Just call him a modern day Bob Ross

Jamie Lee Matthias is a self-proclaimed 'hilariously bad' artist.

Which is a funny declaration for someone making thousands of dollars from their artwork.

Let’s rewind: Two years ago, Jamie painted a family portrait for his wife for her birthday. The gag-gift was supposed to make her laugh and nothing more, but when she posted the painting online, it quickly racked up thousands of likes and comments. Turns out, Jamie’s art was so bad that it was good.

Ever since, Jamie has been inundated by requests from people hoping to score one of his originals, receiving hundreds of family photos for him to turn into “terrible” versions.

Jamie is running with the idea. The dad-of-three sometimes paints for 5+ hours a day to keep up with his commissions, managing his art business alongside a full time managerial career. His kids keep him humble, though, making sure their dad never forgets just how bad his paintings really are.

• “My kids say the paintings are terrible,” he jokes. “[But] you know what kids are like, they speak the truth. But deep down I know they love it. It’s colorful and fun.”
• To date, Jamie has received 430+ commissions from 12 countries. He’s also started teaching local art classes.

His advice to aspiring artists, terrible or not: "Just pick up the brush."