Art Instruction Blog
50 Reasons Why Your Kid (YOU!) Should Learn to Draw and Paint
50 Reasons Why YOU Should (and still can) Learn to Draw and Paint My big message in school presentations (and wherever someone is listening) has always been: visual literacy is possible and available to everyone, no talent or golden ticket required. And yet, today's...
Painting with ADHD
"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk." — Thomas Edison Embracing Your "Limitations" Some of the best artists I know live in a world of chaos called ADHD. They love to play in the mud of ambiguity. I'm not sure if it's because ADHD is more...
Awakening Marsh Demo
Awakening Marsh - Demonstration Sometimes a demo is just what the students (and teacher) needs to get the juices flowing. Awakening Marsh was a demo for students from a photo I've been eying for a while. I don't often take on sun rises but I wanted to just...
Crying in the Face of Beauty
Why Do We Cry? "We cry only in the face of beauty." Alan Langdon, legendary acting coach I'm not sure where Alan got this quote but it has always stuck with me, not only in my career as an actor but also in my career as a human. There is a lot of insight packed into...
Brush with Wine Events
Brush with Wine As an experiment to find out what's up with all those Wine and paint party venues popping up all over the place I asked myself, what if we tweaked this party-paint-along concept to make it more meaningful and not just a drunken brew-ha-ha? I like the...
50 Reasons Why Playing Music Is Good For Your Kids
50 Reasons Why Playing Music Is Good For Your Kids My son Danny asked me for three good reasons why he should continue playing violin. I gave him 52. Teaches discipline. Teaches us how to be free within specific structures. Teaches problem-solving. Breaking down a...
Mary Draws How She Wants to be Like Our President
"Mary when she grows up" I want to be like our President Mary wants to be a hero when she grows up; she wants to be like the President, and do everything she can to stop the bad guys from hurting innocent children, like President Obama wants to do in Syria. We...
Bored With Youth
I am bored with Youth NETI I admit it. I am bored with youth. It can be downright frustrating when younger people disrespect my age, negating my life experience and assume, in their youthful exuberance, that I am some old buffoon, not to be taken seriously; that...
TransNETIfication
TransNETIfication Is your painting that it is not? To transNETIfy is to destroy in order to create anew, to find enlightenment from the ashes of truth. NETI is that he is not. So too, all things are in the process of destruction and creation. It is the natural order...
The Text Monster
How often do we text and drive? Just a little bit here and there? Stopped at a light? Just a quick, "got it." The Text Monster doesn't care. She says, "don't say you're sorry, just don't do it!" These films all have a message but they are all about character and...


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Thanks to Jeanette of Art & Faith Galleria for finding my portrait of Mother Teresa a good home. If you are in Royal Oak, MI, make it a point to stop in and see the amazing artwork, as well as Jeanette's unique and magnificent collection of icons and rosaries. The work at A&FG is not always overtly religious, but it is always awe-inspiring, reminding us that God is everywhere and in all things. I think this is a time where we are seeking a deeper meaning.
My portrait of Mother Teresa joins my Pope Leo portrait as my most recent art sales. I think God is trying to tell us something. What do you think?
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Check out my pet portrait July special: Get an oil portrait of your pet through the month of July for a special price!
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Barack and I were so honored to have @NjidekaAkunyiliCrosby create our portrait for the Obama Presidential Center. Her artistic brilliance shines through — and the way she infused such life and joy into the piece is truly extraordinary. We love it, and we think everyone who visits the Center will too!
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