The homeless population in our country is growing larger every day. The National Coalition for the Homeless predicts that around 1.5 million children are without a home each day in the United States. With these kinds of statistics we need to try to do something to bring attention to the problem and lend a helping hand.

The homeless are often viewed as being on the fringe of our society and mostly given benign neglect.

Respect for these individuals is a crucial step in finding solutions. A simple sign of respect will truly go a long way.

There are many damaging myths and stereotypes regarding the homeless in our cities. One way to overcome this problem is to look at each individual as a fellow human being who has a unique story to tell.

I am putting together a series of paintings that will help draw positive attention to the homeless community in the Des Moines area. My goal is to paint portraits of real individuals in the community who have lived the experience and to include their stories either in prose or poetry form.

The exhibit will be presented at the Moberg Gallery in Des Moines Iowa in October of 2011.

My hope is that this project will affirm the vision of recovery and conquer stigma.