Proud Papa Gallery of Greatness 2014

Father’s Day has come and gone, and yet those of us who are dads are still dads, and still have dad stuff to do. One of the most important is instilling self-confidence and a sense of achievement in our children. Stereotypes dictate fathers only appreciate the physical accomplishments of their children — especially for their sons. But the best dads appreciate the artistic as well as the athletic — and man have I found a great bunch of art-loving dads for this year’s (POST) FATHER’S DAY PROUD PAPA GALLERY OF GREATNESS!

Welcome to our virtual fridge, take your time, and please visit the gift shop on your way out.

Please note that many of the images can be enlarged if clicked on. So click and enjoy!

Artwork credits key:
Title of work
medium
Artist name, age
Father of artist (links to their website/blog)
Artist’s (or artist’s dad’s) description

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THE CLASSICS

Monet
tissue paper, construction paper
markers on paper
Chris, 5
Carter Gaddis
Based on the Water Lilies series.
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Picasso
markers on paper
Chris, 5
Carter Gaddis
I asked Chris what the second painting was. He looked up from his Nintendo DS, thought for a second and exclaimed: “Pissacco!” So, it’s a Pissacco. Of course.
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Galloping Horse
Construction paper
Ella, age 6
Lee Bodenmiller
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Spring Chickens
Potato stamp print, paint
Zacharie, 6
Buzz Bishop
It’s our whole family as chickens because it’s spring.
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Time Sneaks Up On You
colored pencil
Adam, 9
Chris Bernholdt
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Landscape
marker and watercolor
BR, 10
Larry Bernstein
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THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Just Chilling
Pastel
Juliana, 9
Christopher Lewis
From my daughter’s art class, using a model.
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Blast-Off
markers, pen, construction paper
PJ, 5
Chris Nichols
A picture of me, PJ and some unknown people/creatures on a spaceship ready to blast off on an adventure.
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Walking With Mom
Marker on paper
Duchess, 3
John Kinnear
My daughter 3 and my wife walking down the sidewalk
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The Gastrointestinal Tract
pencil and paper
Episode IV, 7
DorkDaddy
This is what happens when you leave your old anatomy books lying around.
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Daddy, Sarah, and Heidi
marker on paper
Heidi, 3
Chris Bernholdt
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Battle on Land and Sea
markers on paper
Lukas, 6
James Austin
The bad guys have stole a ship made out of the last tree on the island and are trying to get away from the good guys, who are trying to stop them.
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Flat Stanley, the dark years
crayon on paper
Jon, 4
Brent Almond

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PHOTOGRAPHY + PAPER PLATES

8-foot gator at Brooker Creek
and
Swamp at Brooker Creek
Digital photography
Jay, 8
Carter Gaddis
On a lazy Sunday morning, we grabbed our cameras and went on a photo safari at Brooker Creek Nature Preserve. We saw this, and a lot more!
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Miss/Mr Piggy?
paper plate, finger paints, construction paper
Sienna, 2
Lorne Jaffe
A singular, circular, pigular, fantasy
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Thanksgiving, Deconstructed
construction paper, paper plate, googly eyes, feathers
Jon, 4
Brent Almond
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Moon Cat
crayon, paper plate, foam paper
Jon, 4
Brent Almond

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THE NON-TRADITIONALISTS

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The Mummy
Washable paint/glitter glue/garden hose/canvas
J. Boogie, 3
Mike Heenan
She covered the canvas in paint and glue and I inadvertently hit it with hose water. This is what remained.
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Darth Maul vs. Obi-Wan
Marker, paper on basement wall
Nicholas, 8
Scott Behson
Re-creation of battle scene from the end of Star Wars Episode 1. One of many Star Wars inspired installations at our house.
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Fish
tissue paper, googly eye
J Bean
Eric Jefferson
This fish resembles none that have ever graced the waters of the world, but it swims the ocean of my daughter’s mind.
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Composition 1, Composition 2
found objects in nature
Nick and Zack, 11
Bill Peebles
We went to the woods and got some stuff, found a couple of pieces of plywood and laid the stuff out in an artistic manner. The point was the images not the actual work, so no glue or wire or anything — just arrange and snap a photo. It was fun.
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Untitled
tissue paper
SJ, 7
Larry Bernstein
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A Leah self-portrait
tattoo
Leah, 4
Mike Reynolds
I wanted to remember how my daughter drew herself at the age of two. Her drawings started to make sense so the tattoo made sense, too.

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THE STORYTELLERS

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Fishing with Dad
Pencil, crayon
Will, 6
Aaron Gouveia
I waited for winter to be over so the water would warm up so my dad and I could go fishing because we like to do that together.
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Welcome Home Mommy
marker on paper
J Bean, 5; Link, 2
Eric Jefferson
Recently, my wife was overseas for 2 weeks so my daughter wanted to make her a welcome home sign. “A big one,” she insisted. I put the letters on the poster and she spent the better part of a day tracing and filling in the artwork to show her mom how much she missed her. It may be father’s day, but I loved her work on this sign and it warmed my heart nearly as much as her mother’s.
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It’s My Dad
tattoo
Parker, 6
Josh Misner
My youngest son, when he was in kindergarten, was asked to draw a picture of his favorite superhero. Instead of batman or superman, he drew this.
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When I help my little sister
crayon
Sarah, 6
Chris Bernholdt
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A Wedding
crayon on paper
Liam, 6
Oren Miller
Entry from my son’s journal: “April 28, 2014, I had a good weekend because I went to a wedding.”
(Designer Daddy note: this was my wedding, and that’s the swing set in our backyard where he and Jon spent much of the day.)

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FOR DAD ON HIS SPECIAL DAY

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Have A Grate Father’s Day
marker on construction paper
Lucas, 7
Christopher Tucker
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Kaiju and Foot Tree
paint, feet
Will, 6 and Sam, 10 mos.
Aaron Gouveia
This features Sam’s feet as the trunk of the tree and Will’s interpretation of a Kaiju (we had just watched Pacific Rim).
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My Dad Scores
marker & crayon on paper
Sarah, 6
Chris Bernholdt
The rest of the card says “plays with me.”
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Daddy
pen on greeting card
Adalyn, 4
James Zahn
That picture is me (complete with goatee) as drawn by my oldest daughter. She sketched it inside my Father’s Day card.
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Happy Birthday
pen and marker
Adalyn, 4
Josh Misner
My birthday coincides with Father’s Day, so we usually combine them. This was waiting for me at breakfast with my coffee.
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Dear Dad
marker, crayon, pencil, construction paper
Kayla, 10
Brian Gawlak
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#1 Papa
and
Best Dad
paper cups, pipe cleaners, foam stickers, paint
Jon, 4
Brent Almond & Nick Pirulli
This one is particularly special to me because it was Jon’s first Father’s Day school craft, and he was the only kid in the class who got to make two!

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A GIGANTIC, DAD-SIZED THANK YOU to all of the fathers who sent in the artwork. And THANK YOU for appreciating your kiddos and their (very) creative expression! Be sure and check out last year’s gallery as well.

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Come by the Designer Daddy Facebook page or follow along on Twitter for more art, more fun, and lots of witty banter.