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Andy Thomas

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Artist

The Resume

    (September 6, 1957- )
    Resident of Carthage, Missouri
    Best known for his paintings of gatherings of US Presidents: ‘The Grand Old Gang’ and ‘True Blues’ (Republican and Democratic presidents, respectively, playing poker; 2008), ‘Shooting the Red’ and ‘Shooting the Blue’ (presidents playing pool; 2010) and ‘The Republican Club’ and ‘The Democratic Club’ (presidents sitting around the table in a private club; 2018)
    Gained considerable attention when a print of ‘The Republican Club’ was spotted in the background during a Lesley Stahl/60 Minutes interview of Donald Trump at the White House

Why he might be annoying:

    He flattered Trump by painting him noticeably thinner in ‘The President’s Club’ than he is in reality.
    He said it was difficult to produce a ‘genuine smile’ on Trump.
    When reporters began calling him after ’60 Minutes’ aired, he initially assumed they were robocalls and ignored them.
    His paintings of presidents are the political equivalent of ‘dogs playing poker’ – literally so, in his ‘The Grand Old Gang’ and ’True Blues’ paintings.
    It may seem bipartisan that he paints both Republican and Democratic versions of his paintings of presidents, but wouldn’t it be more in the bipartisan spirit if he had any paintings where presidents from the two parties mingle?
    If you have a burning desire for a painting of Federalist or Whig presidents playing poker or pool, you’re outta luck.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He is a self-taught artist.
    He cites Norman Rockwell as an influence.
    In addition to slimming Trump down, he said he tried to make all the presidents ‘as good looking as I could and still be recognizable. And so I flatter them all if I can.’
    He said he is an admirer of both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
    He admitted that he is not sure how Trump would actually be greeted by his predecessors: ‘He’s outside the norm of Republicans and that makes it kind of interesting.’
    If you cannot afford the $595 (and up) for a signed, limited edition print of one of his presidential paintings, they are available as jigsaw puzzles for $16.99 or as coffee mugs for $15.99.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying