Daggi Wallace -

"Moni's Kids" is a new project through which your love of art can directly benefit a child in need.
Each year I will choose a group of children to portray. The proceeds from the sale of these portraits will be used to meet the needs of the children portrayed, such as scholarships, school supplies, food and clothing.
To kick off the project my daughter Sam and I are meeting 30 children in Haiti the first week
of August 2010. All of these kids have lost one or both of their parents in the January earthquake.
The children's stories, hopes and dreams will be featured in their own handwriting and drawings as part of the finished artwork. My aim is to give them a face and a voice, to be "seen and heard".

The proceeds from the sale of the paintings will directly benefit the children portrayed. Sam and I will travel back to Haiti and deliver aid, such as school supplies, scholarships, food, clothing and books, with the funds raised. Each child will also receive a small print of their portrait, so they may see the finished product.
In addition, I hope that the children will gain a sense of dignity and pride by having helped create a piece of art which not only brings joy to the buyer of it but also improved living conditions for themselves. I plan to make this a yearly event, choosing different destinations for each series of portraits.
I will post the portraits for sale on this page and my blog as I finish them.

The painting shown here is of Lydia, a child I met while visiting an orphanage in
El Salvador a few years ago. It was her first day there, after having been removed from her home because of abuse. The painting won Best Of Show at a Pastel Society of the Southwest Show and was bought by one of my most loyal clients. I had hoped to use the money to help Lydia, but was never able to find her again. She was lost in the system, returned home or moved to another orphanage. I decided to use the proceeds of the sale to finally start this project and help more children.

To learn more about the inspiration behind "Moni's Kids" and the children themselves, I invite you to follow along on my blog.

Here are images of the portraits with and without their background. I will post more as they are finished.
   
"Vanessa" 10x10 pastel by Daggi Wallace, 16x16 with background
$500 framed
 
"Jimmy" 10x10 pastel by Daggi Wallace, 16x16 with background
$500 framed