Wm. Steven artist
During the year that I spent seeking the stories of the homeless that dwelled around me, I saw this man in the painting titled "The Move". On his corner he made a mild genuflect motion with an outward reaching hand supported by his cane, towards each car that stopped at the signal light before him. There was something in his eyes that spoke of his sincere appeal.
After seeing him for over a week I decided it was time to stop, get out of my car and find out what his story was. As I appoached he smiled. When I attempted to speak with him I quickly discovered that he spoke no English.
I pulled out my camera and without holding it up, gestured that I wanted to take his picture. He made a big smile and slowly turned directly towards me and once again made his "move" for the camera. I took several more pictures and made a few compositional sketches over the course of perhaps, fifteen minutes.
I opened my wallet and offered him a hundred dollar bill. His face became stern as he held up a hand to gesture that he wanted no money. I felt dejected in that I had somehow offended him so I put away the money. He took a step in my direction with his head down and leaned in with a smile and said H.E.B.? With my best spanish accent I said Si! That I understood as a local grocery store and that he wanted, I hoped, food. I opened my passenger door and helped him into my car and off we went to the store a mile or so down the road.
He iknew what he wanted, what he needed and led me, shopping cart in tow, to the potatos. I picked up two sacks of Idaho potatoes and he said mas mas as I loaded more and more sacks into the cart. As I continued loading the cart up, he had disappeared. I was sure he must have sought out the beer or wine aisle.
Then he was pushing another cart towards me and he was loading it, albeit slowly, with carrots. He pointed for more potatoes and I happily obliged, piling more sacks into his cart. You get a lot of potatoes and carrots for a hundred bucks. I threw on a bag of apples and he said "si si" with a large toothless smile.
We checked out and I started driving back to his corner and as we neared it, he began pointing where he wanted to go with his new haul. We drove only a block or two off the freeway to an abandoned garden shed and I began hearing cheers as his amigos came out from the shed.
That's a good day that I will never forget.
After seeing him for over a week I decided it was time to stop, get out of my car and find out what his story was. As I appoached he smiled. When I attempted to speak with him I quickly discovered that he spoke no English.
I pulled out my camera and without holding it up, gestured that I wanted to take his picture. He made a big smile and slowly turned directly towards me and once again made his "move" for the camera. I took several more pictures and made a few compositional sketches over the course of perhaps, fifteen minutes.
I opened my wallet and offered him a hundred dollar bill. His face became stern as he held up a hand to gesture that he wanted no money. I felt dejected in that I had somehow offended him so I put away the money. He took a step in my direction with his head down and leaned in with a smile and said H.E.B.? With my best spanish accent I said Si! That I understood as a local grocery store and that he wanted, I hoped, food. I opened my passenger door and helped him into my car and off we went to the store a mile or so down the road.
He iknew what he wanted, what he needed and led me, shopping cart in tow, to the potatos. I picked up two sacks of Idaho potatoes and he said mas mas as I loaded more and more sacks into the cart. As I continued loading the cart up, he had disappeared. I was sure he must have sought out the beer or wine aisle.
Then he was pushing another cart towards me and he was loading it, albeit slowly, with carrots. He pointed for more potatoes and I happily obliged, piling more sacks into his cart. You get a lot of potatoes and carrots for a hundred bucks. I threw on a bag of apples and he said "si si" with a large toothless smile.
We checked out and I started driving back to his corner and as we neared it, he began pointing where he wanted to go with his new haul. We drove only a block or two off the freeway to an abandoned garden shed and I began hearing cheers as his amigos came out from the shed.
That's a good day that I will never forget.
