She would have been better off suggesting he go to Pluto. He convinced her he was more suited for a master's degree in art from the University of Florida. He has taught at Eckerd, at the University of Tampa and has given private lessons. Marilyn Nixon, meet Mr. Shriner Smith probably could coax a chortle out of that notorious, one-earred sourpuss, van Gogh. And I can't have fun if I'm not making things almost every day.
Some paintings take years.
Creativity has to be daily. Let's say his cat needs an elevated box on which to perch. He builds a box with back legs inspired by a feline's muscular rear haunches. The artifact itself is no big deal, but the act of living a life of art is what I'm about. He and his wife, Ellen Manning, throw Halloween parties.