Artist Statement:
Robert Henri said that art can be used to create change. I have found this to be the case in my own art work. During my past 52 years as an artist I spent 7 years teaching mentally and physically challenge adults and young adults in Philadelphia.
Most notably was instrumental through our art program got the city to install ramps in the Galleria in downtown Philly in the 1980's.
Artwork:
In the '70's as a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, I would often draw and do lithographs of many of the homeless people who slept on benches etc. This painting is a culmination of the plight of the homeless that continues to this day. The sign CAFE above their heads represents the contrast that exists in our communities. I have been involved with CARITAS (Latin for love) for many years, which is an organization that is supported and run by five different churches here in Sarasota Fl. The somber coloring and the feeling of weighted figures contrasts with the fleeting warmth that the street steam vent provides.
