My painting, titled "Linebaugh's on a rainy Nashville night", directly captures this struggle. The piece features a single guitar player raised above and surrounded by all the symbols of vice.... all vibrant, contrasting colors of the sins and distractions, and temptations reflect the poem’s duality: its light, humorous language against its dark, philosophical core.