About The Artist

Many years ago I sat in a restaurant with my 8 year old daughter and played a drawing game on a paper napkin. Together we created a whimsical character - now known as Juba. Our invention got me thinking: wouldn't it be great to demonstrate to my children that one can take a creative idea and turn it into a useful, artistic, inspiring, and marketable product?

I had been working for many years as an artist and designer and had focused on painting with the combined mediums of gouache and water color. The subject matter of my paintings were, and remain, primarily inspired by nature and the inventions of the mind. My art often juxtaposes unusual design elements in inventive relationships and is inspired in part by my children and their creativity.

I began using my paintings as a source of imagery that could be recreated on nylon and merged with a durable rubber backing, thereby producing functional floor art.

Coincidentally my family, which has multi-generational roots in the textile business, had the technology and manufacturing capacity to create what has come to be known as The Whimsy Collection @thewhimseycollection.com. The business is small and thanks to you it is growing.

My mats ask and answer these questions: Why can't a mat be both beautiful and rugged? Why can't a mat last for years when properly cared for? Why can't a mat be inspiring and be located not just at the front door but throughout an entire house, school, hospital, daycare center, or office space delivering color, whimsy and inspiration? The answer is: They Can!

It is good to know that when you are buying an artmatsdm.com mat you are supporting american workers in the creation of an american product. My art mats are not made off shore but are made here, on a mat by mat basis, in LaGrange, Georgia USA. I thank you for your business and want you to know that Whimsey Collection Mats will bring delight to your life for many years to come. Thank you!

David Milliken