For a while, I was watching beggars, watching their movement, staking out their spots for making a living. There were a couple of beggars that caught my eye. They were consistent and respectful. I wanted to get to know them better. I thought about how I might interact with them. I finally decided that the best approach would be to just walk up and introduce myself. I saw one in the parking lot of a store. I was driving so I had to turn around and by the time I got back to the beggar, he was gone. They were like urban ghosts here one moment and gone the next. A few days later, I saw him again. This time I pulled into the parking lot away from him. I got out and began walking towards him. As I got closer, he began walking away from me. He didn’t want any trouble. I asked if it would be OK if I drew a portrait of him and he agreed.
The other beggar was a lady I had observed reading behind her cardboard sign. It was a bit easier this time because I had already done it once. Her name was Janet and she also agreed to have her picture taken for $5. She also agreed to the portrait. I ask her about what she was reading. She told me that begging could be very boring so she always had a book or newspaper. She confessed that mysteries were her favorite. I found that it wasn’t just food that she needed. AA batteries were a hot commodity to power a radio. From then on, I would ask her what she needed. I gave batteries and cash donations whenever I saw her. She was very appreciative of anything I gave her. She and Rick, it turned out, were in a relationship. It was nice to be able to help.
The reason I got their pictures and information was that I had an invitation to go to China to make art and I wanted to do a project about beggars. In China, I began by making a close up drawing of their face. Then I wanted to add elements that described them. I decided to call the portraits “Anatomy of a Beggar”.
Anatomy of a Beggar: The Mind
Janet was the first portrait. I wanted to include the words on her cardboard sign. But I didn’t want it to draw too much attention so I printed the words in a yellow that was a bit darker than the background. It was still readable but not overpowering. I wanted to say something about how Janet’s mind saw the world. I placed her portrait center stage then thought about how she saw the world. Her perspective was unique but somewhat squad. I placed perspective drawings around her portrait that were not quite accurate. I had also purchased the book she had just finished, tore it apart and attached 2 pages of her book to each of the prints. Across the pages of the book, I wrote “You spoke about something I did not understand so I laughed.” At the bottom, I wrote, “I read.”
Anatomy of a Beggar: The Heart
Rick’s portrait was next but not as positive as Janet’s. Rick’s demeanor was so different. He had been homeless for years and it had taken an incredible toll. The drugs didn’t help his circumstances at all. It was as if he had lost all hope. I never saw him smile. He was very quiet and talked very little. He was just enduring his life until it was over. The image layout was similar with his portrait in the center. The four corners of his portrait had playing card suits, heart, spade, diamond, and club. Alluding that life can be a game of chance and the stakes are really high. The choices we make determine much of what our lives will be like and to make changes when your choices have set your life can be almost impossible. There is a fallen bird as part of the image. The fragile nature of birds and Rick’s life are similar. The words “When happiness falls “ are written upside down at the bottom.
Anatomy of a Beggar: The Spirit
As I was working on Rick’s portrait, I became aware that no matter who you are we are all beggars. We all must rely on others for our existence. Even if it is just as a child. But the truth is that there are times when we must rely on friends, family, or even strangers for our benefit. I put my portrait center stage among a collage of silkscreen collage. Then across the bottom I wrote the words “Beggars All”. I Also added my zip code to make it more applicable to me. Then I invited the technicians that were working with me on the print to add their phone numbers to the image. They were excited to be a part of the process. All the words and phone numbers and zip code were partially obscured by the silk screen components.
The Beggar Crow
I had a bit of free time so I wanted to do one last print on beggars. I thought about other beggars and focused on birds. I had seen a bird in the McDonald’s parking lot feasting on discarded french fries. I then made a woodcut print of the bird in the parking lot eating french fries. Unfortunately the Chinese didn’t like the image. The Bird was a nice big black crow and in China they are looked upon as being very unlucky. Beggars are a part of life for all creatures. They will always be with us.