November 12, 2009
Portrait by Felicity Don
I recently completed a book, One Soul at a Time, comprised of painted portraits of the UGM community. I spent 2 ½ months, 7-days-a-week at UGM drawing my subjects. The project thrilled me, but I’ll admit I initially harboured a fear: would I find it too emotionally challenging to spend hours on end with men and women who were obviously struggling?
Felicity Don is a well-known portraiture and courtroom artist whose work has appeared internationally.
The experience, however, was exhilarating and the subjects loved being drawn. They relaxed and chatted as I drew and our conversations gave me greater insight into the multitude of challenges they face on a daily basis.
Getting to know the men in the Alcohol & Drug Recovery Program and hearing their stories, I felt uplifted rather than downcast, optimistic rather than cynical. The disenfranchised from the streets, the hungry lining up for food, and the homeless needing shelter – all were treated equally with great care by the staff of UGM.
While working on the project, I had watched men in the Alcohol & Drug Recovery Program struggle mightily with their addictions. Although my work with UGM is now over, I recently felt compelled to return to be at the graduation ceremony for some of the men I had gotten to know during my time here.
One of the guys mounted the stage, and approached the microphone. "When I walked through these doors, I was a lost and broken man,” his voice faltered and he hung his head. He continued, “I never felt loved or accepted until the moment I walked through the doors of UGM.” Emotion clutched at my throat and I looked around to see the faces of UGM staff and the men’s family and friends – all were beaming with pride.
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