*During this time, Annie and Nat, I believe, were living in Petersburg in a really nice house. I was really pleased for her. But they would later give up the house and move back to Jarratt. It was a good thing overall, for Mama was almost eighty years old. She needed someone there with her and Annie was good company and didn’t mind looking after her.I quite enjoyed working in the adult education program. But the handwriting was on the wall. The federal government was becoming more and more concerned about accountability and they wanted greater and greater results for their money. That is, they wanted these women on welfare to make faster progress and enter the work force quickly. Some of the expectations were unrealistic for women who had a multitude of problems. While working in this program, I developed a unique way of creating art objects using paper, glue, scissors or an exacto knife. My initial intent was to introduce art to my adult students. Like reading, the work required sitting for great periods and a considerable amount of concentration, all the skills necessary in reading. My student got a great joy out of it and did a showing which was well-received.

I eventually worked out some technical problems and continued this kind of art production for my own hobby and interest. I found a glue that did not crack and found a way to seal the paper so that it did not pick up water. Most of the pieces I gave away as gifts. It is still an activity that I pursue. Presently, I am doing Christian art pieces. I have yet to find a way to make money out of this method. It usually takes thirty to forty hours to complete a piece. To make money, I would have to charge at least $10 an hour. There are few people who are willing to pay $300 to $400 for my work. My cousin Buggy, however, did buy a piece for $300. He confessed later that it was for my benefit rather than the work he parted with such a sum. Whatever the case, I continue to produce works and I continue to give them away and I continue to improve my technique. I have done some collaborations with another self-trained artist, Kaki. Unlike me, he knows how to draw. He is quite popular in Baltimore and almost everyone in the know has a piece of his work.