Art of the Dojo
The samurai were often as skilled in wielding the pen or brush as they were in wielding the sword…
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I started drawing and painting at an early age and continued all the way through college. I received my Associates Degree in Studio Art from Reinhardt College (now Reinhardt University) and my Bachelor’s of Fine Arts with a concentration in Drawing and Painting from the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!!).
Throughout my ministry career I have been able to use my art training in various ways–everything from designing friends tattoos, to drawing children’s curriculum, to designing lobby murals for churches, to painting live onstage during sermons and worship services.
As a lifelong martial artist, fighters are definitely my favorite subject for portraits. I try to bring out the personality and humanity of the fighters I draw, rather than just the “tough-guy-making-a-fist” approach that people expect of anything related to MMA. For more on my approach, check out this article based on an interview I did over at IronForgesIron.com about my work.
Follow the links below to see my galleries:
- Martial Arts portrait gallery
- Pop Culture portrait gallery
- Trading card artwork gallery (coming soon!)
- Commissions and various other media gallery
- Teaching graphics gallery
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The only way to describe this man’s abilities to draw is “he is a Red Belt in the art”
–Renzo Gracie,
Brazilian Jiujitsu/MMA legend
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It is an honor to be represented in such an artistic way. Your hand captures the true essence of Martial Artists. To be among them I am very appreciative!
–Dave Camarillo
Creator of Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu, American Kickboxing Academy
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The way he drew me was very nice and really real! JM, God gave you a such great talent man. Thank you so much and you can draw me anytime man. The best thing is: You gave Your talent to the One who gave the talent to you–“The Creator.” Awesome!
Andre Galvao
ADCC World Champion 2011 absolute and -88kg
COMMISSIONS:I also do private commission pieces in order to help fund Disciple Dojo. If you are interested in commissioning a piece, don’t hesitate to contact me via the contact page. Pricing varies depending on size, media, detail, composition and complexity. But since I absolutely detest pretentiousness among artists (which didn’t make me very popular in art school! Haha!) I can assure you that what I charge is quite reasonable compared to original custom artwork. More Art of the Dojo products! (shirts, posters, stickers, mugs, etc.) All sales go directly to supporting Disciple Dojo so stock up!
Be sure to check out my gallery and “Like” my Facebook page! And tell others about my work to help keep Disciple Dojo running!
Thanks for your support!
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[…] BUY SOME PRINTS TO SUPPORT MMA ART!! Justin McAllister – Sharpie Brad Utterstrom – pastels JM Smith (yours truly) – Prismacolor __________________ JMS The Disciple Dojo – JMSmith.org JM's Art […]
by List of the best UFC/MMA fighter artists? - Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Forums on Apr 24, 2012 at 4:21 pm
[…] BUY SOME PRINTS TO SUPPORT MMA ART!! Justin McAllister – Sharpie Brad Utterstrom – pastels JM Smith (yours truly) – Prismacolor Some damn good work here too! Love the 2nd one. Bump! […]
by List of the best UFC/MMA fighter artists? - Page 2 - Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Forums on Apr 24, 2012 at 11:25 pm
[…] individuals for auctions and fundraising efforts’, similar to some of the things my friend James-Michael Smith @ Disciple Dojo does. Whatever it is that you are passionate about, that is your vehicle. You may have 1 vehicle or […]
by Do Your Passions Look Like A Hooptie, Or A Ferrari? | cleanleansharp on Sep 27, 2013 at 12:40 pm
Hi, I was searching the web today in search of an interesting commentary on Matthew 27: 50-54 and found your writing. I really liked what you wrote and your conclusions, so when I looked you up, I was pleasantly surprised that you’re an artist! I am an artist working on image ideas for our Stations of the Cross art show, and wanted an out of the box image not found in the traditional stations. Anyway, thanks for your helpful contribution and for your arts ministry. My husband is also an artist, and he and I are also arts ministers and love finding like minded people. We also run an art school and teach art to kids. I’ll be sure to let you know if I attempt a painting of that passage!
In Christ,
Wendy DeRaud
by Wendy DeRaud on Apr 7, 2022 at 7:26 pm
I just finished your book of essays, ordered from Amazon, received & read within the same week! Thanks for publishing. If you’re interested, I can trade you my proofread copy for a fresh one to read again …
I would like to find a print copy/transcript of the in-depth video you did on the Rapture. I’m convinced that it is already somewhere in the ether but I don’t know where else to look. I began trying to manually transcribe my own notes, but gave up when you showed the second page of primarily Greek text and explanation. Though I’ve had absolutely NO Greek or Hebrew training, I have ordered the “… for the rest of us” books & study guides, and have downloaded and installed both these languages into my older Office Word® app.
FYI: Though I’ve had NO seminary training, I grew up Southern Baptist in the Texas Panhandle in an era when we did “study courses” every quarter; two group Bible studies on Sunday, followed by two different sermons (morning & evening); met for Bible study & prayer meeting on Wednesday nights; “followed” my Mom all week (until she died when I was 15y2m old) & we did the whole gamut of Women’s Missionary Union (WMU): Sunbeams for beginners (preschool-9y), Girls’ Auxiliary (for 9-15y), Young Women’s Auxiliary (for 16-22y), Women’s Missionary Society (for women after college), in which we studied missionaries & their fields of service, memorized Scripture for our own salvation & for sharing of the Gospel, & did our own local missions outreaches in the farming & oilfield community of <1000 where I grew up (from 6-15y). On top of those in-house & local learning experiences, we also met for associational, district, state, & conventional assemblies full of Bible, missions, prayer & pot luck. To fill in the "spare time", Mom set up a mimeograph machine at home, & she & I produced church bulletins, WMU yearbooks, handouts for Sunbeams, GAs, YWAs, & WMS, et al. All to say that I couldn't help but "absorb" the Bible. I then collected a husband, two precious children, then a BSChE (1979) (followed by 25y non-domestic engineering) & a BSPsych (2011), together with enough semester hours for degrees in biology, chemistry, & biochemistry, but was unable to claim those degrees because the courses were spread out over too many years …
So, to summarize: Where can I download a transcript of the Rapture video? & Where should I send my proofed essays?
by Juanita Irene Barnes on May 4, 2024 at 12:00 am