JON MICHAEL SCHAEFER … painter extraordinaire

Jon Michael Schaefer of Brush FX Painting is a man with a passion for painting . And it ’ s a good thing . During the finishing of the Latitude Margaritaville Watersound Town Square , he was on site from sun up to sun down . You saw him here . You saw him there . You saw him everywhere . According to his steps reader , he regularly put in six to eight miles a day and some days logged over 10 miles .

“ It ’ s like there were 20 of him !” exclaims Brian Cale , Minto Vice President of Land Development for Latitude Margaritaville Watersound . “ He almost single-handedly painted the entire

Town Square — inside and out . Every time I turned around , he was there painting something .”

Almost nothing was spared the brush . Jon Michael painted everything from the many outdoor light poles to the towers on the two story Latitude Bar & Chill restaurant and everything in between . He notes that such a large project is like a big puzzle . “ There were times I thought , man , I don ’ t know if I ’ m going to be able to do all of this !” But he did .

His most challenging task was painting the ceiling of the indoor pool at the Fins Up ! Fitness Center . “ I had on a full body suit because I was using an epoxy paint that you can ’ t get off .”

Jon Michael started wielding a paint brush very early on and found he liked it . As young as age two or three , he was painting around the family home . “ Once I started , it just seemed like fun to me ,” he states . “ I painted everything ! I like to see a big change fast and with painting you get that .”

Jon Michael says he has a drive for perfection that is a blessing and a curse . “ I can lose sleep over tiny details . I don ’ t want to compromise on quality but I also don ’ t want to cause a delay on a big job .” He liked working with Latitude Margaritaville ’ s vibrant colors . “ It ’ s a little more complicated ,” he notes . “ There are a lot of set ups and it adds more work but , to me , it ’ s more fun .”

He adds that working with the great finishing team on the Latitude Town Square helped a lot . He says it also helped when the speakers were turned on and they were working to the tunes of Jimmy Buffett . “ I just kept thinking how cool it would be if Jimmy Buffett actually saw my work !”