My name is MikeTeator, and I am a resident of Westchester County, NY for the past 20 years. I have taught art to both children and adults for over 20 years, and have painted over 30. I am a substitute school teacher on call in the towns of Eastchester, Tuckahoe and Bronxville and also actively associated as an lunchtime enrichment/ after school instructor with 11 area schools. My after school clubs include cartooning, drawing, watercolor and stop motion computer animation.  I am a BOCES certified instructor of children and recently received a Certificate of Merit from the New York State Assembly, presented by Assemblyman George Latimer at the Larchmont Library. The certificate was awarded to me in recognition of my contribution in teaching children art for many years in Westchester County. I appreciated it and was honored to receive the acknowledgement. Also, not long ago, I received another honor by being asked to paint a portrait of the newly retired Tuckahoe Mayor, Philip White. It was a secret commission gift from members of the town board. The portrait now hangs in the Tuckahoe Library.  Phil, who was always very supportive of my art career, and a friend, was very happy when presented with the painting at his retirement dinner at the Leewood Country Club. He was especially happy that I was the one asked to do the portrait. He was genuinely moved and I was so happy to be part of his retirement party. A picture of the portrait is in the gallery section of this site and now hangs in the Tuckahoe Library.  

Besides my after school teaching locations (see" after school programs" on my home page) I also instruct or have instructed... during summers at Bronxville's Concordia College Summer Camp, Scarsdale's Enrichment Camps and at Iona College's Camp in New Rochelle. Other teaching locations include The Yorktown, NY, AC Moore Arts and Crafts Store, A. I Friedman Art Store (1988 to 2000, 2012-?), the Tuckahoe Community Center, the Lake Isle Country Club in Eastchester, the Ossi Sports Club in Mahopac, NY and at libraries throughout Westchester County. Privately, I instruct both mainstream children as well as children with special needs. My mediums are oil, watercolor or acrylic, but I particularly love to draw. The subjects I favor whether on paper, canvas or wall mural, include landscape, seascape, sill life, portrait and figure drawing. I am a graduate of Herbert H. Lehman College of the City University of New York, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. 

Simply...my teaching philosophy is..."have fun while you learn." I try to make my classes fun and informative for everyone regardless of age. I teach as many adults as I do children. My students are thoroughly encouraged to express themselves with individual creativity, which is the keystone in their development. I try to bring joy to learning while fostering in my students a sense of accomplishment. In addition to my private teaching activities I am continually involved in commission work and special projects: murals, portraits (people, animals and homes), for customers and students. In 2003 I brought my philosophy of learning to children through a new offering.. birthday art parties! I began doing them because of a favor for a friend and ...before I knew it, I had bookings!  I have to admit that the kids love them and it gives them a terrific, entertaining activity into the world of art with their friends. The parents love them too! When they see how much fun their children are having, they more often than not, want to draw or paint also! At the party, the birthday host or hostess picks the media and the subject. They have full control. Whether it's drawing,  painting or a doing a craft, the kids create something they can be proud of, all the while learning art in an entertaining setting with good friends! 

Whether it's painting, cartooning or sketching, children are always a wonder to teach .Whether teaching my own sons or teaching the children of others... to observe them in the creative process, is a fantastic event. They are an open book, generally not intimidated or beset with doubt in developing self  expression... they see what they like, and they then, express it. They are un- encumbered by worries that sometimes sidetracks the creativeness of us, as adults. My goal is to encourage each and every child to achieve the best level of success, each can attain. Studying art is a wonderful and important activity for children. Artistic success increases self worth and increases their awareness of the world around them. It has also been shown to open the creative side of their brains which helps them solve creative problems typically encountered in math and in games such as chess. 

My interest in art began when I was about five years old.  My mom and dad gave me a Jon Gnagy drawing kit for Christmas. Jon Gnagy was one of the first artists on television who taught people to draw. I remember watching him on reruns and trying to follow the step by step charcoal drawings he would demonstrate with each program. To me, the programs were a delight. Besides learning from Jon Gnagy,  I had the good fortune of having a sculptor live in a studio building next to my house. Although being perennially cranky,  he would permit small glimpses of kindness to show through by way of mini art lessons to me. One day my brother asked me if I wanted to see real statues. I remember him taking me up to this mans studio the very first time (he permitted visitors to observe from one end of the showroom floor, quietly. We went up this noisy elevator to the third floor. As we exited, we gazed at the sculptures, some half completed, standing in the middle of the studio that he was working on. The statues looked like frozen people and made me feel like gigglying but my brother warned me to keep my mouth closed. I did. All around us were smooth pieces of white stone. He knew we were there but ignored us. That was the way he was. You could observe, but with no noise. He was a very tall man and wore a long white jacket like a doctor. One day, on such a visit, I had my Jon Gnagy drawing pad with me. He noticed it and said, "You brought a drawing pad with you? Let me see". I gave him the pad. "Your trees are quite good young Michael !", he exclaimed. ( I adored trees.... no, I was obsessed with them). I remember looking at him and thinking...wow! Well... the long and the short of it, is this...he gave me, in the following months, some really good quality drawing lessons. techniques I remember to this day. I knew that someday I would return the favor he gave me, by sharing art knowledge with everyone. I wanted to recreate the magic I felt because of what he did for me. That magic propelled me. It was from then on, that a drawing pad and pencil were never out of my site. I would try to draw everything, even making attempts (many times they were just attempts) at drawing my relatives homes and furniture when my dad and mom would visit my aunts and uncles. I particularly loved drawing my uncle's huge living room aquarium! It was an endless source of fascination for me. I wasn't aware at the time, but it was during those early drawings of furniture and homes and such, that I began to gradually learn the important skill of perspective drawing. 

Along with drawing, I also loved writing short stories. So.... it was an easy formula to add my own drawings or illustrations to these written stories. My stories involved traveling to distant worlds as an astronaut or, being a secret agent fleeing from spies! I encountered terrible creatures as an astronaut wanting to cause my doom and super bad guys wishing me harm when I was the secret agent. As I would write each page of the story I would draw its accompanying illustration on the opposite page. Lots of space travel and lots of peril! This is a publishing concept I encourage in all my young art students to try. Very worthwhile. 

As a majority of the children are engaged with computer games today, As I had said, I was permanently attached to my sketch pad. I fondly remember, during my grade school years, inviting my friends over to my house to draw. And we would draw. We would sit for hours drawing Marvel comic book heroes :  Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Silver Surfer, and of course Spiderman. We would dream up different storylines for our heroes, challenging each other with who could create the most interesting story and illustrations. (One individual from my small art group, and one of my closest art friends, John Morrow, became an artist for New York State's Conservation magazine. John was greatly admired by me for his drawing abilities, so I was very happy to have learned of his association with that important periodical). At about ten years of age I completed a test for the Westport Connecticut School of Art. Pretty popular back then. I apparently did well, as two of the representatives of the school came to my home to encourage me to enroll. They spoke to my parents but, circumstances were not quite right for me to attend so I had to pass. It was a big disappointment, but, I recovered. Soon enough, high school arrived and my life became filled with sports and track and field events. Unfortunately art took a bit of a back seat those years. Yet, art would still re-visit me  and play a dominant role again later on in my life....  

I entered college and I focused primarily on finance and accounting courses. I did this mainly because I didn't want to starve as an adult. But art remained a close second.  One humorous situation I remember involved me, trying to be discreet in sketching passengers on the subway train on my way to my 4 to 12 job after college, at Chemical Bank on Water Street. One rider actually got furious at me because I was sketching him. He even demanded the drawing, shaking his finger in my face! He said, "May I see please!" Which he repeated rapidly about four times.  Knowing New York City, I knew it was better to just hand the sketch over to him. He then proceeded to rip it up into confetti in front of me. He castigated me for invading his privacy.  I remember, as he walked away, I  thought...maybe he was wanted by the authorities or possibly I broke some "image stealing" law of custom in his native land (he wore a turbin). He was pretty angry. Too bad, the sketch was turning out to be quite good of him. 

Around that same time I began to study under various artists, and devoured art books weekly. Never forgetting to practice everyday. Oddly enough, adjacent to my home was The Woodlawn Cemetery. Categorically, one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world. Beyond the stereotypical attitude of grimness, most cemeteries conjure, Woodlawn was quite the opposite. It provided me an absolutely beautiful 400 acre rural sanctuary and mini-forest-wilderness. It is where I practiced painting and nature drawing regularly. Among it's wildlife were: fox, pheasant, flying squirrel, raccoon and opossum. In 1979, two bald eagles even visited it's huge lake! That was a treat. The cemetery was truly a mini natural oasis to enjoy. Well, in 1986 while at Woodlawn sketching, I met a woman... Anne O'Grady. Anne introduced me to an artist who was to become a pivotal person in my desire in becoming a serious artist. His name was Edmund Sullivan. Through Anne I had the good fortune of going to his home/studio in Bronxville. I must say I was not prepared for what I was to see. Huge paintings of Ireland, some completed, some in the the process of completion. His whole studio reeked of the sweet smell of paint. Absolutely wonderful ! Then I was introduced. Edmund was the most kind and generous purveyor of art wisdom I could have imagined. He encouraged me to examine subjects and their color and not just plop color down. To feel the color, first with your eyes and then your heart. What a wonderful experience! I will never forget it. I have spoken with him several times since then. Most recently, via email about 3 years ago. A pivotal moment.

It was now becoming apparent that artistic expression was changing my adult life direction. I accepted that no matter what, art would be an important part of my life. Then it happened...as 1987 arrived, a TV artist named Bob Ross got my attention. Bob Ross, PBS television's favorite "happy" artist, intrigued me with his appeal and approach to teaching through the tube. As a result, I learned his technique directly from him in 1988. I saw that his style of painting was an easy way for the beginning artist to experience creative success. Not only that, I also felt it would be very teachable. There was no need to even know how to sketch, and the student would complete a painting in a couple of hours! This was especially helpful as a teacher because it gave everyone, and I mean everyone, a chance to do a completed painting in just one class. I realized that this technique, although definitely not fine art, was perfect for teaching the recreation artist (the individual who wanted to just relax, create a painting quickly, and was not necessarily concerned about learning every fine art principle). I saw the possibilities so I immediately began to contact local art shop managers inquiring as to whether they would want to hire a Bob Ross Certified Instructor to teach in their shops. After getting the nod from everyone and a handshake, I enrolled in Bob Ross' Certification Program. As a result, I went into my own art instruction business part time. Becoming the first licensed representative for Ross,inthe tri-state area. Eventually As a consequence, I not only represented Bob's  Joy of Painting Company, but also other art industry companies at national trade shows. It was however, through my affiliation with Bob Ross, that I got the attention of retail art shop managers. The very first art store that I taught from was A. I. Friedman in Portchester in 1988. It was there I began my art teaching journey. Eventually, the other stores asked me to teach other media besides Ross, such as fine art oil, watercolor, acrylics and sketching. In 1992, I became a member of the National Staff of Bob Ross's Joy of Painting Company. The National Staff was a select group 11 instructors out of the then several hundred nationally, that demonstrated a special skill in teaching and in communicating with students. During those years I did see how this painting technique could change people's lives. One outstanding way I saw students "changed", was through the way they grew in their appreciation of nature as their knowledge of art increased. The transformation could easily be seen  through the countless comments from students who approached me at their second or third class for example, and would say.... "You know, Mike, there is  this tree I always go past when I walk to the train in the morning that I never really LOOKED AT...but ever since taking your classes, I really SEE so much more...I'm appreciating a lot more! ". These comments always let me know that I had just opened another student's eyes. A great satisfaction.  To me, it never mattered how I got students to see the world around them. Whether it was through teaching them the wet in wet Bob Ross technique or, by way of fine art, I just wanted my students to get the message... that art is for everyone and the world is a beautiful place. I wanted to encourage them to love the natural world around them, through paint and pencil.  I knew that artistic expression would then give them a deeper appreciation of  nature and the world and as a consequence, they would develop a better understanding of themselves. Definitely a "heady" result, but then again, the study of art could also just relieve plain old stress too.

In 1992 and for the next several years, I brought my enthusiasm for art and for the beauty of Westchester County to television by producing my own art cable program for both Continental Cable and TCI Cable of Westchester. The show, “Nature Painting in Westchester”, shown twice monthly, used as its subjects only scenes from the county and highlighted the natural beauty of  Westchester.Each evening episode featured either oil, acrylics, watercolor, outdoor sketching or guest interviews. It was from these shows that I got the idea of producing my own art instruction videos. At present, my instruction DVD's on art for kids and adults are available through this site.  Unfortunately, the show sadly ended after 6 years at my request, because of two reasons. One, it was time consuming to do, and two, more importantly, in 1998, cable companies began requiring all public access producers to begin making separate copies of their programs to be broadcast in the separate towns in Westchester. Previously, one copy of the program could be mass broadcast to all the town's (a highly desirable feature). The new policy disgruntled a majority of the producers, thereby ending public access shows for the most part. A very sad reason for some good programs to end. Later, as the situation was looked at more closely, it came to pass that  the change was more of a consequence of irresponsible public access producers creating programs containing subject matter and opinions that in many cases, offended many viewers. They were progressively becoming more offensive. I viewed some of these programs (a program that followed my show in fact), and I was fairly disturbed by it's content. Obviously, the cable companies had to do something about this "idea free-for-all", and I guess, they felt this new rule was a passive way of ending public access programming and the problem at hand.  Unfortunately, it is a folly of a few that ruin it for all the rest. But, be that as it may, I am looking again to do something on cable, if circumstances are right.   

Andy Warhol once stated that we will all have a possibility of 15 minutes of "fame". Well, in July 2004 , I received a call from a producer of the NBC's Today Show, Andre Poulin. He mentioned that they were planning on doing a segment on art instruction and I was recommended. They wanted to video me teaching one of my painting classes. I was stunned. The only problem was locating a convenient venue for the class. They needed to get to another assignment in New Jersey at 5pm the day of my taping which was scheduled for 11am. A location for the class would have to be as close to the city as possible. I considered either the nearby Lake Isle Country Club or  Borders Books in Scarsdale to hold the class. NBC thought Borders would be better because of the cafe, so that is where we set our sights. During the taping, which lasted approximately 2-3 hours, I taught NBC correspondent Melissa Stark, along with 9 other students, how to paint an oil seascape. Eventually the segment aired on the 22nd of September 2004 and was edited down to 6 minutes! Now that's editing! In hindsight though, it was a great experience and one I will remember for a long, long time. A direct consequence of doing the Today Show was a dramatic increase in requests for private lessons as well as the beginning of regular painting classes at Borders Books in Scarsdale. I was also asked by fragrance manufacturers to create decorative artwork on their perfume bottles including designing handmade holiday ornaments in Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom's, Bloomindales, Lord&Taylor, Macy's and Saks. Then, as fate would have it, the Today Show returned again to me in March 2009. I was asked to do the Kathie Lee and Hoda segment of the Today Show. Essentially I showed them how to paint a little scene on a canvas in .....2 minutes! Yes...2 minutes!. Didn't get much done, but I had a great time going to NYC and doing the segment. My wife and I were pampered with a limo and a chance to see all the Today Show staff. A special time.

Finally, here are some other locations where I have done a  demonstration, spoke on art, held classes or donated to fund raisers over the years...  Union Carbide Corporation (after work employee art classes), Cendant Mobility, now known as Cartus, (after work employee art classes) Borders Books in Scarsdale, The Westchester County Department of Parks and Recreation, The Westchester County Library Association, The New York Department of Parks and Recreation, Westchester Women's Leagues, Scarsdale Recreation Department, the Flushing Art League, five nursing homes, four corporate locations, numerous art shops, hundreds of private homes throughout the tri-state area, various Westchester Country Clubs including the Lake Isle Club in Eastchester. 

Lake Isle is a place of wonderful recreation possibilities and a beautiful, peaceful spot in the heart of Eastchester, NY. It is at Lake Isle where I have taught adults and children, painting and cartooning during the past 11 summers, as well as painted Lake Isle's kiddy pool's with  cartoon characters. There is nothing that compares to the kids smiling faces as they look at the new pool creations each year.  Recently I painted a giant mural located inside the Catering Terrace and it's foyer. I am exceedingly grateful for the opportunities at Lake Isle and I wish for it much continued success in the town. 

Finally a huge note of thanks from me to all my students for allowing me to instruct them and hopefully impart on them the exuberance I feel about this unbelievably delightful means of expression. THANK YOU ! 

Enjoy the site and of course, contact me if you have any comments or suggestions.  Below is a recent article that was written about me in local papers. Enjoy!

Review Press Article 12-22-05