Lamar from Perquimans County, NC

In the studio. Chapel Hill, NC

The oil painting in the center of this image is 2 feet high by 4 feet wide. This is a painting of a friend I met a little over two years ago. Handsome fella, eh? He also paints portraits.

TEEF

TEEF: Good for the Soul from William Paul Thomas on Vimeo.

In the midst of all the turmoil and rampant violence happening around the country, I think it is imperative that we all identify creative strategies to counter negative energy with life-affirming interventions. I collect short audio clips from men recounting personal moments of happiness. I record some of these men smiling as long as they can before it becomes unbearable. My goal is to compose a series of awkward and endearing living portraits that stitch together the lives of a diverse group of men using their own words.