"Portrait of Nina Simone" was originally created by my own inspiration and respect for Nina Simone. I loved having this painting in the studio sitting on the piano I have played since I was 5 years old. When summer of 2020 brought racial wounds to the surface of the world's eyes, I felt compelled to add color and texture to the his piece, and called to do something to honor and support the Black community and especially underserved, underprivileged children.
Instead of working, as scheduled, on my upcoming series Crackled Summer 2020, I hit the pause button in order to find some way to use my artistic voice to help bring balance in some way to the injustice and imbalance that is prevalent in our beautiful, yet wounded society.
I am offering this painting, “Portrait of Nina Simone” (a 12x12 oil painting on 2.5" deep canvas) and 10x10 prints of this piece today, 6/19/2020. Happy Juneteenth!
All proceeds will go to supporting Guitars Over Guns, a "501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers students from our most vulnerable communities a powerful combination of music education and mentorship with professional musicians to help them overcome hardship, find their voice and reach their potential as tomorrow’s leaders."