In February 2020, I submitted my first prototype to become an artist for Art-O-Mat. Art-O-Mat, under the leadership of Clark Whittington from Winston-Salem, NC, refurbishes old cigarette machines which are then loaded with different types of art. Often the machines are works of art themselves! These machines are in venues all over the country, and artists are encouraged to submit prototypes. Not only are there paintings, but there are many other interesting pieces of art available, such as earrings and booklets, and knickknacks made from all types of materials. (A quick internet search will get you all the information you need.)

My “Ocean” prototype was approved, and I painted my first set the following month. I have a video on YouTube showing how I paint them. I now have more than ten designs in Art-O-Mat machines!

Each wooden block is carefully painted and inspected for quality. If a block does not meet my standards, I tweak it until it does because I want every buyer to love their purchase (and hopefully visit this site to buy another piece of work!). I really find it encouraging when art lovers send an email or contact me on Instagram to express appreciation for their new piece of artwork from me. Just like being a school psychologist, I don’t do it for the money, obviously! (Affordable art costs only $5 with half going to the artist.)

These small paintings find their way all across the United States (and some countries, like Australia) at different times, filling machines where needed. Here are some of the locations that have included some of my paintings so far …