I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to display my original portrait paintings in the lobby of the third floor ballroom during this memorable concert at the Portland Art Museum. The exhibit featured my recent painting of Reggie Houston, which was inspired by a photograph I took of him at the Blues for Katrina benefit concert in 2005 in Portland’s Waterfront Park. Reggie, who had recently moved to Portland from New Orleans, was accompanying Tom D’Antoni’s reading of his essay titled “Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans”. When Reggie, overcome by emotion halfway through the reading, began to cry, I had been taking photos and inadvertently caught that moment on film. For the painting, I placed Reggie on Frenchmen Street just outside Snug Harbor where he used to play a weekly gig with Charmaine. A closer look at the painting will also reveal Tom’s hat on Reggie’s collar. To view my painting of Reggie click here. Reggie wrote some very heartfelt comments about my painting, which can be read (here). For more information about Reggie Houston, visit www.reggiehouston.com.