Art and Soul

Mobyte, a beat rap artist at the tent on Commercial Avenue where he and his wife Amy have been living. He keeps five or six phone charged so he can play music to modify the beat and rap to his sound creations.

Art gives our spirits a chance to soar, to reflect on and reframe the situations we are dealing with. Everywhere I meet up with individuals experiencing homelessness, I discover artists - painters, musicians, crafters of jewelry or pottery or textile arts, singers, poets, and sketch artists. It speaks to the perseverance of the soul and lifts up the creative voice.

I spent the last few months seeking out these artist, photographing and interviewing them for San Diego Magazine. Thanks to Claire Johnson, CEO, Troy Johnson, CCO and publisher, and Managing Editor Jackie Bryant for having so much heart, encouraging, supporting, and publishing this portrait series. The link to the SD Magazine is here: https://www.sandiegomagazine.com/features/studio-of-the-streets/article_49be39ca-74cc-11ed-8ab2-27fc4656f41d.html

So, rather than recreate the stories here, I invite TOTS readers to go to their online spread and see it there. Here, I will offer a few of the images that didn’t make it into the magazine (there’s only so much room!). Support your local artists!

Daniel

Daniel Colbert, virtuoso with paint, pen, charcoals, anything really, outside the North Park Library where he paints on a regular basis.

Lorenzo

Lorenzo Gonzalez, an SDSU student, taught himself to paint during the initial pandemic lockdown and never looked back. He carries paints and canvasses around in his car so he can pop into to park and paint when he’s not studying.

Casper

Casper, who describes himself as an offspring of East L.A. gang life, finds a quiet space in the downtown San Diego Public Library where he won’t be bothered while he draws.

Benito

Benito lives under a tarp on one of the bridges over the I-5 freeway near downtown.

Henry

It’s hard to miss Henry “Papa Hen” Cabrera and his dog Lulu in Balboa Park. He’s always somewhere drawing, painting, talking to whoever will listen about the need to house more San Diegans like him.

Turtle

Turtle finds things and makes beautiful jewelry from combining them. His necklaces of crystal and copper wire serve as talismans to ward off evil on the streets.

Patrick

Patrick Gillespie bounces between Ocean Beach and the mountains when he has gas money. He makes medicine bags and clothing adorned with patches and beads.

Tad

Tad, who lives in his van with his puppy, makes ceramic jewelry, pipes and other artwork, as well as jewelry from crystals and stones.

Patricia

Patricia is a spoken word artist and singer who wowwed the nation with her spoken word piece during a performance when San Diego’s Voices of Our City Choir was on America’s Got Talent.