Paintings from this homeless man are in high demand

Troy Moon | Pensacola News Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Paintings from this homeless man are in high demand Jon Masters has a passion for art, and he's using it to help get himself off the streets. The 56-year-old used money he received from panhandling to buy art supplies. Now, with his beloved dog Sheba by his side, he paints to make money.

If you see homeless folks out there in the near future offering balloon animals or selling crude birdhouses instead of holding those (sadly) ubiquitous "Please Help" or "Homeless and "Hungry" signs, give the credit to Jon Masters.

Because the Warrington-based homeless artist, who was in jail just over a month ago on a trespassing charge, is now a roadside role model for some of the area's homeless population.

"That's what I enjoy the most," Masters, 56, said from his oak-shaded perch hugging busy Navy Boulevard, his service dog Sheba, as always, at his side. "I've got other homeless guys coming up to me to check out what's going on. They're hearing about my story from other homeless people. They're seeing the response I'm getting and some of them are trying to figure out what they can do that's similar. They want to know how I learned to paint. They want to do something on their own. I'm actually able to inspire others. To me, that's the best part about all of this."

Pensacola heard Masters' own inspiring story on pnj.com.

Toward the end of September, he spent three days on the side of the road holding a sign that read "Just Need a Little Help." After raising $40, he went and purchased a few canvases, some cheap paints and a few brushes and began painting his dreamworld landscapes. A few days later, he was selling his paintings on the side of the road.

He learned to paint a few years back while living in New Orleans and studying the artists in famed Jackson Square. (He also credits You Tube art instruction videos and a little natural talent.) Real name Jon Spiel, he adopted the painting pen name Jon Masters and began selling on Jackson Square, amid the pigeons and tourists, trying to compete and eek out a living. Homeless on-and-off for much of his life, he scraped together enough money to buy a very used sailboat to live on with Sheba, a medical alert dog who alerts Masters whenever an oft-occurring seizure is coming.

Masters — we're calling him that because that's what the many people who are buying his unique nature scenes on canvas know him by; and more and more people are buying each day — tired of the New Orleans scene and the competition for tourists and decided to sail east, then south. His eventual destination was Key West, but he moored up at Quietwater Beach and began hawking his art to Pensacola's tourists.

In August, he was jailed on a trespassing charge at Pensacola Beach – he said it was because of a misunderstanding that arose when law enforcement officers told him he couldn't have his dog on beach property. He spent two weeks in jail, while Sheba was taken in by the Escambia County Animal Shelter. Members of the Pensacola Junior Humane Society were notified and took Sheba in for the last few days of Masters' jail time.

Adding to Masters' problems was his boat: it had a leak and he had to remove water from the vessel every 24 hours. It sunk while he was in jail.

Everything seemed to be going wrong. But Masters tried to stay positive.

"I was only worried about my dog," he said. "Everything else could be replaced. Nothing bad really happens. That's what I believe. It's just that not enough time has gone by to find out what the good (that) will come of the situation will be."

He slept outside with Sheba in Warrington – he didn't want to give us the location because he didn't want other homeless folks to be hassled – and began painting, using blues and blacks mostly to create near-surreal landscapes. And after people started hearing about his story, good things started to happen.

More and more people wanted to buy his paintings, which he was selling for $25 to $45. Other folks were dropping off art supplies and canvases and dog food and even a sleeping bag. A nearby church offered him and Sheba a safe location to sleep at night. Folks over at the Gulf Breeze Farmers Market went to see him to see if he would be interested in coming out there to sell his paintings.

On Tuesday, Daniel Dugan, organizer of the weekly Gulf Breeze Farmers Market, picked Masters up and drove him out to Gulf Breeze Community Center, where a covered booth awaited the artist. But first, with a little extra money in his pocket from a few sales, he went and purchased a new shirt and jeans. He has been wearing his previous outfit, splattered with paint, since his release.

"Don't I look fancy?" he asked with a smile, sitting under the covered booth tent at the market. "I'm hoity-toity now."

Dugan, who operates three farmers markets in Northwest Florida, said he hopes more homeless people follow Masters' lead.

"I saw the PNJ article and I was impressed and inspired and had the ability to offer him some space," he said. "That's what we want to do. If one person can inspire our homeless population, that is what we need. He's doing it right. He knocked on the door and it got opened."

And now, his roadside art studio is booming. He received a couple offers for commission work while in Gulf Breeze and has been selling his paintings almost as fast as he can create them.

Buyers are impressed.

David Talon, 24, purchased two of Masters' paintings last weekend.

"I've shown them to a lot of people and everyone likes them," said Talon, who serves in the U.S. Navy. "My girlfriend loves them. I think he's pretty talented."

Beyond that, Talon also was impressed with Master's desire to better himself.

"He's not just out there with a sign," Talon said. "He thinks about what he's doing as his job. I think his story is pretty neat."

Masters isn't sure what's next for him and Sheba. He's still living outdoors, but he isn't so keen on trying to get to Key West any longer.

"I might stay here in Pensacola," he said. "I like it here, and the people have been really, really great. They appreciate what I do, so why go somewhere else?"

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