When British dad Jamie Lee Matthias gave his wife Kate a picture he had painted as a gag gift for their 2024 wedding, it was so bad she refused to hang it on the wall. Instead, she posted it lightheartedly on social media.
Little did they know what that one post would become.
With thousands of views, Kate’s original post sparked a trend. Even though the art was objectively “bad” by traditional standards, it was colorful, funny and full of personality. Random strangers began asking if he could do a painting for them, too.
What started as a joke turned out to be a fantastic side gig. Terrible Art by Jamie Lee was born.
Since then, Jamie has been commissioned to paint more than 430 pieces for people in at least 11 countries worldwide. Working from photos they send him – usually of families and pets – he takes about 45 to 60 minutes to complete each painting. Amazingly, people pay him up to several hundred dollars for his unique art.
Even with all that practice, though, he’s not sure he’s getting any better. The people in Jamie’s paintings often have missing fingers or hands, odd-shaped noses or other unusual facial features, but that’s part of the charm. He doesn’t know how to draw everything; he just does the best he can.
He also teaches a local “art” workshop, where neighbors who come in expecting to be taught by an experienced artist quickly learn that’s not exactly Jamie. He doesn’t try to be someone he’s not. Instead, he shows them how to bring their true selves to their painting – just like he does.
He appreciates that most people understand he’s not trying to be a “real” artist. He’s just having fun with it – so much so that some days he spends more time painting than doing his managerial day job. But this side gig allowed his family to put in a new garden and take a nice vacation last year, so it’s worth the extra hours of work, especially since it doesn’t feel like work to him.
Still, despite his growing popularity online, Jamie’s stepkids aren’t shy about telling him how bad the paintings really are.
“My kids say the paintings are terrible. You know what kids are like, they speak the truth. But deep down I know they love it.”
Jamie doesn’t take himself too seriously either. When he posts pictures online, his captions are self-deprecating – and hilarious. For example, this wording accompanied the painting above:
The reference photo: a perfect wedding memory.
The end product: a nightmare.
Pat has —
A weird finger-hand
No feet
One ear 🙈
I’m pretty confident I got the suit color right though! 🙌🏻
Now his poor wife (who looks stunning in the reference photo), whom I’ve never met and probably never should 😬, has ended up with —
One trotter arm
Only one foot
Radioactive hair
A dress that looks like I was having a sneezing fit while painting it
And a look that says, “If I knew you were going to commission this clown to paint our wedding portrait, I’d have called off the wedding!” 😬🤣
That being said, the bouquet and lavender I’ve absolutely nailed, and you’ll all be pleased to know they are still married.
Maybe he should try stand-up comedy next.
“Do something you enjoy,” says Jamie. “It doesn’t matter if you’re good or bad at it. If you enjoy it and it makes you laugh…or smile, give it a go.”
Jamie’s family has finally come around. His original painting for Kate now hangs on the wall as a great reminder to their kids that perfection isn’t the goal. Do what you love and the rest will follow.
This Father’s Day, a big shout out to all the dads – and father figures and parent-types – who show our kids every day, and remind the rest of us, that just being ourselves out in the world is enough. The world is waiting for the brand of uniqueness only you can bring – so get after it!
(Photo/@terribleartbyjamielee Instagram)
