This painting is a tribute to a dear friend taken too soon—someone golden in every way. I painted it in the days after his passing, thinking of his radiant energy, his bright blonde hair, and the quiet ache of everything left unsaid.

The title comes from a message written by one of his closest friends: “Stay gold, Ponyboy.” Those words, spoken in The Outsiders, echo the final wish of Johnny Cade to his friend—to hold on to the goodness, softness, and wonder that the world too often strips away.

That line, in turn, echoes Robert Frost’s poem:

“Nothing gold can stay.”

This piece holds the weight of that truth—the fragility of beauty, youth, and life itself.
There’s a glow here, but also a shadow. A warmth that remembers.
Stay Gold is both a goodbye and a vow: to keep the light of those we love alive, even after they’re gone.