This is a book of original artwork created by the author, Timothy L. Giles. Upon review of each subject matter, Mr. Giles hopes that the reader experience an influx of emotion because they can relate; whether the piece of the father kissing his son or the African mother preparing food for her family. He hopes that everyone comes with the same conclusion that the world is a small village and we have more in common than our differences. Mr. Giles also authored the poems that are included with each piece of artwork. The poems express the emotions he felt while painting. His spirit of painting is massaged and inspired by family, history, struggles, and the journey of so many strong individuals. One of his favorite pieces is of the old woman with the walking cane entitled "The Elder". Mr. Giles states he could feel her strength, wisdom and grace each time he sat down to apply paint to paper. He wants you to also feel this same sort of emotion when viewing his work. Mr. Giles' objective is to tell the human story through his art so that everyone can relate to it. He encourages the viewer to appreciate the technical element of his work, but even more, the emotion felt behind it. Mr. Giles believes the world sees him as an artist, but he sees himself also as a story teller! Currently at the "young age" of 49; born in rural Suffolk, Virginia and having seen over 100 countries, Mr. Giles states he is humbled and fortunate to be able to place his experiences on canvas for the world to see. His favorite phrase and description of himself is "I'm just a country boy" who prefers the simplicities of life. God has truly blessed him with a great gift that he now wants to share with the world.
About the Author: I grew up in Suffolk, Virginia. I chose to illustrate my life experiences through my art. This is emphasized due to the era of growing up in a rural environment in the early sixties when civil rights was at the height of everyone's agenda, especially African Americans. My mother stressed two things; education and being a productive citizen. This was to ensure that one day I would give back to the community that molded me as a kid. My mother purchased my first paint by numbers set which was the start to expressing my life on canvas. I have no formal training but was given a gift from God as a self-taught artist. After graduation from John F. Kennedy High in Suffolk, I joined the United States Marine Corps in 1979 and served 3 years where my curiosity for different cultures was formed. I returned to Suffolk and spent the next 10 years working at the shipyard in Newport News, Virginia. During that time, I met my wife Lori Hamlin Giles, who encouraged me to go back to school and embark on a career that would allow me to fulfill my dreams of traveling the globe. I realized my second dream because I traveled for 7 years as a contractor visiting more than one hundred countries as an Electronic Engineer for the US Government. I was impressed by the many styles of art seen throughout my travels and their individual approach to the craft. When I interfaced with the various artists worldwide, I found we all wanted to catalog our view of the world around us through art. I later became a Diplomat for the State Department as a Facilities Manager. It provided me the opportunity to experience culture first hand because of the Foreign Nationals that worked for me. I spent 17 years living abroad embellishing the diverse cultures around the world to include Ukraine, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Angola and Senegal, to name a few. My sustaining force is Jesus who is the head of my life. My goal is to share my gift by cataloging much of my life experiences on canvas for the world to see and eventually establish a gallery. I've been blessed!