Homeless Series

For ten years my church was in Christ House, a respite care facility for homeless men. This experience sensitized me to how difficult it is to survive and how vulnerable one is, when most of your life is lived on the concrete streets. I was galvanized me to do a series on homelessness, when I decided to enter Art-O-Matic,. This large show, where anyone can enter, was being held in the Tenleytown neighborhood, the home turf for a number DC's homeless. In this series I show a man carrying a blanket and another man sitting on the grates for warmth. I wanted to emphasize how much of one's life when one is homeless is on public display, when normally private acts like a daytime nap must be done on a park bench. And I also wanted to highlight the importance of programs like the weekly shower and change of clothes which Christ House provides. I have never received such a response to my artwork, with many people sending e-mails and wanting to discuss with me the issue of homelessness.

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