by AIC Artist Jeremy Allen
About this piece- it was in the making for a very long time. Originally conceived in 2019 by Vision of Hope’s representative, Tina Judkins, as she gave me a photograph from a trip she took to a sports event in Seattle. It took a while to warm up to doing a cityscape, due to my tendencies to draw people, cars, animals and lighthouses. To say the least, this was far outside of my comfort zone. Tina always inspires me to push the envelope and I’m glad she did. After completing this piece, I sat back and soaked it all in. It reminded me of the end of a long hot summer day downtown Portland or Seattle where I spent a lot of time growing up. My favorite part of this piece was the plays on cools and warms reflecting off of the buildings.
I continue to enjoy the relationship with Visions of Hope and the ability to create purpose in my art. It is amazing to think I can make a difference right where I am.
(from Dale Russell) – Jeremy continues to amaze us with his talents. There is a special relationship that Sandy and I have with him. When we lost our adult daughter to cancer in 2021. When Jeremy learned of this, he created an art piece that brought us both to tears. I think we need to highlight this story sometime soon.
An additional consideration is that Jeremy struggles with vision impariment, which might eventually take away his ability to continue his talents.
Did you know you can easily be part of this story? Visions of Hope provides all the art supplies to all the artists scattered within the Oregon Dept. of Corrections. We can’t do this without the help of dedicated people (like YOU) who understand how to be creative with encouragement. Quality supplies = quality results.
To be the encourager God meant for you to be – GO HERE
Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status.
Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “
How can I help?”
Romans 15:2
Aw – may we all be able to say with Jeremy that “I can make a difference right where I am.” Amen