If that's the only way for you to be with me...

"If I were a painter
And could paint a memory
I'd climb inside the swirling skies to be with you
I'd climb inside the skies to be with you"

Painter Song - Norah Jones

***
At my first official Soulfari Kenya board meeting in October, Josie Mai, stellar woman and Executive Director of Soulfari, hipped me to this cool project she's doing:

face.africa is her creative effort to link American and African artists with school-aged Kenyan orphans (the 70 we met this summer at Villa Teag in Dandora). Participating artists are donating an 11x14 portrait of one of these children, done in any two dimensional media and style of their choosing, and then Josie will then deliver them to each child as gifts in July 2007.

These kids have very few personal possessions, and most don't have a photo of themselves, so this idea is ridiculously cool.

Signing up was a little intimidating since I'm not an artist per se, but I had to let that go. The idea and challenge were too cool to pass up. I don't typically do portrait work, but I thought this would be such a fantastic gift to send Mercy. So, I signed my name by hers, took her portrait, and then spent 1 1/2 months freaking out about it.

After I got her letter a week or so ago, I got inspired and wanted to work. Me + 2 hours on a Wednesday night = this final piece.



See what other artists have done on the Soulfari Kenya blog, and check out Jeter's masterpiece.