Sat 4 Jan 2020
A homeless artist in residence, as it were
Posted by DavidMitchell under History, Personal, The arts
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Artist Billy Hobbs (left) and yours truly on the deck of Mitchell cabin. Billy was homeless for more than five years after his 25-year marriage broke up. For a year he spent his days sketching outside the Point Reyes Station Postoffice, which is where I met him. He had been sleeping outdoors when cold, wet weather set in. This prompted my wife Lynn and me a month ago to invite him to stay with us until the weather clears.
Billy is an intriguing artist, so this week I’m posting a small sampling of his drawings.
The Sacred Tree is Not Dead depicts the chief of the Northern Cheyenne, White Antelope, before he was killed by a U.S. cavalry charge despite having been assured he’d be left alone if he flew an American flag on his tepee.
Lao Tzu, a Sixth Century BC Chinese philosopher. Billy calls Lao Tzu one of his favorite philosophers because of his emphasis on slowing down to smell the roses.
How It Really Went Down. Making his last stand on June 25, 1876, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer runs out of bullets and is killed, along with all 200 of his men.
Holding Up a Skull and looking through it was inspired by artist Georgia O’Keefe.
A Pretty Woman. Billy hasn’t quite finished this drawing, but she’s still haunting.
Donald Trump, one of Billy’s rare political drawings. The president bends over to perform another scene from reality TV.
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