After a ‘terrible' picture he painted of his wife as a wedding gift went viral, Jamie Matthias from Alsager, Cheshire has been inundated with hilarious portrait commissions.
His wife, Kate shared the painting on social media and it instantly got thousands of views and comments within a few days. Now Matthias has countless requests from people to create funny versions of their photographs.
"Not only are these paintings amazingly hilarious but the write ups on the Facebook page are hilarious too. I look forward to checking the posts and they always give us a good laugh, which is what most people need at the minute. Keep doing what you do Jamie,” one of the fans wrote.
"This is the best page I've seen on Facebook,” another one added.
“Most amazing artist of 2025,” the other comment read.
It all started with Jamie’s wife, a wedding portrait he made of her as a joke
Image credits: terribleartbyjamielee
Image credits: terribleartbyjamielee
Matthias unveiled that painting was always one of their family activities. They would get the mats and canvases out and paint something with their kids.
"My wife regularly mocks the quality of my work. I then decided to do one for our wedding day and gift it as part of my wedding speech which went down really well as it was so terrible (hence the name)", the 41-year-old shared with Bored Panda.
Shortly after his wife Kate decided to upload this hilarious portrait on social media, its popularity has surprisingly soared with countless art lovers flooding Matthias with paid art commissions worldwide.
"As a bit of a joke we set up a Facebook and Instagram account called Terrible Art by Jamie Lee. We sent out the picture, the reaction and a bit of a blurb and it just kind of blew up,” Matthias shared.
“We’ve got orders all over England, Scotland, Wales and even Northern Ireland, people all over the country seem to be really enjoying it. We’re at 71 orders now. We joke Kate is head of financial distribution and her bridesmaid Kate is head of marketing,” he added.
The artworks were not meant to be painted badly, it’s just the way they always turn out
Image credits: terribleartbyjamielee
Image credits: terribleartbyjamielee
Matthias painted for years yet he had no idea his paintings were so bad until people started telling him.
“I actually don’t mean to paint badly and I’m doing my best to recreate the photos I get sent but it’s just the way they turn out,” the man explained.
"I try to create an alternate universe where proportions have no meaning,” he noted.
Despite the paintings looking terrible, many people seem to appreciate them in some way.
Image credits: terribleartbyjamielee
Image credits: terribleartbyjamielee
Image credits: terribleartbyjamielee
“I’ll keep forgetting to paint someone’s nose and have to keep mixing paint and add it later. It adds to the comedy value,” Matthias said.
“This is my standard, there’s no risk of it getting better. I am absolutely not an art teacher,” he added.
Asked about what was the most hilarious moment in painting career so far, Matthias shared that it was probably his recent painting live.
"I think painting live on tv on The Last Leg was my favourite being a fan of the show,” he noted.
The so called Britain's worst artist is not worried about his technique since it’s all about the reactions
Image credits: terribleartbyjamielee
Matthias usually spends around two hours every evening painting his commissioned work, which costs from £25 for 10 x 12 inch canvases, and all he’s worried about is how much fun it brings to people.
The 41-year-old shared with Bored Panda that making people happy is what he loves the most.
"The messages I'm getting when they receive the paintings are brilliant and we are being sent photos and videos of the reactions when they are being opened which is brilliant!” he said.
Image credits: terribleartbyjamielee
Image credits: terribleartbyjamielee
"If you’re looking to spark a family feud, subtly insult your in-laws, or gift your bridal party something they’ll never forget (and probably never speak to you again about), hit me up to commission your very own masterpiece!" one of the publications on artist’s social media reads.
And hundreds of people rush to order these one-of-a-kind paintings.
"They clearly get the humour," he said and noted that people’s reactions to the artworks are his biggest motivation.
According to Kate, Matthias' paintings are just the most ridiculous thing anyone has ever seen.
"We've had so much fun laughing at his inability to paint,” the woman shared.
Apparently, there’s a place that collects and appreciates artworks that gone wrong
Image credits: terribleartbyjamielee
Matthias’ artworks probably could find their place in The Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) that was founded in 1993, after antique dealer Scott Wilson and his friend Jerry Reilly.
It all started when they found a painting entitled 'Lucy in the Field with Flowers' in a trash bin and realised it was so horribly bad that it was good.
The Boston based Museum collects hundreds of pieces of art gone wrong.
“We are the first institution to collect, exhibit, and celebrate these works that would otherwise never receive the recognition they deserve,” Louise Reilly Sacco, Executive director of the museum, shared.
The museum only accepts artwork that is sincere. It can also be the work of a skilled artist who was trying something new yet eventually made an unfortunate decision.
"Or it can be created by an artist who barely knows which end of the brush to hold,” Louise said.
"In any case, the work must be interesting and compelling. We favour pieces that are clearly meant to communicate something to the viewer,” he added.
Netizens couldn't get enough of hilarious paintings and were suggesting Matthias to have an exhibition
The unexpected rise of Jamie Matthias's comedic art is a testament to the power of humor in creativity. His story of inadvertently hilarious portraits reminds us of the need to carefully consider every aspect of creation, from intention to public perception. This aligns closely with the importance of double-checking when crafting domain names, where a seemingly small oversight can lead to unintended hilarity.
For more examples of how things can amusingly go awry, consider exploring some unintentionally risque domain names.