In a city where creativity spills as freely as the Gulf tides, two Galveston artists have discovered that the studio door no longer marks the boundary of their audience. With a few taps on a screen, their work now travels beyond island shores into living rooms, browsers, and newsfeeds around the world.
Although each approaches social media in their own unique way, they share a common joy in sharing their love of art with others. For them, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and short video clips aren’t just platforms - they’re modern galleries, invitations into their creative process, and a source of income.
If one video or behind-the-scenes glimpse inspires someone else to pick up a brush, pencil, or lump of clay and unleash their own inner artist, then the effort is more than worth it.
Robert Peterson
Long before his Timmy Turtle books enchanted readers, Bob Peterson established himself as a freelance illustrator and a syndicated cartoonist with American International Syndicate and Capitol News Service. His cartoons circulated widely, appearing in newspapers and magazines around the world.
Today, his paintings and illustrations continue that journey, finding homes in galleries and private collections globally - subtle reminders of a career driven by imagination, discipline, and a distinct artistic voice.
His gallery, Vacation on Canvas on Postoffice Street in Galveston, is more than just a place to show finished pieces - it’s where ideas take shape. The studio and showroom blend seamlessly, carrying the same lively energy found in his children’s books.
Visitors who stop by might see him drawing, painting, or recording one of his art videos - a quiet dance of his process unfolding in real time. It’s a space shaped by color, character, and the gentle joy that guides every Timmy Turtle adventure.
And if the timing is right, you might catch Peterson filming one of the short art videos he posts on Instagram (@vacationoncanvas) - the digital clips that have brought his work to audiences far beyond the island.
Peterson didn’t always spend his days surrounded by paint, lights, and cameras. Before retirement, he spent decades teaching high school and college students, a role he calls “a great experience that I really enjoyed.” But now, “being retired and spending my full time on art is even better.”
His teaching career was defined by one runaway success: a cartoon drawing class that became the most popular course on campus. Each semester, 150 students rushed to sign up.
“If you ask a student to draw the Mona Lisa, they shut down and say that’s too complicated and hard,” Peterson said.
“However, if you ask a student to draw Mickey Mouse, they say, ‘I can do that.’ Their confidence grows, and by the end of the first semester, they are drawing Iron Man, Wonder Woman… and then they realize they can draw.”
That simple philosophy - start with joy, build confidence, grow skill - still defines his work today.
After retiring, Peterson missed connecting with students. It was his son Jeff, now a math teacher and tennis coach at Conroe High School, who proposed a new way to teach.
“[Jeff] is the one who suggested I start doing more online and develop a YouTube channel,” he said.
Peterson listened. He started filming his drawing process, allowing viewers to see each character develop line by line.
“Being able to watch an artist create helps the viewer realize that it’s not magic,” he said. “It’s just a lot of practice and dedication to the craft.”
The videos didn’t just resonate; they opened doors. Visitors who stop by his gallery often tell him they’ve watched the tutorials. Some become first-time collectors. Others fall in love with a cheerful sea turtle named Timmy.
Timmy Turtle is the star of Peterson’s expanding line of children’s books - stories deeply rooted in his own family. He and his wife have six children, and their family has grown to include nine granddaughters, ages 3 to 25, and eight grandsons, ages 4 to 21.
His oldest granddaughter, Amanda, has already made him a great-grandfather twice; baby Monty and two-year-old Arlo are the newest members of the family.
Family is always on Peterson’s mind. His grandsons, Easton and Grayson, once shared their creative ideas with him. They loved the first three Timmy Turtle books but believed Timmy needed a new friend for the fourth book. Peterson happily took their advice.
“It’s really fun when your 6- and 8-year-old grandsons start giving ideas for your next book,” he said.
Grandparents, too, respond to Timmy in unexpected ways. Many return to the gallery, saying they are learning about the ocean right alongside their grandchildren. That kind of intergenerational impact means everything to Peterson.
“I would like to inspire my young readers to develop their artistic skills and a sound understanding of the ocean and the world around them,” he said.
Peterson’s gallery functions as both a workspace and a showroom. “By having a space that has both studio and showroom, it allows me the opportunity to work and show how it is done,” he said.
People wander in off the street, watch him sketch, and sometimes see him filming a video right in front of them.
“I do believe that an online presence has helped to bring in more clients,” he said. “All I know is that I am having fun doing what I love.”
That joy is what he hopes viewers experience when they watch his content. “I hope the viewers can feel the joy I feel when making the art come alive,” he said.
“I have so many customers who tell me that Timmy Turtle and his expressions just make them happy.”
Every day, Peterson reviews where his videos are being watched. The results often surprise him.
“I’m shocked that people all over the world are enjoying Timmy Turtle,” he said, and added that social media has become an effective way to share his work with a broader audience.
Offering various types of videos helps engage different kinds of collectors. “Younger viewers are drawn to animation and books,” he said, “and other collectors are followers of the more traditional artwork.”
Peterson doesn’t claim to have all the answers on how artists can effectively promote their work online. In fact, he often talks with other artists who share the same uncertainties.
“We are all trying different approaches because there are no clear instructions on how to succeed in the art world,” he said. “Maybe someday there will be a how-to book for promoting art.”
Despite the fun, the color, and the creativity, one story stands out, and it is one Peterson keeps close to his heart.
A family came to tell him that their 10-year-old daughter, a huge Timmy Turtle fan, had died from cancer. She always carried a Timmy Turtle pillow everywhere. After she passed away, her family took turns holding it, feeling connected to her through the character she loved so much.
“As a father and a grandfather, nothing has touched my heart so powerfully as when they told me that story,” he said. “That is why I love doing what I do, because life is about sharing the love we have received.”
Looking ahead, Peterson feels energized, not intimidated, by technology. “I feel the future is wide open and I am having so much fun in the process,” he said.
“Technology is a wonderful tool, and I can’t wait to see what we discover down the road.”
He credits much of his courage to experiment to his wife, who always encouraged him to pursue his dreams. And as he continues to share Timmy Turtle with new audiences - online, in the gallery, and across generations - he remains grateful for each moment.
“Enjoy the turtle life,” he said. And in Galveston, thanks to Bob Peterson, many people do.
The Vacation on Canvas Gallery is located at 2204 Postoffice Street in Galveston. Follow Peterson’s creative process on Facebook and Instagram at vacationoncanvas.
For more information call 409.974.4066, email robert@vacationoncanvas.com or visit vacationoncanvas.com.
Mike Quinn
Most successful artists realize early that there's an innate drive to create - a pull they can’t resist. For Galveston-born sculptor and painter Mike Quinn, that urge first sparked in a childhood home in Topanga Canyon, a bohemian sanctuary in the Santa Monica Mountains where he constantly sketched on anything nearby.
“Just imagine you get to do the job you dreamed about since you were little,” said Quinn. “It happened to me, and it’s still hard to believe 34 years later.”
Born on Christmas Day in 1966, Quinn grew up surrounded by art - especially the work of his mother, Arden, a gifted painter and sculptor who grew up in Pasadena, Texas, but was born on Galveston Island. Her creations filled their home, yet she never sold a single piece, devoting her creativity instead to raising five boys and nurturing the one whose talents mirrored her own.
“There was no one prouder of me than my mom,” he said. “She was my biggest cheerleader from day one. She called me ‘The Sunshine Kid,’ to the chagrin of my four brothers.” She passed six years ago, but Quinn still credits her as the single most significant influence on the course of his life.
Even in first grade, a classmate named Arnold Levi predicted Quinn’s future fame. “He said I’d be a famous cartoonist,” Quinn recalled. “I never dared believe it could come true.”
Quinn’s formal start was anything but promising - he failed ninth-grade art. He didn’t take another structured art class until college, but when he did, everything clicked.
He went on to Texas State University, graduating in 1992 with a degree in commercial art - a foundation that helped him create the whimsical, instantly recognizable brand he’s known for today.
In 1991 - long before YouTube, Facebook, or smartphones existed - Quinn started hand-sculpting his now-iconic Fish With Attitude, along with tribal masks, fantastical clay creatures, and mixed-media sculptures built from metal, clay, fiberglass, or foam.
Over time, he amassed a devoted, almost cult-like following of collectors who recognized his playful aesthetic immediately.
Quinn didn’t join social media by choice - his younger brother Steve created his first Facebook account “as a surprise.” In those early days, Quinn posted only photos. No narration. No music. And minimal traction.
It took over 10 years to get 1,000 followers,” he said. “It was frustrating.
Everything changed when his wife, Jodi, gave him a hands-free, neck-mounted phone holder. Suddenly, Quinn - who, it turns out, has a natural radio voice - could narrate his creative process. That’s when the magic happened.
“The first 3 to 5 seconds are crucial,” said Quinn. “It’s called the hook. Once someone watches beyond five seconds, it becomes a ‘qualified view,’ which can be monetized - about $1,000 per million qualified views.”
Now, Quinn posts daily across social media - sometimes in the morning, midday, and at night. “My advice to artists is to post consistently,” he said. “Seven days a week. It can be grueling.”
But the payoff has been tremendous. In just the past two years, his following has increased to over 95,000 across platforms.
For years, Quinn kept his methods private. Then, inspired by artists sharing techniques online, he decided to experiment. “It turns out the secrets are what people really want to see,” he said.
Nothing proves that more than his videos showcasing the dramatic Raku firing process, a centuries-old Japanese technique that involves yanking 2,000-degree pieces from a kiln and dousing them in a combustible mixture he calls Pyro Spurt - half vegetable oil, half lighter fluid.
“It’s performance art,” said Quinn, and audiences can’t get enough of the smoke, flames, and shimmering finished glazes. Those videos frequently go viral - and they’re now the most financially productive content he makes.
Between monetized views and the surge in website orders driven by his videos, Quinn is now earning over $3,000 a month in payouts - with social media accounting for about 10 percent of his overall income. The real value, he says, comes from visibility.
“I’m hoping to keep that number going up,” he said. “We’re planning to introduce more products - hats, shirts, stickers.”
He’s also expanded his home-studio showroom in Santa Fe, Texas, and dreams of creating a network of brick-and-mortar galleries, similar to Wyland Galleries, to showcase the full range of Fish With Attitude art worldwide.
For Quinn, the leap from a doodle-obsessed child in Topanga Canyon to an internationally recognized sculptor feels both surreal and predestined.
“Being able to inspire others makes it all worth it,” he said.
The Mike Quinn Studio & Showroom, home to Fish With Attitude, is located at 6213 Avenue M in Santa Fe, Texas. Follow Quinn’s creative process on social media: Facebook and X (Twitter) at fishwattitude, Pinterest at fishwthattitude, and Instagram at artistmikequinn.
For more information, call 832.425.8661, email Michaelquinn767@yahoo.com, or visit fishwithattitude.com.