This is the season of pro arts open studios. Pro Arts is a collection of artists from around the  San Francisco East Bay.  I have joined with the folks at Norton Factory studios, and I will be showing and selling my work there.  There are about 20 artists who produce their work in Norton Factory, and about 10 guest artists.  I am one of the guests.

The building was a factory back in the day and has been converted to artist’s use.  It is beautiful.

I will be there from 11am – 5pm for two weekends in a row –  Saturday and Sunday, June 7 & 8; and June 14 & 15. 

Here is the link with all details Norton Factory Studios.

I hope to see you there.

I have been working on this project for some time now.  My original vision was that I would follow fathers over time.  Well, that is beginning to happen…  I just reconnected with a father who I photographed some years ago.  See the image “I want my face painted.”  Anyway, I am going to photograph him with his now teenage daughter, and hopefully with his younger children as well.  I will keep you posted.

The other day, I had my 10 year old daughter with me, while my wife ran an errand.  We ended up walking to this bookstore not too far from the house.  She had been watching way too much TV.

I looked around and I noticed two or three other African American fathers with their kids.  They didn’t really notice me, which I had to think about for a moment.

I realized that they didn’t notice me because it really is no big deal that African African fathers are taking care of their kids. I see it everyday. This is why I started the fathers of color project, because it happens every day, in plain sight, but doesn’t make the news. Its so obvious that no one notices it.

I met the mother of my child in my freshman year of high school. We fooled around like high schoolers do, and emerged over the four years to become very popular by senior year—without trying, of course. I was a musical performer who made decent grades, and she was a schoolgirl who made above-average grades. By senior year, we thought it was time we made our relationship official.

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I hadn’t heard about this one before, but it sounds interesting…

Organizers of the Charlotte area’s participation in the annual national Million Father March will hold a rally Thursday evening in hopes of helping accomplish the goal of the march — getting more fathers involved in their children’s education.

I had a really encouraging meeting at Oakland housing authority. They are doing very innovative things, including job training and placement.

I was involved because they are creating a networking group for fathers and are having an event the week before fathers day.  My guess is that it will mainly be young fathers. It is going to be very nice and interactive event. The purpose is to let the fathers know that they are not alone, and that there are many people going through similar experiences.

Our planning meeting reminded me why I started photographing fathers in the first place.  I had really hoped that I would be able to be part of community events like this.

I am going to photograph the event, also display some of my photos, as well as talk about how I started the Fathers of Color project.

1)    Tell your kids you love them every single day

Love not only makes the world go round, but every person needs to feel loved in order to have the balance necessary to be truly successful.  If you love your kids, don’t just show it with your actions, say it with words.  It will keep them from seeking love in all the wrong places.

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Okay, so you’re not the biggest fan of hugs and kisses, but you know your kids need affection. Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered with great tips and ideas for showing affection to your kids.

Be unique. Physical affection doesn’t just have to be a hug or kiss. Yes, those are both important, but you can also get creative and find new ways to show your affection. Create a special, secret handshake with your daughter, something only the two of you know. Or, have a “wrestling match” with your sons on the living room floor!

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