TRUE STORY:

An Artist sold a painting to a client –  that client who is a Complexd reader told us about the Artists painting of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were used for cancer research – I got in touch with the artist and found out that he had lost many close relatives to cancer – the artist got in touch with the First Lady of Belize as he was touched by her strength and courage. Here you have a perfect example of degrees of separation and how through two people, two other people in completely different parts of the world living completely different lives connected. After a quick chat with Artist Lawerence Childress I can appreciate that courage is not only an act of the sufferer, but the mourner who has reignited their passion and found the strength to carry on after losing so many loved ones.

What’s your background?

 I’m an African-American who grew up in New York. I was the youngest of seven children and spent most of my childhood in Long Island, Harlem, and Patterson NJ and evenings and Sundays in the Church. When I was five my mother brought me a paint by numbers oil set of the Last Supper and from then on I started painting images from the King James Bible. My mother and father were very hard-working and instilled the values within me that I try to live by today. They taught me that if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. That’s where I get my drive to make a difference in my way.

What inspires you?

I do believe that art is a universal language shared by all people, and is a bridge that connects all of humanity. My inspiration comes from every day life, my imagination; interests; spirituality, my children, family, friends, social issues and my environment.

What is the reality of being an Artist?

 My art does not sustains me 100% so I am also a Realtor, Industrial Designer and Artist. As a full-time artist I would have the freedom to follow my passion and create when I wished. However as it stands, I still practice real estate and take on design jobs such as creating stage designs for theatrical plays, commercial entertainment and space and furniture design. I continually strive to spend as much time as I can in my studio.

How does the cover story in the current issue relate to you?

I’ve lost a few family members to cancer. I lost my father at fifteen, then my grandmother, eldest sister, my brother, and several aunts and uncles.  Whenever I lose someone close to me, I find it very hard to create. I have been through periods where I simply could not find it within myself to create anything for months at a time, especially after the loss of my mother, father, grandmother and siblings. When I look back and try to understand it all, I think its simply comes down to going through a mourning period.  I don’t think that I will ever truly get over the loss of my family members who were near and dear to my heart, I just think that I have simply learned to cope with it and lean on my spirituality to get me through it all.

Tell me a bit more about your piece titled Immortal?

‘Immortal’ was inspired by the story of Henrietta Lacks. I was asked by Holly K. Hurd the owner of ArtBlaque to create a piece in honor of her legacy. Henrietta was an African-American woman whose cancerous tumour was used as a source of cells which was later named the HeLa cell line. Because her miraculous undying cells were perfect for medical and biological research, the hospital that funded the research have undoubtedly made millions as a result of it while members of her immediate family lived in and presumably still live in poverty.  They treated her like a guinea pig without her consent and then profited from the outcome. It is one of many stories that I am aware of that highlights the injustices that has been perpetrated against African-Americans and is absolutely reprehensible.

You recently set up a fund-raising programme called ‘Have a Heart Through the Arts’, tell me a bit more about that?

My goals for ‘Have A Heart Through The Arts’ is for it to be recognized as a charity that is making positive change in communities all over the world dedicated to the general welfare, education, and empowerment of all people. We aim toutilize all facets of art to achieve goals and to create partnerships with non-profit organizations, that fit within our mission statement, and help them raise funds for their organisations. All non-profits rely on contributions from supporters, foundations, philanthropists, and the public to sustain their operations and carry out their missions. ‘Have A Heart Through The Arts’ simply offers an opportunity to raise funds through the arts which in turn achieves the same goal. By creating fundraisers through the sale of artwork, and promoting of plays, dinner plays, concerts, films we are able to give the public with a form of artistic cultural awareness, enlightenment, enrichment, and entertainment while simultaneously raising money for charity.

 To find out more about Artist Lawrence Childress and view is artwork visit http://lchildressart.com/