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Austintown artist pays tribute to Cleveland murder victim Portrait of compassion
By SHAIYLA B. HAKEEM
YOUNGSTOWN
A blank canvas was transformed into an artistic memorial keepsake by a local artist who believes love can conquer all.
Ron Moore Jr. of Austintown presented an original, hand-painted portrait of the late Robert Godwin Sr. to the Godwin family Sunday at Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church. The lifelike painting, completed by Moore in less than 24 working hours, was accepted by a family representative. Two of Godwin’s children are members of the church but were not available to accept the portrait.
The family hosted a celebration of life ceremony for Godwin on Saturday in Cleveland. The 74-year-old Godwin was fatally shot Easter Sunday along a Cleveland street.
Gunman Steve Stephens, who posted the shooting on Facebook, led police on a 2-mile chase in Erie, Pa., before fatally shooting himself Tuesday.
Despite their physical absence, Godwin family members were touched by the kind gesture from Moore.
Tonya Godwin-Baines, a daughter of Godwin’s, said the outpouring of love from the community has been unbelievable. She is thankful and honored that Moore took his personal time to create a work of art in the likeness of her father. Baines said Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church and the community have been her strength and she attends “the greatest church in the world.”
The painting was presented exactly one week after Godwin’s murder. Baines said the artwork touched the very core of her soul and it definitely will be hung in her home.
“I can’t put into words how much I love, admire him [Moore] and want to meet and hug him,” she said. “We are a loving and forgiving family. We appreciate all the love that has been shown through the hardest time in our life.”
Moore said he did not know Godwin or any of his family members. When hearing of the incident on the news, he said his initial thought was, “Mr. Godwin can be any of us ... any of us are only one thought away from a tragedy.”
Moore wanted to do something nice for the family, but said the only thing he knows how to do is paint.
So he painted.
Moore explained it normally takes approximately 40 working hours to finish a painting, but Godwin’s took only 23 hours. The time difference was not due to rushing it, but his determination to show the Godwin family that there are people in Youngstown who don’t know them but still love them.
“Every time I sat down at the easel, I prayed and I put my favorite gospel music on in the background because that really inspires me,” said Moore. “I prayed, ‘God allow this painting to bless this family; don’t allow it to decorate a wall, but use it to bless them.’”
His kind act was not only well reciprocated by the Godwin family, but also was touching to the church’s pastor. Bishop C. Shawn Tyson said he was impressed by the actual painting and deeply moved by the genuineness of Moore’s motives.
Mr. Tyson said, “I thought everything was amazing – not only the artistic work, which was phenomenal, but the spirit behind it. To even have that thought and desire to be a blessing to the family in that way – it just shows there are more good people in this world than evil.”
Moore’s passion to positively touch the lives of others started in 2004 when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The condition worsened over the years, and in 2010, his shaking hands left him unable to feed himself and continue working as an artist, Moore said. The prognosis did not look well, but Moore told himself, “Giving up is not an option.”
In 2010, he underwent a successful neurological surgery. When Moore regained his ability to paint, he wanted to use his gift to touch the lives of others. He said God had given him his life back and he was left with a decision – either squander his second chance at life for self recognition or use his regained talents for the betterment of others.
“Life isn’t all about me, it’s about blessing other people,” said Moore, “and this painting was created out of love.”
The original artwork of Godwin is an acrylic painting on a stretched 18-by-24-inch canvas. Moore has provided 20 duplicate prints to the family – 10 for Godwin’s children and 10 for his siblings. Though the painting is a portrait of Godwin, Moore has titled it “Love Beyond Our Walls,” a saying from his home church at Highway Tabernacle in Austintown. The idea is to spread love everywhere, not just within the walls of a religious establishment or residence, but to all mankind, he said.
“Just a little bit of love can shine the light on a lot of darkness,” he said. “We have a beautiful world, and we need to learn to love each other.”