Earlier this year, Baldwin was a recipient of a public art grant whose goal was to commemorate the wisdom of John Wooden. The art is currently on display in Martinsville, Indiana – Wooden’s hometown, and it is this series that was chosen by the Society of Illustrators for publication and exhibition. Baldwin’s client was Rediscover Martinsville, with additional funding through Indiana Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, Brown County Community Foundation, and Visit Morgan County.

The concept for the digital paintings, centered upon a John Wooden quote “I’m glad I was a teacher,” resonated with Baldwin as a teacher and a father. Therefore, Baldwin worked on this series with his five-year-old son.

“Initially I hoped that working on this series with my son would allow me to share with him general techniques on painting and drawing, something that he loves. However I quickly realized this was an opportunity for Sam to show his dad how he sees and interprets the world around him. During these painting sessions we would often talk about John Wooden and his life, but most often we would just talk. We talked and laughed about anything and everything, as we quickly forgot about painting chalkboards, glasses, or shoes.”