By Dave Lucas
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-903426.mp3
Albany, NY – Art lovers worldwide are familiar with Tom Malloy's watercolor paintings, and now people of all ages can learn more about his life in a new book. Capital District Bureau Chief Dave Lucas has more:
Tom Malloy moved to Trenton, New Jersey from Dillon, South Carolina in 1923. Though he always had an inclination toward art, he didn't begin painting his trademark watercolor cityscapes until he was in his 50s. Charisa Smith didn't originally set out to write a book, but the chance to chronicle oral history as passed down by Malloy, was one that could not be passed by. Smith spent hundreds of hours taping Malloy, as he recalled his adventures as a South Carolinian sharecropper's son, a young man in Trenton's industrial heyday, a civil rights activist, a Methodist lay minister, and a celebrated artist. Writing Malloy's life story took 8 years. Smith is celebrating the release of her book "Blending Colors from Life" with a signing Saturday afternoon at Hue-Man bookstore in Harlem: Tom Malloy passed away in August of 2008, at the age of 95.