If we're talking painting, then it would be Gil Elvgren.  He could paint women in sexy way, in an understated idealized way, that wasn't exploitive or degrading (to my eye) fashion.  They looked like the girl next door, and there's a sense of innocence in his paintings.

Other artists I like quite a lot include Mike Worley (also a nice guy), Rick Stasi, Charles M. Russell (I have a glorious print of his work that hangs in our living room), Will Eiser, r stevens, my Great-Grandmother (scads of her works on our walls), and the cross-stitch work of both my Wife and my Mother-in-Law.  When they complete a project, and frame it, it's beautiful to behold.

In a completely different vein, Friend of he Blog, Jade does some compelling and interesting work.  She says a lot in her work, using a minimum of colors.  I find it evocative and quite beautiful.

As I can't paint anything beyond a cabinet, that would be fun to learn.  I'd also like to leave some lasting contribution to the world of literature.  Doesn't matter what form it takes.  That will grow out of  my writing, I hope.

I also believe that being a friend is an art of some sort.  The artistry of love, trust and belief in somebody is priceless, in my estimation.

Not being an Artsy Craftsy kinda guy, this is a bizarre question to answer.  However, I do maintain a scrapbook of Sports Stadium postcards from around the country.  Football and Baseball stadiums, mostly.  I've been accumulating the postcards for years, and my wife gave me the scrapbook for this past Christmas.  It was a fun few days arranging and mounting the cards, along with a few ticket stubs.  Makes a nice way to keep them all together and presentable.

I wrote this short story years ago about a woman figuring out that her beloved mother had used her father, who everyone thought had abandoned the family, as fertilizer for her award winning tomatoes.  It was one of those things that really seemed like a good idea at the time.

How would I make it better?  Put that idea back and try something else.  That's how...

I made a bowl out of clay for my mother when I was in the 6th grade.  I painted (quite poorly) the same design as Captain America's sheild on the inside of the bowl.  I've not a blue clue in the world what happened to it since she died. 

I don't guess that building furniture that came in a box counts for much does it