Painting is believed to predate recorded history and has been in existence for over 35,000 (Ayres, 1985; Bolton, 2013) years. Over the years, painting has evolved; new styles have been developed and digital media have been explored. Each period of change goes through a period of rejection before it is accepted. In the 1960s, digital media was introduced to the art form. Like all the painting mediums, it was rejected. It has been over 50 years since it was introduced and yet, it has not been fully accepted as an art form (King, 2002; Miller, 2007; Noll, 1994). This exploratory study seeks to understand the artist's perception on the use of digital media as an art tool and its benefit to the artists and art education. Grounded theory was used as a methodological guide for the study. Eleven participants participated in this study. Participants for the study were drawn from art instructors who teach at 4-year higher education art colleges located in Ohio and Illinois. The research explored the perception of artists on the use of digital media, otherwise known as digital media in painting. The study relied on interviewing as a method of data collection, which was triangulated with reviewed literature relating to the research. The emergent theory describes how an artist's perception of digital media and digital paintings can be interpreted. It takes into account three main variables: how the artist defines painting, how their definition influences their tool of choice, and their view on the importance of the role and function of painting in the lives of individuals, in society and culture and in art education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]