I have always drawn portraits. I have experimented with other subject matters but there is something about people that pulls me in. They speak to me. I sometimes select specific people based on the words they have said, but more times than not, it is what people say without words, when they are silent or in thought, that moves me. John Lewis was a towering figure of the Civil Rights Era who spent his life fighting for justice, that is not just obvious in his words, but it is in his life's work, in his actions, it is written on his face. Lewis's eyes are captivating, they convey compassion, they speak volumes. Samuel Beckett is your favorite writers’ favorite writer. He leaps up from the page as he expresses his thoughts, and often, there is a silence in his text, a moment of reflection that helps you see his humanity, and a glimpse into his lets you become aware of and content with your own. Personally, Joker is my favorite comic book character of all time. A supervillain, sure, but the only thing separating him from Batman is how he opted to use his powers. Batman for good, Joker, well, for evil. But with that, there is something in Joker we can all relate to, and though it is hard to do, once you remove his actions, you see a person dealing with their pain, and no words are needed, we can simply identify with the act of putting on a happy face in order to just make it through, in order to toe the thin line between good and evil.
Kevin R. Farrell, Jr. is an artist, poet, and educator whose work attempts to capture life from the vantage point of someone in the backseat of a stolen car running on fumes. His poems are a play on words in the form of political, satirical, surrealist, tongue in cheek rants that often border on stream of consciousness ramblings that are a last ditch effort at taking it all in before we get taken out.