Homeless Street Artist With Soul- a Local Treasure

A huge Christmas time gift came tonight in the form of a long time SF artist named David Rodgers, who has touched my heart with his story and his work with copper wire. He has sold his work on the streets of downtown San Francisco for many years to make enough to rent a room in a residential hotel until he was attached, left in a coma, hospitalized and out of work for over 8 months. I found him frail, using a wheel chair, but as always, he was his sweet self, still selling his pieces for irresistible prices with a humble, open-hearted manner. Lately, I have become more conscious of the plight of homeless citizens who are not drug addicts or mentally ill, but rather down on their luck and still contributing and working to find a better solution for themselves. David puts an honest and memorable face to this growing segment of our population.

He expressed his dream of finding a small sail boat with a cabin he can stand up in and keep working in his favorite signature style. His desire is poignant for me because I often talk about the boat being the vessel to hold one in safety. My dream is now woven in with David's to help manifest a boat for him to call home and studio so that he can keep giving the world these little marvels that for me symbolize bravery and endurance. He can be found, weather permitting, on Powell near Geary in Union Square.