Here is a portrait study that I painted a few months ago. The model who posed for this was a man named Francois, who I saw panhandling on the street in downtown Ottawa. On the day that I met him, Francois was on his 18th drug-free day. He had battled with a cocaine addiction for several years, and had tried to break his addiction in the past, but had never made it for more than two or three days. This time, he had made it for 18 days, and was determined to stay clean.
I have thought about him a lot since the day that he posed for me, and although I have watched for him whenever I am on the downtown streets, I have not seen him again. Here's hoping that it's a good sign, and that he's moved forward with his plan to get off the streets and lead a happier life.
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