Life of a Homeless Artist, Part 3 - David's Recovery

With his foot on the mend and a few dollars in his pocket, from commissioned sales made while he was laid up in the hospital, David hit the streets with a renewed zest.  He went back to fixing cars and continued to bend wire into beautiful creatures.

Christmas was coming and a friend of mine, Becki Forsell of Yes! America, called me to check on David.  When I mentioned that I planned to buy him something for Christmas she asked for his clothing sizes.  Not thinking any more about it, weeks went by and Forsell called asking me to come to Sun City to pick up some Christmas presents for David.  Surprised, I happily agreed and drove to meet a friend of Forsell’s, Wendy, who had driven the presents down from Largo to Sun City.

Wendy was so moved hearing David’s story that she stopped at Lowe's and purchased a gift card for David so he could choose his own tools.  Bags of presents filled my car.  As I drove home I marveled at all of the people who thought enough of a fellow human being – a complete stranger that they will probably never meet – to go out and buy him a present so he would have something to open on Christmas.

I felt honored to be part of this underground railroad of anonymous people and feeling like one of Santa’s elves, spent all day on December 24th wrapping the presents.  Around 3pm I called Resurrection House to ask Bill Wilson if he knew where David was.  Unfortunately, they were closed for the holidays, as were many other service facilities over the holidays.

It ended up taking three weeks to finally find David.

David and I celebrated Christmas in mid-January - another example of how transient life on the streets can be.  Thrilled at the gifts and commenting that no one had given him a present for Christmas in years, David savored every moment.  He read every tag, commented on each piece of clothing, modeled an absolutely perfectly fitting winter jacket, and smiled the entire time.  Forsell also donated a small tool bag and reflecting strobe light for David’s bike.  David immediately strapped it on to his bike and then just as quickly, wondered how long it would be before it was stolen from him. 

Relaxed, happy and surrounded by gifts, David opened up and began telling me his life story.  ‘Mesmerizing’ might be the word to capture David’s story-telling capabilities, at least I think that’s what I experienced as I listened with rapt attention.

The universe does provide interesting synchronicities and the one coming around the next corner could not have been better planned. Within the week,  I met a woman, Michele Myers, who was opening up a boutique on St. Armand’s Circle.  We struck up a congenial conversation and I told her I was closing my gallery in Bradenton.  When she said her boutique was going to be called The Artful Giraffe I asked her to come see David’s giraffe and other creatures.  She came and guess where David’s work is being sold today – yes, at The Artful Giraffe!  One of his horses has already sold and Myers has David’s large four foot giraffe there on display looking just as natural as ever.

Wilson, from the Resurrection House, brought David to the boutique last week so he could give Myers his latest creation - a foot-high giraffe, perfectly proportioned and exquisitely graceful.

One can hope that this is the new beginning that David has been seeking.  However, many things still need to change for David to provide safety and security in his life.

Sleeping in a broken down van in a junkyard, working on cars for substandard pay, being surrounded by drug addicts and alcoholics, dealing with the constant worry of theft and having no place to create his beautiful sculptures, all place a heavy burden on David’s current life situation.

Could David be the next 'man with the golden voice' for the visual arts world? Is he strong enough to handle that type of attention? Will he be able to continue to say no to the temptations that are constantly being presented to him?  Vicki Hoisington, of the Resurrection House, reminds me that David is a work in progress and that he needs to approach each new success with humility, care and patience.  Her constant desire is to find a steady part-time job for David.  Hoisington said something as simple as changing oil at a Jiffy Lube would give David the income that he needs to get on his feet.  Something part-time so that he can have some financial stability while he creates his sculptures.

We have seen what David is capable of creating under dire circumstances.  Just imagine what he could create if he had a real bed, a real job and some stability.

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