PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A South Florida man is celebrating Black History Month by channeling his artistic talent to inspire students to reach their dreams.
Deon Tynes has enjoyed drawing and painting for decades, but he was too shy to share his gift with others until this past year.
Tynes has been spending more time in front of the canvas during the pandemic and soon realized his craft came with the gift of bringing joy to others.
"This Black History Month, I want to celebrate and commemorate everyone who has come before us and given us the opportunity when there wasn't one or paved the way for us to have an opportunity," Deon Tynes said. "This was a personal talent, but I didn't even think it was a talent. It was an insecurity because I wasn't able to come across a lot of people who looked like me who was an artist or considered themselves to be artists."
Tynes calls painting a form of therapy that also has the power to lift others up.
He wants others to be confident when sharing their talent with others.
"I was secretly putting together a portfolio," Tynes said. "Now my work is starting to get more and more diverse, which is very important."
His passion for art grew even deeper during the civil unrest that transpired last summer.
Since then, he's been even more adamant about using his art as a way to promote diversity and inclusion while encouraging the younger generation to be steadfast when going after their dreams.
"My art has been keeping me going this whole time," Tynes said. "This was a big secret and something I wouldn't share with other people until I felt like I mastered it. I didn't think I was ready for the world yet, but, hello world, here I come."
To learn more about Tynes' artwork, send him an email at dtynes30@gmail.com.