World Views Blog
Arts in the Schools – A Secret Plot to Connect the Arts to Academic Success
A Secret Plot, Using the Arts to Bring Test Scores Up. As artist in residence in North Charleston I taught kids and their teachers how to draw. It was a simple mission. People who believed that they were not talented achieved success and there were a lot of...
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...
50th Anniversary of the March on Washington 2013
March on Washington 2013 "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Dr. Martin Luther King In response to this famous MLK quote, a friend...
Finding NETI
As a followup to the original NETI intorductory short, this movie explores the man behind the myth, asking the hard questions about existence and whether identity is real or imagined. How can NETI be that he is not? And if he is not, then what is he not?...
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"Three Little Buds" is a framed #oilpainting looking for a new home. “Three Little Buds” captures a tender moment of becoming: three rosebuds held in that brief, luminous stage before they open. The dew on their petals hints at fresh beginnings and quiet resilience after the rain. This piece speaks to anyone who feels on the edge of a new chapter—honoring both the vulnerability and the promise of what is about to bloom.
“Three Little Buds" is about beginnings and the quiet power of what hasn’t fully unfolded yet. I painted them at that in-between moment—still closed, but clearly full of life and color, with the dew clinging to them after a fresh start.
For me, the three buds might suggest three children / three important relationships / three versions of ourselves at different times, held together in the same space of light and nurtured by potential energy. The droplets are a reminder that renewal often comes right after the storm; there’s a softness and resilience there.
It’s a painting for someone who connects with the idea of growth, protection, and the beauty of what’s just about to bloom or has bloomed in their own life. ... See MoreSee Less
Here's the entire portrait. I love judicial portraits. What do you think of this portrait? Know anyone who wants a portrait legacy created? A portrait is how people know us when we're gone. ... See MoreSee Less
"Reflections on Nothingness" #existentialism This #painting is not a design choice; it’s a commitment to keep looking into the #mystery rather than numbing out. “Reflections on Nothingness” is a #meditation on the space between presence and absence—the quiet, unsettling recognition that everything we cling to is, in the end, temporary. This piece is for collectors who are not afraid to sit with the bigger questions: mortality, consciousness, and the strange beauty of existing at all. Hung in a study, retreat space, or #contemplative corner, it becomes less a decoration and more a companion for the long, honest conversations you have with yourself. Let me know if you'd like to the whole painting ... See MoreSee Less
A lot goes into making a #oilportrait. Hands, drapery, leather chairs. I am going beyond #likeness; I make every element as true and deep as possible, without them taking away from the main event, which is soul of the sitter. That's the #art of #portraiture. Let me know if you want to see the entire #portrait are interested in creating your legacy ... See MoreSee Less
“Light” is a #painting about the moment before everything changes—the quiet split-second when intention becomes action. Set against a swirling, cosmic backdrop, the hands of God (or man?) hold earth or another planet to the flame of destruction (or enlightenment?). The painting invites you to consider both the beauty and the weight of what we choose to ignite in our lives. It holds the tension between our power to create and our responsibility to care. #Light is for those who think deeply about #purpose, #stewardship, and the mystery of #existence, “Light” becomes more than an artwork. It’s a daily reminder that even the smallest spark—an idea, a conversation, a decision—can shape entire worlds. There’s a moment—right before we act—when everything is still possible.
“Light” was painted for the people who feel that weight: the therapists, teachers, spiritual guides, scientists, and quiet leaders who know their choices ripple out farther than they can see. If you’ve ever looked at our fragile little planet and felt both awe and responsibility, this piece is meant to live in your space. A reminder that what you choose to ignite today matters. Where in your life are you ready to strike the match? ... See MoreSee Less
Have you had an #oilportrait of your #children made yet? Now is the best time to #create an #heirloom #portrait by one of America's top portraitists. ... See MoreSee Less