This painting came about from seeing my art in a auction catalog with the pottery of Dave The Slave Drake-A man who was owned and forced to work-A man who's pottery now sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I tried to imagine how Dave would have thought of his work. I painted him here as if he was protecting it, keeping it from someone, afraid to let it go, but knowing no matter how hard he held onto it, eventually he would have to sign it over to his Master.
Remember that woman who was offended about the seeing cotton in a vase at a Hobby Lobby? How can that be an issue and slave pottery, being sold now, making thousands of dollars for people not be offensive or some kind of issue?
Alive today, who would Dave be, Cornel West, Ben Carson, Obama? Who was he 150 years ago? A slave. Who is he buying you that new ski boat? A slave.
By the way, all my South Carolina ancestors were illiterate, white, cotton farmers who were too poor to own slaves. Should I also be offended by a vase of cotton at a Hobby Lobby?
