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On May 25th, of this year 2010, at two o’clock in the afternoon, we celebrated the long awaiting unveiling of the portrait of Godfrey, the Runaway Slave of the Sully Plantation. After sharing the stories of the beginning to end process of the portrait, we finally lifted the curtain to Godfrey and honored his life at the Sully Historic Site with a group of their staff and supporters. I want to thank the wonderful ladies at the SHS for their enthusiasm and help in the process. John Robert took the photograph for the piece and helped create the vision, and Desi who modeled and responded to our vision. If it weren’t for these wonderful people, the portrait wouldn’t have been here, or been as successfully implemented, as it has been today. Please feel free to go and view the portrait as it is being displayed at the Sully Historic Site today.

I’ll never forget the days I spent cranking out this portrait. My family and I out at my parents’ farm were snowed in with three to four feet of snow, and our driveway and back country roads were dangerous for driving. There were no distractions from tv, internet, or phone calls, as the power was out and the weather made it impossible to receive cell phone reception. With digital clocks being out of use, I was lost in time, creating a portrait of someone who was also lost, and never found. With very few records, we know Godfrey ran away, but we don’t know exactly what happened to him or what he even looked like. With the description of a wanted add that his master, Richard Bland Lee, posted of Godfrey in the newspaper, we were able to construct a visual of what Godfrey could have looked like being house slave. And as I drew his hand, I could only wonder what he had used his own hands for, either carrying out the orders of his master or enjoying his newfound freedom.

And here it is…