Redemption is a word that is pregnant with hope. It is defined with such words as “deliver”, “recover”, and “rescue”. To redeem something carries with it the idea of repurposing, or redefining. Simply stated it encompasses the assurance that something that is wrong can be made right.

In this ongoing art series called “Redemption” I have chosen to “deliver”, “rescue”, and “repurpose” items intended to be discarded as “trash”. There have been several motivational seeds from which this series has grown. The beginning roots of these paintings are actually found in the soil of Africa and the painful repercussions of AIDS.

My muse was one humble man, Ray Barnett, who had a vision to redeem and transform this tragedy. The mission statement of his organization, Music for Life, became my passion. Since 1984, thousands of children who were abandoned and helpless due to the AIDS virus have been fed, clothed, and educated. Once discarded and rejected, they have now been given beauty, dignity and purpose.

Another root of origin for the “Redemption Series” extends past the borders of Africa to global environmental concerns. In repurposing and upcycling “trash” into works of redemptive beauty, I feel I am doing my part to live a bit more “green”. Pieces in this series include mixed media paintings and collage art which are constructed from common household waste. Items from our trash have been built onto wooden panels, arranged for visually interesting relief, covered with paper mache` and then painted with acrylic paint. Sizes have varied from 30”x30” to 4ft.x8ft.