The New Cotton Scale: Friend or Foe?
This blog is a prayer.
And it is an art exhibit. It is also a valuable historical document.
Here unfolds the distant yet rich memories of a man with one foot
in the modern world, and the other on the throttle of a time machine.
These are the works of
David Woods, a man who attended public schools and worked in the cotton fields of Montgomery and
Grimes County, Texas as a boy before striking out to see the Country in the
early 1970's. He gladly left behind the Southern paradigm, a world that would never be seen
again. While out on the West Coast, David learned a lot about the
world, and what was really important to him.
He wasn't gone long. After
his return he approached my mother, a popular local artist, with his
works; ingenious pasteboard cars made from cereal boxes, and
delightful little miniatures in oils on canvas paper. My mother had
suggested that he come by and meet me some time, as I was his age and also an
artist. I was immediately intrigued by this meek, unassuming fellow
who was seething with talent. The fact that he was African American
was very exciting, because no African American artist to my
knowledge had ever emerged from the local population, to tell their
story. We bonded immediately.
This casual meeting began
a lifelong friendship, and later we teamed up and ran around the
region, taking photographs and painting what we saw. David occupied
an easel in my art studio in Navasota for around a year or so. I
tried to help him learn the basics of his craft- without helping him
too much. David's love of subtlety and depth matured, as he launched
his career in painting subjects which elevated integrity, ethics, and
human relationships; things he learned in the cotton patch. (To the upper right is a list of groupings of his current works by theme.)
David Woods... "back in the day"
Soon he was doing
commissions for many of the prominent people in town, and he had some
one-man shows... and then he spread his wings... David and his art
were featured by Ray Miller on his famous travel show called “The
Eyes of Texas.” David was approached to illustrate books, and hired
by local arts & crafts retailers to paint his designs on pottery
and furniture. Eventually, inevitably, he became the mascot of the
Navasota BluesFest.
David exhibiting his work at the annual Navasota BluesFest.
We never lost track of each other, but we did lose track of time. To fast-forward to the present, David had a bad stroke a few months ago and almost died. He had ignored the symptoms of diabetes in his own body that he had seen for years in his siblings. His family had depended on him a great deal, and there never seemed to be the time or money available to take care of himself. His wife Nikki contacted me a few days after he had been admitted to the hospital. He was gasping for breath, coughing violently, sometimes comatose... but she said was able to speak a little... and he had called out my name more than once. I came as soon as I could, and we formed a plan, and this blog is one part of that plan.
David made tremendous
progress after that first terrible week. Prayers from my facebook
friends were answered and his life and lucidity were spared. He was
able to walk with help, but it would be a long road back to partial
recovery, and doing what David loves and does best, painting.
That brings us to YOU.
Hopefully this site will inspire you to pray for David... and if you
would like to own some of his art, that can be arranged too. Please
enjoy and consider his (very affordable!) paintings, all of these
works are for sale as of the day of this entry. Prices will be
provided upon request. AND, hopefully you will be able to attend the
benefit concert and art auction we will hold on August 12th to help David
pay his medical and rehab bills.
David needs money now, so
we will put a dozen paintings up for sale now, and save the rest for
the day of the auction. They range in size from 14” x 18” to 18”
x 24”. And in price from around $450.00 to around $1000.00,
depending on several factors, but mostly size.
"A Measure of Her Worth"
16 x 20
Your interest, your grapevine, and your financial support will be a great blessing to a man who has been a popular icon for decades, and who has produced many artistic blessings for many people over the years...
Thank you
Russell Cushman
(936) 825-8923
rcush403@aol.com
