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Depression is a focus on the past. Anxiety is a focus on the future. Breathe in presence. Exhale stress. Focus on what you can do. Do.

I painted one of my cats, Banana, in a cat tunnel. The coloring in the photo was muted, so I worked on color and fabric texture. I am thrilled with her facial expression, and the overall composition feels good. This is not AI nor is any element made from AI.

Another portrait commission! Gorgeous little man! Drawn with 0.05 fine liner on A4 medium texture cartridge paper.

This PCH912 SU is a fun and expressive pen to draw with. This fish is a fun and expressive chum to fly with.

55 mins “I Never Noticed The House Was On Fire” This is a painting for an upcoming group exhibition about memories. When I was a kid I grew up in a household where my parents were functioning alcoholics. They gave me toys, put me in front of the tv, and sent me outside to play to keep me distracted from what was going on. When I look back almost all of my childhood memories revolve around these things. I became obsessed with these imaginary worlds and I learned to draw by copying my favorite cartoons and characters from children’s books. It was not until I was much older, that the truth could no longer be hidden from me. The imaginary world of cartoons and books kept me shielded from the harsh realities of home. As I grew into an adult that form of coping grew with me as I created my own imaginary places inspired by the ones I loved as a child. A healthy place to escape.

"Faux-tanical" floral doodles in a vintage Beginning Norwegian text book.

Experiment of Pilot Pintor pens

No more expensive seminars or tedious books from feel good money hungry hucksters. No more scaling dangerous mountains to gain audience with bony little unshaven gurus. Now, a new level of advice is available with no more effort than a few totally free swipes of your hand. Go to The Jim. Truth for the people.

This is my final project from week 3 of Explore Florals with Victoria Johnson.

I've been taking Vitcoria Johnson's 3 week class on florals and loving every second.

Being funny with students requires a certain amount of facial expression. I have been debilitated in my attempt to be funny with students.

Did you ever have a page in your sketchbook that was so bad and so embarrassing that you tore it out and chucked it? This was one of those pages that made me cringed every time I came to it. So today I said to myself, "ENOUGH!" and ripped it out of my moleskine. But something wouldn't let me throw it in the can. Now, I'm not one of those artists that can't bring himself to throw away any of his stuff because each and every piece, good or bad holds some kind of sentimentality or sense of importance. This particular page was a result of a crappy angst filled day and stuff poured out of me. For some reason, it felt like I was throwing away some piece of my soul. There were parts that were overworked and others that were painfully too personal. So I decided to cut it up and put it back together in no particular order, however it seemed best. As I was pasting the pieces down it occurred to me that this had a comic book feel so I scanned the final and added the black borders in photoshop which I really dug. I like that it is cryptic and jumbled up like my brain can so often be. This reminded me of the awesome @johnhendrix who said something in his book, Drawing Is Magic that stuck with me. He said, "Don't worry about doing anything wrong. If you're hoping your sketchbook turns into a glossy display of only your best drawings, you are not carrying a sketchbook, you are carrying a portfolio." In other words, explore, take chances, loosen up and have fun. Try your best to go at it like an uninhibited child. In so doing, you will stretch as an artist by avoiding repetition and predictability. We all know how to do what we already know. To sum up, I created a bad page, and whether or not I was able to fix it, it expanded me. So, follow your pencil, pen, or whatever and let them take you to places you never imagined when you started. Then, maybe you will end up staring happily at the final and with childlike wonder, say, "man, where did that come from?"

This image was drawn as part of a pattern piece for fabric in the Liberty style. Originally drawn in pen and ink.

Red Cats - Ball point pen, Procreate.

I love to draw and "doodle" but here is a painting of a place I love...Archival Ink prints for sale

Mechanical pencil drawing with digital texture and color added

These are watercolor and pencil and ink drawings. They are 5 of 10 images of my hand from a child's board book from which I peeled the laminated pages and exposed the underlying cardboard. I have always struggled with a very large Port Wine Stain birthmark, and periodically make art about that, this one of two books this year.

"If MF DOOM was a fox, he’d pro’ly steal a kid and lock it up in a box. But not to do it harm... More to save it from a life of working on a farm. He’d do that kid a favor. He would save her. Just what you would expect from a friendly rapping neighbor."

Moleskine spread. If I don't get it out on paper, my brain will explode and who wants that mess to deal with? Stay safe. Sketch regularly.

Mechanical pencil drawing with digital texture and color added

Dropping bombs on people's moms... All because he's mad that his own mom named him "Tom." He overreacted but there's more to explain, though- Keep in mind the fact that his last name is "Aito."

All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare. -Spinoza

No peaking, and the experience is more valuable than the product.

Cat meditation

Mural recently painted in Oklahoma City for Plaza Walls mural expo.

I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to paint a design on a rather large gorilla! I am so excited to do this. It's taking an age but getting there slowly. When he's all done he will be going on show at Paignton Zoo.

New drawing drawn with my Sailor Fresca Tangerine 1911s F fountain pen. Ink = Noodlers Black American Eel. Color coming next.

Forsythia is in full bloom, and the cherries, magnolia, and dogwoods are next. Spring is here!

Vine Charcoal and Oil Pastel make for a messy, smudgy experience. A certain amount of messiness can make a process feel more real and human. When things aren’t perfectly polished, it reflects a genuine effort, imperfections, and growth. In personal life, letting go of the need for everything to be tidy can promote a more authentic existence. The hat is a Stormy Chromer. It also evolved out of a mess. More on that later. Peace.

Teaching painting is a great task to ask of a person who doesn't paint. I do not paint. I teach the manipulation of media through experience. "Learn from doing!" I say. Monochromatic pastel exercises help my students to get a handle on the media. We explore value and composition and the handling of media. Sometimes happy accidents occur. This was my example to the teens on composition and value. It is a journey.