Why "The Least of These Collection"? 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:40NKJV I know it was difficult in 1973 when my birth parents shipped my sister and I off to my aunt and uncle in a cornfield in Indiana for what was supposed to be a few months stay. I don't remember much about anything from the first 3 years of my life, and life after that living on a farm was less than perfect. My parents loved me the best they could, but they were unprepared for 2 more kids. My new dad was formerly a recovered alcoholic, but he had left that addiction behind him by the time I met him. He and Mom worked very hard but we were very poor. We lived off of the farm as much as we could, and I certainly learned hard work. There was plenty of chaos and turmoil during those years growing up mainly because I grew up with an "Orphan Mindset”, and I would eventually carry that into my adulthood. High school was a chaotic time for me, as I struggled through my own brokenness just trying to survive. I graduated from High School with a 1.8 GPA, mostly because I barely showed up to classes. This is something I don't recommend to any teens, period. As a teenager I met my birth Mother and and Father on different occasions. I had plenty of questions answered, which perhaps numbed the pain of abandonment a little. Both my mother and father, I learned were super creative. My Mother designed floral arrangements for Disney, and Father was a master wood craftsmen. During this time the fact that both my parents were creative in a pretty big way maybe didn't quite register until I showed up at Disney in 1989 to open Disney/MGM Studios in the retail store. I was young and lost, and found myself married and with a new baby girl shortly after. We divorced only a couple years into the marriage. Needless to say, this decision to work at Disney is what would change the trajectory of my life in many ways. I began to sketch animated drawings, and showed a friend at Disney. They encouraged me to pursue art school, as they saw I had a gift. I needed to learn art skills that would allow me to have success as a professional. I took their advice and moved to Sarasota, Florida to attend Ringling School of Art and Design. Attending art school was a joyous time for me learning how to draw and paint. During this season, I also had an encounter with God and surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. At this point, life was very different. I was beginning to see how God wanted to use my gifts and talents to speak life into the world. I also remarried during this time in school, and we decided to return to Orlando. I ended up having several creative jobs including large churches, but then landed a job as an artist at Disney. This was mind-blowing for me as an orphan who was almost a high school "flunk-out"! My time at Disney was absolutely a dream come true. The brilliant creatives I worked with were an inspiration and helped to bring me to the level of excellence that I am at today. I was honored to start painting for the No More Orphans experience in 2012. It's currently been 12 years that I have been able to paint live onstage for these events around the country and tell my story to bring hope to others. I feel such a great amount of fulfillment every time I step on the stage - all for God's glory. Years of counseling has allowed me to retrain my brain and focus on my blessings and use my pain to bring encouragement to those who haven’t experienced restoration or healing this area. I love painting on stage at events images of smiling children to bring joy and hope to those who see the art. I get to celebrate what God has done in my life as a man adopted by God and all that comes with that. I now have 3 grown children, 1 grandson and a beautiful wife. I can share my story of the pain but celebrate that I no longer have an orphan mindset but one of adoption from my Heavenly Father. The "For Least of These Collection" is all part of my journey. Blue Cat Fine Art allows me the opportunity to give even more than I ever have to support orphans worldwide!
