June 17, 2009 - Cleveland, Ohio - In a second unusual move commercial and fine art photographer Douglas Konkol has replaced an originally released print with a new version. This new "Ken from Mars II" print replaces the original color version again with Douglas' much preferred stark black and white.
The report from the original version…
June 11, 2009 - Cleveland, Ohio - Ken from Mars II, this is part 3 in a series of DOUGLAS Art Prints® based on "There but for the Grace of God go I" After working with the homeless on a photo project for the Salvation Army Douglas, contemporary artist, commercial photographer and owner of DOUGLAS Art Prints®, met many of the people we see and ignore every day in large cities across this country. The experience left him wondering if it was the alcohol that led them there or was it being born without the God given tools most of us have and take for granite? That the alcohol is a coping mechanism and one of the only pleasures available.
The print shown as it would appear in a 22.5 in. X 16.5 in. frame.
Larger ViewIn this print I do not see a wino or an alcoholic or a bum. I see the pleasant man I met when I saw him pushing his life's possessions in a shopping cart down a street near downtown Cleveland and stopped and asked if I could do some photographs of him. He was just as pleased as the people in the Fortune 500 company offices are when I show up to take their photos for a newspaper or magazine. He very politely introduced himself, "I'm Ken," he smiled. He offered me some of his beer.
Just like the folks in the Fortune 500 companies he asked me to wait while he changed his shirt. He wanted to look nice for the photos. He was embarrassed because the shirt he had on had stains on the front. "I drool when I sleep and the chewing tobacco stains my shirt," he explained.
Ken and I chatted while I took photos. In a very pleasant conversation Ken explained that he was sent here from Mars to report back about life on this planet. He explained this in exactly the same way someone you meet explains they're from Michigan or Wyoming. If I'd have met him about anywhere else and he said he was from Michigan and not Mars this would have been no different than 1000's of other conversations I have had with about anyone.
There was something else about Ken that impressed me. He was proud of what he had. Exactly like any other American who is pleased by what they have accomplished. The fact that others have bigger homes or more expensive cars doesn't diminish the value of what they have accomplished with the tools God gave them. It seemed clear that Ken was pleased with what he had based on the tools he had to cope in life. In fact living on the streets is something many if not most of us could survive but Ken has.
The other thing that impressed me about Ken was that he didn't ask for money. I offered him a few bucks and he accepted it with a thank you but he didn't ask. While I am sure he knew which church or shelter to be at for meals he didn't depend on begging for money. It was no different than you or I carrying a heavy box and having a neighbor ask if he could help. We could likely get the box where it was going but we appreciate the help. There was an independence to Ken. He appreciated the few bucks when I offered it but somehow I knew he would do fine without it at least in Ken's world living on the streets of Cleveland.
When I look at this print I see a man that is pleased with what he has accomplished with the tools he was given. When I look at this print I realize that "there but for the Grace of God go I."
