I was born in Birmingham, the eighth of ten children, in 1943. When I got out of the Army in 1967 I worked in metal, building and rebuilding things such as school furniture and truck beds. My eyes started to fail from asbestos dust so I had to quit working.

It was then, twenty years ago, that I realized that art with a message could heal wounds caused by the injustice of slavery. I could give the world a message of God – love and peace to all. God told me to use what others have discarded. I spent most of those years building an African Village representing the experience of African descendents in their 400 year journey in America.

Later I started making “message pieces” communicating ideas about life, people relating to others, and nature. Sometimes, I write the messages and sometimes the sculptures speak on their own. I use metal, wood, and plastic discards which I weld, nail or glue. I find the materials every where: the side of the road, flea markets, thrift stores and construction sites. These pieces, too, are mostly about the lives of Africans in this country.