ward-winning photojournalist Peggy Peattie has been telling the stories of America's unhoused for more than 30 years, many of them here in town, where she teaches journalism at City College and San Diego State University. “I have met healthcare professionals, teachers, artists, authors, skilled craftsmen and readers of the importance of creativity and invites us all to stop and talk with the person living in a tent on the sidewalk we typically walk right past.” A women, decorated war veterans, chefs, landscape designers, musicians, and entrepreneurs. For these artists, the motivation to paint, sing, draw, write, make jewelry or pottery or medicine bags brings them joy and elevates their existence above the demands of daily survival,” Peattie explains. Unsurprisingly, what that looks like for people who are experiencing homelessness is a bit different: they don’t always have access to new or good supplies, requiring that much more resourcefulness and creativity, and, frequently, whatever supplies are amassed are stolen or lost to homeless sweeps conducted by the city. Peattie says, “I hope these portraits remind
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HENRY (top, 2, 7) Henry, who lives in Balboa Park with his dog, Lulu, uses all sorts of different materials to paint and draw his creations. “In the ʼ90s, I met a lady who had been in a concentration camp. She had old art of hers, and while in the camp, she used a feather to paint. So I learned that from her,” he explains. As a rule, Henry uses both hands, sometimes at once, just to see what kind of new textures and lines he can uncover.
BENITO (left, 1, 8) Born in Denver, Benito, 59, was injured while on patrol in Iraq in 1983. After finding himself homeless after a failed marriage and the death of his second wife, who overdosed on heroin, he became a welder and lived in an SRO in downtown San Diego. Failing eyesight cost him that job and his housing but forced him to quit drugs and re-focus on his colorful sketch art. He met his current wife, Karen, around the same time. They live in a tent on an overpass close to downtown.
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55 SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE
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