“As soon as you step out and focus on someone other than yourself, it opens up a whole other world.”
Portraits of the Homeless. Helping people find humanity.
They are to most of us, invisible. They are the homeless.
It began with one portrait of Willie, a Vietnam veteran.
In 2005, I set out on a journey to capture the incredible character that life on the streets has allotted the homeless in their daily struggle for survival on downtown city streets.
What I found was unexpected-that beauty, dignity, strength and a desire to connect were present in each person I encountered, resting just beneath the surface.
This was when my endeavor to bring awareness to the issue of homelessness on the streets of San Diego became my passion project.
The ‘Invisible People Project’ is a powerful intersection of art and society. While each portrait is artistic, they present an opportunity for others to witness the reality of a stranger’s existence.
This artwork highlights a population that experiences gross inequities, exclusion and lack of access to critical services such as dental, medical and psychological care as well as housing, which in turn prolongs homelessness (unless they connect with a service provider). They also face physical danger, especially women.
My pursuit is aimed at telling stories through these portraits to help others truly see the homeless demographic as human beings. I want to create awareness and influence change whether it’s on an individual or societal level. After all, we’re all in this together.
All
- Invisible People Portraits
Martin63
2012/118in x 144in 9 panels/block prin
I met Martin on Union Street in San Francisco. He was eloquent and soft spoken. He told me about his poetry and the many years he spent in Berkeley. This my largest portrait to date, printed on 9 plates. Each one 36 inches by 48 inches.
2012/118in x 144in 9 panels/block prin
I met Martin on Union Street in San Francisco. He was eloquent and soft spoken. He told me about his poetry and the many years he spent in Berkeley. This my largest portrait to date, printed on 9 plates. Each one 36 inches by 48 inches.
Michael 67
2011/48in x 72in/block print
Michael is known as Pastor Shelby on the streets in downtown San Diego. He stood up as I approached. His area near a fence on the sidewalk was neat and tidy and he spoke with a smile. When I told him that I was an artist he beamed and told me that he was an artist. He told me that his place was to be on the street ministering to others. I asked him how he dealt with the elements? He said,” I am the elements”. The image was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2012 National Portrait competition. It was on exhibit in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait gallery in Washington DC.
2011/48in x 72in/block print
Michael is known as Pastor Shelby on the streets in downtown San Diego. He stood up as I approached. His area near a fence on the sidewalk was neat and tidy and he spoke with a smile. When I told him that I was an artist he beamed and told me that he was an artist. He told me that his place was to be on the street ministering to others. I asked him how he dealt with the elements? He said,” I am the elements”. The image was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2012 National Portrait competition. It was on exhibit in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait gallery in Washington DC.
Mark 46
2010/48in x 72in/block print
I call Mark the ‘prophet’. He stood at the exit from the freeway near my studio almost every day. He was positive and very engaging with everyone who passed by. He always had a sign with a positive saying. We spoke often. He talked about life and spirituality and our purpose here on earth. Each time we parted I felt enlightened in some way.
2010/48in x 72in/block print
I call Mark the ‘prophet’. He stood at the exit from the freeway near my studio almost every day. He was positive and very engaging with everyone who passed by. He always had a sign with a positive saying. We spoke often. He talked about life and spirituality and our purpose here on earth. Each time we parted I felt enlightened in some way.
Linda 49
2009/36in x 48in/block print
Linda was sleeping on the sidewalk near a corner in downtown San Diego when my brother and I were unloading a piece of art for delivery. She got up from her sleep and asked us for the time. She did not want to be late for her social services meeting. During our conversation I mentioned that I was an artist and was interested in doing a portrait of her. She told me that she had just seen a local paper with an article about an artist in San Diego doing portraits of the homeless. I told her that it was me. She was so excited. “I would be honored for you to do my portrait!”. I was honored.
2009/36in x 48in/block print
Linda was sleeping on the sidewalk near a corner in downtown San Diego when my brother and I were unloading a piece of art for delivery. She got up from her sleep and asked us for the time. She did not want to be late for her social services meeting. During our conversation I mentioned that I was an artist and was interested in doing a portrait of her. She told me that she had just seen a local paper with an article about an artist in San Diego doing portraits of the homeless. I told her that it was me. She was so excited. “I would be honored for you to do my portrait!”. I was honored.
Kevin 51
2005/36in x 48in/block print
Kevin was intense and spoke in short terse sentences. He showed me a medical bracelet over and over while we spoke while standing on the railroad tracks on the west side of downtown San Diego. Reminding me that he had psychological issues.
2005/36in x 48in/block print
Kevin was intense and spoke in short terse sentences. He showed me a medical bracelet over and over while we spoke while standing on the railroad tracks on the west side of downtown San Diego. Reminding me that he had psychological issues.
Kevin 51
2005/30in x 40in/graphite on paper
Kevin was intense and spoke in short terse sentences. He showed me a medical bracelet over and over while we spoke while standing on the railroad tracks on the west side of downtown San Diego. Reminding me that he had psychological issues.
2005/30in x 40in/graphite on paper
Kevin was intense and spoke in short terse sentences. He showed me a medical bracelet over and over while we spoke while standing on the railroad tracks on the west side of downtown San Diego. Reminding me that he had psychological issues.
Keith 54
2013 32inx40/graphite on 4 panels
Keith told me the reason that he was homeless. He had been a jewelry salesman in Miami with a lot of celebrity clients including Madonna. He lost his job over a mistake he made during an inventory at his store. He was accused of stealing a Rolex watch. He told me that this incident was the beginning of his unraveling. A small checkmark in a box on an inventory form.
2013 32inx40/graphite on 4 panels
Keith told me the reason that he was homeless. He had been a jewelry salesman in Miami with a lot of celebrity clients including Madonna. He lost his job over a mistake he made during an inventory at his store. He was accused of stealing a Rolex watch. He told me that this incident was the beginning of his unraveling. A small checkmark in a box on an inventory form.
Juan 63
2012 48in x 72in/block print
Juan told me that he was a migrant worker from Oaxaca, Mexico for many, many years
2012 48in x 72in/block print
Juan told me that he was a migrant worker from Oaxaca, Mexico for many, many years
G 36
2010 48in x 72in/block print
G was happy and very vocal on the busy corner where spoke to anyone near him. He was blind and sitting in a wheelchair. Full of energy, full of life
2010 48in x 72in/block print
G was happy and very vocal on the busy corner where spoke to anyone near him. He was blind and sitting in a wheelchair. Full of energy, full of life
Dorcie 66
2013/36in x 48in/block print
She is a strong, confident women. She wants to be on the streets and help people who need it, especially women. She said that “Men on the streets are weak”.
2013/36in x 48in/block print
She is a strong, confident women. She wants to be on the streets and help people who need it, especially women. She said that “Men on the streets are weak”.
Derek 24
2018/48in x 48in/block print
It was a cold rainy day in Syracuse New York when Jason came into the van. I was with John Tumino who was on his regular circuit driving around the city handing out food bags from My Father’s Kitchen. He founded this incredible organization and gives his heart and soul to feeding, sheltering and delivering services to people in Syracuse who are homeless.
2018/48in x 48in/block print
It was a cold rainy day in Syracuse New York when Jason came into the van. I was with John Tumino who was on his regular circuit driving around the city handing out food bags from My Father’s Kitchen. He founded this incredible organization and gives his heart and soul to feeding, sheltering and delivering services to people in Syracuse who are homeless.
Richard 68
2010/20in x 30in/graphite on paper
2010/20in x 30in/graphite on paper
Mike 35
2010/36in x 48in/ block print
Mike was very distracted and made eye contact infrequently. He wore a combination odd clothes.
2010/36in x 48in/ block print
Mike was very distracted and made eye contact infrequently. He wore a combination odd clothes.
Luther 49
2006/30in x 40in/graphite on paper
Luther was an elegant man from the south who came to San Diego as a US Navy sailor many years before. He had grown children. Several years after we met, he was working handing out clothes to other homeless men and women at a shelter.
2006/30in x 40in/graphite on paper
Luther was an elegant man from the south who came to San Diego as a US Navy sailor many years before. He had grown children. Several years after we met, he was working handing out clothes to other homeless men and women at a shelter.
Larry 52
2006/36in x 48in/block print
2006/36in x 48in/block print
JD 34
2020/48in x 48in/block print
A very quiet guy. Said he grew up and went to high school in San Diego. We met on a hot day in San Diego on an immense lot near the stadium.
2020/48in x 48in/block print
A very quiet guy. Said he grew up and went to high school in San Diego. We met on a hot day in San Diego on an immense lot near the stadium.
Elijah 49
2007/36inx48in/block print
2007/36inx48in/block print
Eddie 51
36in x 48in/block print
Eddie was wearing a trash bag as a hat. He was talkative but seemed out of it.
36in x 48in/block print
Eddie was wearing a trash bag as a hat. He was talkative but seemed out of it.
Cowboy jimmy 70
2009/ 30in x 40in/ Charcoal on paper
Cowboy was collecting cans from my bin one morning. Very friendly with lots of confidence.
2009/ 30in x 40in/ Charcoal on paper
Cowboy was collecting cans from my bin one morning. Very friendly with lots of confidence.
Coco 63
2010/34in x 50in/Graphite on paper
2010/34in x 50in/Graphite on paper
Bruce 60
2008/36in x 48in/block print
2008/36in x 48in/block print
Benjamin 53
2009/72in x 96in/4 panel block print
2009/72in x 96in/4 panel block print
Alan 49
200836in x 49in/block print
Alan and Bruce were inseparable. They said they were together for the laughs and for companionship and for protection. He said that they tried to get away from women on the streets because that’s always where the trouble was. Alan had lost a good job and his house and family because of his drinking. He said that several times he got clean and got a job only to repeat the same thing again.
200836in x 49in/block print
Alan and Bruce were inseparable. They said they were together for the laughs and for companionship and for protection. He said that they tried to get away from women on the streets because that’s always where the trouble was. Alan had lost a good job and his house and family because of his drinking. He said that several times he got clean and got a job only to repeat the same thing again.
Ryan24
2020/48in x 48in/block print
Ryan was a college graduate from Florida. He had lost his job as a waiter and hitch hiked to San Diego where I met him. Well spoke and friendly, he told me that the group of people he had been hanging around on the streets had stolen his belongings including his laptop, papers and unemployment checks.
2020/48in x 48in/block print
Ryan was a college graduate from Florida. He had lost his job as a waiter and hitch hiked to San Diego where I met him. Well spoke and friendly, he told me that the group of people he had been hanging around on the streets had stolen his belongings including his laptop, papers and unemployment checks.
Dave 57
2005/36in x 48in/block print
Dave was frail with a heavy brace on his knee. He was laying down on a bedroll between the sidewalk and a fence near a construction site in downtown San Diego when I walked by. He got up when I spoke to him. He was very thoughtful and told me he had had an accident at work some years earlier and was never able to work again. His brother was a construction worker who happened to be working on a high rise under construction right across the street.
2005/36in x 48in/block print
Dave was frail with a heavy brace on his knee. He was laying down on a bedroll between the sidewalk and a fence near a construction site in downtown San Diego when I walked by. He got up when I spoke to him. He was very thoughtful and told me he had had an accident at work some years earlier and was never able to work again. His brother was a construction worker who happened to be working on a high rise under construction right across the street.
Willie 57
2005/36in x 48in/block print
Willie was sitting on his bed role on an overpass in San Diego. He was a Vietnam vet and had a number of medical issues. Willie was the first portrait of this series.
2005/36in x 48in/block print
Willie was sitting on his bed role on an overpass in San Diego. He was a Vietnam vet and had a number of medical issues. Willie was the first portrait of this series.
Wayne 35
2010/72in x 96in/block print
Wayne was a Cuban who seemed scared and sad. He was disheveled, wearing only one shoe. He said he had an addiction to drugs and at one point said that he wanted to disappear.
2010/72in x 96in/block print
Wayne was a Cuban who seemed scared and sad. He was disheveled, wearing only one shoe. He said he had an addiction to drugs and at one point said that he wanted to disappear.
Wayne Standing
2010/38in x 84in/graphite on paper 2 sheets
Wayne was a Cuban who seemed scared and sad. He was disheveled, wearing only one shoe. He said he had an addiction to drugs and at one point said that he wanted to disappear.
2010/38in x 84in/graphite on paper 2 sheets
Wayne was a Cuban who seemed scared and sad. He was disheveled, wearing only one shoe. He said he had an addiction to drugs and at one point said that he wanted to disappear.
Steve 61
2012/48in x 72in/block print
Steve was with Al when I met him near the ballpark in downtown San Diego. They said that they did everything together and seemed to be happy. They joked around for most of the time we spoke. Steve was a Vietnam veteran and a former steel worker.
2012/48in x 72in/block print
Steve was with Al when I met him near the ballpark in downtown San Diego. They said that they did everything together and seemed to be happy. They joked around for most of the time we spoke. Steve was a Vietnam veteran and a former steel worker.
Ruth 64
2006/36in x 48in/block print
2006/36in x 48in/block print
George 70
George was very quiet and gentle. He had been on the streets for several years.
George was very quiet and gentle. He had been on the streets for several years.
Martin 42
2008/72in x 96in/block print
Marco was tall and handsome, very direct and had an air of confidence.
2008/72in x 96in/block print
Marco was tall and handsome, very direct and had an air of confidence.
Luther 49
2008/36in x 48in/block print
Luther was an elegant man from the south who came to San Diego as a US Navy sailor many years before. He had grown children. Several years after we met, he was working handing out clothes to other homeless men and women at a shelter. This portrait was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2009 National Portrait Competition in Washington, DC
2008/36in x 48in/block print
Luther was an elegant man from the south who came to San Diego as a US Navy sailor many years before. He had grown children. Several years after we met, he was working handing out clothes to other homeless men and women at a shelter. This portrait was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2009 National Portrait Competition in Washington, DC
Beth 55
2018/36in x 48in/block print
Beth was a retired school teacher who was living in an abandoned home in Syracuse NY. She and her partner had been living there with no electricity or water for two years. Her partner was in poor health. Winters are harsh and cold there.
2018/36in x 48in/block print
Beth was a retired school teacher who was living in an abandoned home in Syracuse NY. She and her partner had been living there with no electricity or water for two years. Her partner was in poor health. Winters are harsh and cold there.
Bella 7
2015/36in x 48in/block print
I was commissioned by Father Joe’s Villages in San Diego to do this portrait for an annual fundraiser. It was auctioned off with proceeds going to help homeless people in need. Bella and her brother and sister were living with their mother in an apartment funded by Father Joe’s. They had been homeless for some time after her mother fled an abusive relationship in Los Angeles. Her mother had grown up on the streets with several periods of homelessness as a child in LA.
2015/36in x 48in/block print
I was commissioned by Father Joe’s Villages in San Diego to do this portrait for an annual fundraiser. It was auctioned off with proceeds going to help homeless people in need. Bella and her brother and sister were living with their mother in an apartment funded by Father Joe’s. They had been homeless for some time after her mother fled an abusive relationship in Los Angeles. Her mother had grown up on the streets with several periods of homelessness as a child in LA.
Benjamin 53
2014/96in x 108in/block print 2 panels
2014/96in x 108in/block print 2 panels