NARRATIVE: I walked into a small church one morning. A man, to whom I had given a ride one evening, had invited me to attend. As soon as the praise band started to play worship songs, I felt a rush of emotion as I heard the song, "I Saw the Light." I was so overwhelmed with the lyrics projected up on a screen that soon I found myself uncontrollably weeping. What the heck was happening here? I asked myself? Soon my arms were waving in the air in exultation of my salvation and being "Born Again." It would be many years later that I would start learning about Hank Williams after reading Bob Dylan’s book "Chronicles." He credited Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie as major influences in his growth as a singer-songwriter.

Soon, I was listening to everything Hank Williams. I was shocked to learn he had died at the age of 29. It was astonishing to my mind that a man so young had written so many songs with such deep insight and familiarity with the common struggles of the working class. I related to it right away. Hank was born at a time in America where the culture, especially in the South, had a deep appreciation for "old time religion" as well as a good honky-tonk dance tune. Hank could write a song like "Hey Good Lookin'" as well as "I Saw the Light."

Hank is revered in the country music world, he could be country’s first musical saint. I explored his foot in both worlds in this painting. "I wandered so aimless, life filled with sin. I wouldn’t let my dear Savior in. Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night. Praise the Lord, I saw the light."