Barack and Michelle Obama.Photo: Theo Wargo/WireImage
Michelle Obamahas won theChristmas-gifting game.
“It’s an incredible piece, but the story behind it is even better,” said President Obama, 59, going on to explain that the Buffalo, New York-based Black artist “was wrongfully convicted for a crime he didn’t commit and sentenced to a minimum of 38 ½ years in prison” when he was 21 years old.
“For more than two decades behind bars,he maintained his innocence,” he continued of Dixon. “Eventually, he renewed his passion for art, thanks to the advice of his uncle, who told him, ‘If you reclaim your talent, you can reclaim your life.’ "
“Despite never visiting a golf course, he went on to use photos from magazines to draw golf courseslike the one in this photo,” President Obama wrote.
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Dixon’s “art and his story gained national attention in 2012 through his family’s tireless advocacy and a couple of profiles in golf publications,” the author ofA Promised Landshared. “Then, in 2018, three undergraduate students fromGeorgetown’s Innocence Project uncovered evidencethat proved the innocence Valentino had maintained all along. And after 27 years, he was free.”
“Today, Valentino travels extensively to share his story and promote the need for criminal justice reform. And thankfully, for me and for so many others, he continues to draw,” President Obama added, concluding, “I’m so proud to have one of his works to display.”
Dixon shared avideo of the commissioned artworkto his Instagram feed, explaining that he originally created the hand-drawn piece with colored pencils while in prison but was “always going back and touching it up … because a piece of artwork is never complete.”
“Michelle Obamareaching out to buy a golf drawing forBarack Obamafor Christmas was an honor and a privilege,” he wrote in the caption. “This drawing took more than 400 hours and I believe is the largest golf drawing in the world, measuring 60 [inches] x 90 [inches].”
Mr. and Mrs. Obamaspent Christmas in Hawaii, where they were photographed last week kayaking in the ocean. They both shared theirfamily’s heartwarming holiday wishes on Twitter.
In his own message, the 44th president alluded to the ongoingcoronavirus pandemic, noting that this holiday is altogether different than those of years' past. Still, he encouraged everyone to celebrate the season of giving.
“This Christmas looks different for all of us. As we spend time with those we love — in person or virtually — let us celebrate the blessings we cherish, embrace the spirit of giving, and look out for one another,” he wrote, in part. “Frommy family to yours, Merry Christmas!”
source: people.com
