This post a little different than most that I do. Most of the time, I publish my opinion about some hot button issue or politics. Sometimes, I share a little motivation or some informative marketing information. Things like that. Today however, it is very personal for me.

If you know me, you are aware that there are a few things in life I love beyond words. Those things include my son and his wife. I also cherish my three AMAZING grandkids (soon to be four). Additionally, my mom, my sister, my late father, and my brother hold a special place in my heart. If you are one of the few people who know me well, you know I love candy. I also love caffeine and sugar in its many splendid forms.

The few of you who know me extremely well also know there are a few artists. These include performance artists, graphic artists, painters, and calligraphers. These artists are near and dear to my heart.

Of course, Ertha Kitt is illustrious and late. She can do no wrong in my eyes. She is truly phenomenal in my world! She sang, danced, acted, advocated, protested, and made folks pay attention when she spoke! Let’s not forget she was the best Catwoman ever!! She performed on stages around the world from 1945 until 2010.

Andy Warhol and Divine are other faves! I’ve always been fascinated by those who travel off the beaten path. In 1988 I had the exciting opportunity to meet Andy Warhol, Divine, and Keith Haring together. Talk about a fun filled and bizarre meeting!!

“Get to the point JT”, I hear y’all yelling at me!

My absolute favorite graphic artist, second to none is the late Keith Haring. I crossed paths with him in 1989 due to a fluke. I went to Iowa City to sneak around with this guy. He was a couple of years older than me. He had a driver’s license. We decided to go to the University of Iowa’s Gay People’s Union. It was the only place we felt we could be ourselves for more than a hot minute.

We stopped for a chat at the GPU. Then, we went to the 620 Club. It was Iowa City’s one and only gay bar at the time. The dance floor is where I met Keith. There was an immediate connection. Instantly I knew I had a friend.

I received an invitation that night to Horn Elementary School. I was asked to “help” Keith with a mural he was painting there the next day. Let me translate “help” real quick. . .

Helping Keith with a mural meant grabbing paint tubes and buckets, and brushes. Cleaning spills and splatters. Getting laughed at for being awkward in front of others that were watching. Lol.

By night fall Keith had painted an amazing mural on the wall of the junior high.

Keith was and AIDS educator through his art. He was a graffiti artist. This meant the bulk of his art was in the streets. It was on the outside walls of block long buildings and in tunnels. Keith was never confined to a small canvas that could be put in a corner or on the closet shelf.

He painted stories of death, homelessness, sex and sexuality with none of society’s boundaries! He coined the phrase, ‘Crack is Wack’ long before the words crossed the lips of Whitney Houston.

For the next year I maintained contact with Keith. He had previously disclosed his HIV status to me. In mid January of 1999, Julia, his assistant and studio manager, contacted me. She informed me that the end was near for our friend. On February 16, 1990 Keith passed away of AIDS-related complications. He was 31 years old when he died.

Today I see Keith’s work on t-shirts, posters, ball caps, cups, etc. Each time I see a piece of his work I smile. I smile because I know what an impact he had on our world. I smile because through his work he educated folks about AIDS, death, and sexuality. This was at a time most would not utter those words out loud in public. They would never paint them all over metro areas in America and around the world!!

In 2014, Haring was one of the inaugural honorees in the Rainbow Honor Walk in San Francisco. It is a walk of fame noting LGBTQ people who have “made significant contributions in their fields.”

In 2019, Haring was one of the inaugural fifty American “pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes.” They were inducted on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor. This took place within the Stonewall National Monument in New York City’s Stonewall Inn.

Today, I received a much anticipated delivery. In a triple wrapped, poly bubble filled box delivered via courier, came a Painting. A painting I literally invested over three year’s salary in.

I have waited most of my adult life to be this close to my friend Keith again. Now I have the amazing fortune to wake up every day. I look across the room at an amazing work done by my late friend and mentor. He was influential in the AIDS advocacy arena. Yeppers! I own a piece created by my friend, Keith Haring. Actually, unbeknownst to my best friend, Demonica, her and I own an original work by Keith Haring!! Surprise Demo. Nearly 40 years of dealing with me has its perks. This only partially offsets enduring some of the low points. We’ve faced these challenges during this almost four-decade roller coaster ride we casually call life.