As a child I thought of myself as a throwaway kid. Given up for adoption at birth, I was adopted at ten months old. However, my family was short lived as my father left my mother and me by the time I was in first grade. My mother worked long, hard hours, sometimes 60 to 70 hours a week to provide for a humble beginning. As a latch key kid, drawing distracted me from trouble and gave me my first hint of self-worth. As I navigated through my life journey, I found other sources of meaning and purpose. Teaching 5th grade, being a loving husband and growing as a father replaced the insecurities of my younger years.

I discovered oil paint at the age of 35 when my wife Rebekah gifted me with a painting workshop with a local artist I admired. Once I saw the demonstration on how to begin an oil painting, my life took a turn. That was the day I became a painter and my first 3 paintings sold within a couple of weeks at a local gallery. I continue to enjoy growing and expanding as an artist nearly 20 years later. At 50, I was able to retire from teaching and become full time HigginsArt. My Heavenly Father gets all the credit for protecting, guiding and providing for me all along my path. There is no other explanation for the way things have worked out so well for me, I must confess.

Those early paintings were mostly European facades, doors and windows. These were places I found beautiful, places I hoped to visit one day. I have had the opportunity to paint in Tuscany, my favorite perhaps. Again, the result of a perfect gift from my loving wife.

Over the years I’ve become recognized for my paintings of lonely chairs, seemingly isolated in deep thought or perhaps with a companion chair sharing an intimate conversation. They remind me of the loneliness of my childhood, but I find each one beautiful, no matter the color or style or condition of the chair. Most are stretched tall on thin legs like spindles giving them a somewhat fragile appearance. They may be inviting you to “sit a spell” or there to support you because you need to “make sure you are sitting down” before you hear the news. They have stories to tell and often remind my collectors of loved ones in one way or another. As I read this just now, my desire to paint a chair is primed in this instant.

Faces are what have always intrigued me the most. First as a collector myself, the walls of my home are covered with them. I can’t remember the first painting I ever bought, but it would be a safe bet to say it was a face. It is natural that I would also paint faces myself. Elongated faces designed with unexpected colors and abstract features with expressive, gestural brush work characterize my work. They are friends and family I never had. They are visual representations of emotions. I like having faces around me, so I paint them. They remind me of humanity and God’s most beautiful creations. I suppose they give me what most of us long for, a connection. My collectors’ bond with my faces in many ways. Some are given names and personalities, some remind of loved ones, some are kindred spirits with the viewer. It brings me joy knowing that my faces provide a worthy addition into one’s circle of relationships.

The passing of time has not dulled my passion for creating, in fact, I’m more enlivened than ever. I continue to explore ways to paint more expressively capturing the essence of my subjects with efficient brushstrokes and new ways of using color. The process of painting remains the most invigorating to me, with the outcome of each work being a source of self-worth, an opportunity to gift the world with a unique creation.

Looking back over the peaks and valley of my life, I was never a “throwaway kid.” That was a misconception I believed and occasionally still do as I travel this journey. But My Heavenly Father has been with me all along, and He will continue to take good care of me.