Sitting for the brilliant painter Kadir Nelson

I learned about his process, and why peach cobbler is his favorite meal.

Good morning amigos,

A few years ago, I found out that the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery had chosen to include me in their 2022 Portrait of a Nation honorees. This was such a meaningful and humbling honor, to be included in a group of amazing humanitarians and legends who would be painted for the National Portrait Gallery…people like children's rights activist Marian Wright Edelman, filmmaker Ava DuVernay, presidential medical advisor Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, music veteran Clive Davis, and the fantastic tennis players Serena and Venus Williams.

I was really overwhelmed by this news. And then I found out that I would be able to work with the artist Kadir Nelson to do the painting, and I was even more blown away. Wow! My friends, as you probably know, Kadir Nelson is a genius…he is known for his New Yorker covers, and album covers for Drake, but also for his really beautiful (and award-winning) New York Times bestselling children’s picture books including a great one called “We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball.”

The painting was unveiled in November, and you won’t be surprised that I love it so much…I feel like it captures the heart of the work that we do at World Central Kitchen—there is strength and sense of hope that comes from the men, women, and children standing behind me, in the waters, in the despair, but all holding food, ready to share it, and lift others up. I know I am in the front of the painting, but it’s really about everyone, the power of all of us and the way one plate of food can bring so much comfort to someone facing the most horrifying moments of their life.

Kadir and I spent a lot of time together at the beginning of the process, many hours just getting to know each other because that is part of his process of understanding the spirit and soul of his subject to really create a painting that has a deeper meaning. I had a chance to talk to Kadir about his process and about the elements of the painting and what it meant to him. Here is our chat.

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José: Kadir, I love this painting so much. I am so honored and so grateful for this. Can you tell me about some of the symbolism in the painting?

Kadir: In the painting you stand shin-deep in murky flood waters, the catastrophic aftermath, holding a large “olla de barro” (Spanish for “clay pot”) filled with freshly cooked steaming chickpea stew, an homage to the hot meals cooked by your mother and father that you enjoyed as a child in his native Spain.

Your pants are soaked, backpack taut around your shoulders, sleeves rolled up, a symbol of your tireless work ethic, and your tactical field vest holds your only means of communicating with the outside world and local network of military and volunteer personnel—a radio, marker, and smartphone.

If you look closely you see inside your lower vest pocket is a handkerchief/face covering adorned with the US flag, which is an ode to your home in America and your ceaseless immersive work despite the risks of navigating difficult and potentially dangerous situations.

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Tied to your waist I painted a traditional chef’s bib apron, a nod to your roots as a master chef. The clay pot and your extended arms are both illuminated by sunlight, which directs the viewer’s focus toward your hands and the fresh food, a symbol of “giving” and “service.” Your head, torso, and legs are slightly in shadow, a symbol of your humility and strong desire to shift the spotlight away from himself. Scattered raindrops lightly fall over you and the muddy water, dotting your vest and shirt. The cloudy sky parts as the storm retreats into the background. Your stolid posture and loving expression read, “Eat.”

Standing with you, in the fray at the water’s edge, is a smiling army of local volunteers, cooks, military personnel, and residents proudly perched in full sunlight atop a newly formed pile of rubble. They collectively hold a trove of freshly prepared and packaged food and are proudly led by a Haitian woman who holds a box of fresh fruits and vegetables. In the background, a food truck, a fully stocked WCK tent, a war-torn residential building, a collapsed structure, billowing smoke, passing birds, which are a symbol of the spirit of giving and empathy, a descending helicopter, a nod to your military background), and worn tropical palms complete the landscape.

José: As I learned, the process of sitting for a portrait was very personal to me…even vulnerable. How do you approach portraying each subject of the many amazing works you’ve done?

Kadir: It is important to learn and research the subject’s story, what is important to him/her/them, and what shaped him/her/them. Before sketching or composing the painting, I have to understand and/or get a feeling for who they are, their spirit and personality, earn their trust, and find a way to communicate that through the painting.

José: To me, food has the power to change the world. What has that power to you?

Kadir: Our actions, our words, our intentions in our everyday lives and over the span of our lives help shape humankind, both intimately and collectively. Equally as powerful are the images we absorb, and as artists, we have a unique opportunity and ability to create powerful images that can impact the world. It is a great responsibility that should not be taken lightly.

José: The pot in the portrait is so close to me and my Spanish identity….is there a dish that reminds you of home, where you come from?

Kadir: Having spent some of my formative years in Atlantic City with an African American and Southern rooted family, I love Soul Food, but my favorite dish of all is my mother’s peach cobbler. She makes it with plenty of dough dumplings and apple pie seasonings, instead of nutmeg. The cinnamon really mixes well with the cooked peaches. I fell in love with it the first time she made it when I was about 5 years old.