Not long ago I visited the Tampa Museum of Art and spent much time in the Purvis Young exhibit studying his work. Mr. Young was a brilliant self-taught artist who painted on old doors, scrap wood, etc. I loved how expressive and deep his work is even though he never had any formal art training and might not have studied famous artists of the past. I love that he painted on anything he could get his hands on. I love that sitting with his work felt like he was personally telling me about his life and experiences. His heartfelt paintings reminded me why it is so important for all of us to see, sit with, and learn from artists of all backgrounds. And for those of us who are artists, Mr. Young’s work is a reminder to create from deep inside ourselves and share it with the world.
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