Ameya Okamoto’s Elijah McClain tribute
By Maggie Donahue, Denverite | It was the Fourth of July, and 14-year-old Tyler Gordon was sitting at his easel, painting in the middle of a street in San Jose, Ca. Activity swirled around him, dancers, singers and rappers performing. Meanwhile, people armed with paint trays and rollers were bent over the pavement, creating a mural that would span three blocks.
Gordon was attending the San Jose Black Lives Matter Street Painting, one of the many events held around the country to paint “Black Lives Matter” on prominent city streets. As Gordon worked on his own canvas, “Black Lives Matter” materialized on the blacktop before him in massive white block letters.
Gordon, meanwhile, was painting Elijah McClain.
Gordon has been named a 2020 Global Child Prodigy for his portraiture work. He usually paints celebrities and has even gotten to meet some of them, like Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez. But a few months ago, when the death of George Floyd sparked protests against racial injustice around the world, Gordon started painting victims of violence fueled by racism.
“I feel like they were good people and did not deserve to die,” Gordon said. “And that makes me really sad. Because I heard the story of how they died. I get really upset, because that’s not what they deserve.”
When Gordon heard McClain’s story, he knew he wanted to paint him. He was inspired, in part, by McClain’s love for the violin.
“He had a talent, and he tried to do something with that talent,” Gordon said. “But before he could, he was killed.’
He wanted to showcase that talent in his portrait. He recreated a widely-shared photo of McClain playing the violin, using shades of gray when typically he paints in full color. Painting the tribute was a good experience, Gordon said — fun, but a little sad, too.
A year ago Monday, McClain, a 23-year-old Black man, was violently detained by Aurora police. Paramedics arrived on the scene and administered a large dose of ketamin to sedate him. McClain died in the hospital on Aug. 27.
In the year since his death, he has become a major figure in the Black Lives Matter movement. His name has been recited alongside those of Breonna Taylor and Floyd at protests against racial injustice around the world.
But as McClain’s story spread outside of Colorado, the world learned bits and pieces about the person behind the name. That he was an animal lover who didn’t eat meat, a massage therapist, a self-professed introvert. He was a self-taught violinist who played for cats in animal shelters. He’s been described by people who knew him as a kind and gentle person, traits that were evident even in his last moments. His story has inspired string players across the country to stage candlelight violin vigils in his honor. And it’s moved countless creatives like Gordon to create tributes to McClain.
In the last few weeks, we’ve talked to artists from all over the world, from Missouri to New Zealand, about the pieces they created to honor McClain. Some wanted to recreate his essence, to show the world that he was a real, beautiful individual and not just another name to add to the list of Black people killed by police. . .
Go here to read the tribute stories and to see the beautiful, creative, and loving artwork:
https://denverite.com/2020/08/24/a-year-after-elijah-mcclains-encounter-with-aurora-police-artists-around-the-world-are-still-telling-his-story/?mc_cid=02cb66c7a3&mc_eid=9697bb0af6
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