orphans and art

african collaborative pieces from november 07

these are pictures of a series of collaborative paintings i did for a show at the urban artworks gallery in alpharetta, GA back in november of 07. the whole show was a benefit for heart for africa and the show was called "faces of hope."

my wife and i got to go to kenya with heart for africa in july of 07 and we headed up art education programs with the orphans. one of the things we wanted to do from this trip was to bring back some art from the children and be able to sell them at the show in order to raise more money for them.

now i've been in some conversations with worldvision and other organizations about selling art made by children. it's a good idea... i think it hits the heart... but i just don't think it works. why? well because i don't think people wanting to buy art are going to fork out a lot of money on something that looks similar to the work in their kids classroom. maybe i'm wrong... but i don't think i am.

so how do we solve this?

i was showing a bunch of other pieces at this show. these panels that these kids had painted on were just sitting around my studio as i was making other work for the show. in this process of just being there, i had this idea. if people were going to buy my work because they liked it (along with a number of other reasons), then what if i could add my purchasing momentum to their work? i was there. i had them make these pieces and i took their picture. i'm wrapped up in this story as it is.... so why not add my interpretation to these kids and their story?



so i matched up the paintings and their pictures, and i painted on them. an instant collaboration.... from over 10,000 miles apart.

and that's where these paintings came from.

we would like to do more of this someday. get more artists involved and do a giant collaborative show with the orphans. we'll see what transpires.....

Alpharetta Art Show

it's sunday night. my last night in georgia. i'm sitting in my friend mann's house typing out this blog entry as the final cap to a busy today.

i only arrived three days ago... and in those three days i've done an 3 assemblies at a school, a concert in atlanta, painted at an art show where i was the main artist showcasing work, signed posters, went to meet a greets, varnished a painting in someone's living room, went to the hospital to visit my friends new born (which when they picked me up from the airport callie was still pregnant), made t-shirts for africa, stayed in three different homes, stayed out til 3am on friday with an old friend from bible school who lives here now, and ate at chick fil-a two times.

it's been a very ecclectic weekend.

it's been cool to be here. very wierd though. weird in the sense as you see your life through your own eyes... and you get really used to it. the art work i do, the things i live through, it all becomes just the norm. i'm not ungrateful for it... it's just my life, you know? so i come out here for this art show, which was a fund raiser for Heart for Africa, and because i'm the main artist at this show, they have hyped me up a bunch and people no about me. at this school i went to, kids new my artwork and were asking me about my paintings. all very cool... but in my head i'm just like "ah... i'm very ordinary and not that big of a deal." and i'm not. i don't think i am. and i get there response. i get used to my work and my painting live. it's nothing new to me. but seen through new eyes, i forget it's impactful... that it brings people joy and i some ways it's inspirational to them. so when they express gratitude, i know what they mean, and i'm thankful for their words. it's just bizarre being in my skin because i think a lot of my life is lived in quiet monotonous places.

i was thinking about all the artwork at that show. it was all made in my studio... which is cool, but it's just me there. i'm painting away, listening to music or books or talks online... just doing my thing. but then take all that work and put it all together in a show and invite a lot of people to it... it then becomes an impactful experience. and people want to shake your hand and tell you their appreciation for it..... it's a great experience, but all very wierd. i don't know if i'm explaining this quite right. thanks for bearing with me.

it's just that i think making great work or doing anything of importence usually starts in boring unexciting environments. with creating, it's usually the quiet trying times that the work is produced in. no one is there but you. it's a very simple place.

but when it comes to an audience, it becomes this thing that moves people and starts something.....
it's a very interesting experience.

well, i hope that made sense in some way to you the reader.

thanks to all who helped with the show, who took care of me by giving me food and a place to sleep, and all those who encouraged me with the words and hugs. i had a great time in alpharetta.
can't wait for my next show there....