In late August, my mother unexpectedly lost her brother, my Uncle Steve. It turns out, he had been battling stomach cancer for the past year, but the family was unaware. He passed away very suddenly, and my mom didn’t get a chance to even say goodbye before he was gone. It was a very shocking experience.

I spent some time over the next week thinking about my Uncle Steve, and the light he brought to the world and those around him. That’s the way I wanted to remember him; full of joy. It then occurred to me that art would actually be a fantastic way to keep Uncle Steve’s memory alive, and I knew just the way to do it.

My Uncle Steve was among the most loyal University of Alabama fans in the country. He lived and breathed that football team, and could tell you anything and everything about the players and the coaches. It was his passion. Nothing brought Steve more joy than game days, and the thrill of victory when Alabama won was always the icing on the cake.

I did some searching online for a great photo of Bryant Stadium, where the University of Alabama plays at home games. I found a terrific shot with a creative commons license that I could use, and then I headed over to Gallery Direct to turn a photo into a beautiful piece of art.

The original photo size was not the standard requested size for Gallery Direct, but they have incredible customer service, and worked with me to make the piece work in a setting. This is something I absolutely love about this store: if you have a question or problem, just email or call them and they will work with you to resolve it. They want to make sure that you get exactly the type of custom framed art that you want, whether it be using a print they have in stock, or a photograph of your own.

I decided to put the photo in an aluminum floated frame option, and I really love the result. It’s sleek and modern, but also timeless. It also really lets the excitement of the image shine through as the star.