I began painting window screens in 1945 when I was 10 years old
after observing a local screenpainter who I believe to have been Alonso Parks. I have found and photographed
several old screens painted by Alonso and was pleasantly surprised to see a simularity in my work and his.
The general shape and color scheme of our Red Roof Bungelows ( the most painted type
screen ever and still the favorite ) Ivory colored house body, blue windows and red and blue colored flowering
hydrangea bushes. Other painters of that day including Oktavec, used a white house with black
or dark windows and standard green bushes.
Since I did have a little untrained talent and my mother realizing it could be way to keep me occupied
and out of most mischief during the long hot days of summer wisely supplied the 2.00 seed money to get started.
It worked fine, I painted her screens, my neighbors and pretty soon as I improved throughout the ethnic
neighborhoods of Cantom and Highlandtown. I continued to paint through high school and military service 1n
1954
