Oral history comes alive in this fascinating tale of Tom Malloy (1912-), former Artist Laureate of Trenton, New Jersey and the darling of myriad art-lovers. Conversations with this self-taught, African-American master painter of cityscapes guide the reader through his adventures as a South Carolinian sharecropper’s son, a young man in Trenton’s industrial heyday, a civil rights activist, a Methodist lay minister, and a celebrated artist. Twelve chapters follow Tom from childhood to age 93 and trace his winding path towards a late-budding artistic career. Blending Colors from Life also gives readers a window into Tom’s unique talent at the art of living and calls to mind the kindred concepts of watercolor painting and watercolor living. . . . Just as Tom blends diverse colors on a canvas to create his paintings, he also proves to blend rich, often unpredictable, vastly diverse life experiences to create a masterpiece life of achievement, fulfillment, and love.

“Trenton's love of Tom Malloy, brother, preacher, husband, uncle, and artist, masterfully documented by Charisa Smith, will serve to us and the world as further documentation of our love for this man. Beautifully written and illustrated, the life of Thomas Malloy is exposed for all of us to admire. His talents have long been admired, his words of wisdom appreciated, and his wit envied by all of the many Trentonians that call Tom ‘friend’. This is a joy to read if you do not know Trenton’s Artist Laureate, but a real treat for those of us that think they know all of Tom. Maybe we should have fixed our bridge to read: Tom Malloy Makes…the World Takes.”

-Brian O. Hill
Director, Trenton City Museum

“Tom Malloy's many admirers will want to give three cheers for Charisa Smith, who taped conversations with him over the years and shaped them into a book of reminiscences. Now we have words to go with the watercolors.”

-Sally Lane
Mercer County College

“Tom Malloy is a living giant in the field of art. Trenton is a better place because of his presence. His life is worthy of review in print and this book captures his story well. I highly recommend it to all who share an interest in the Trenton community. This book deserves two thumbs up and one bravo.”

-Jack Washington

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHARISA A. SMITH is a graduate of Harvard University’s undergraduate History Program (’00) and has a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School (’05). The recipient of numerous awards, including the Michael Rockefeller Fellowship, the Harvard Foundation Award for Outstanding Contributions to Race Relations, the Harvard History Essay Prize, and the Arthur Liman Public Interest Law Fellowship, Ms. Smith conducted over one hundred hours of taped interviews with Tom Malloy to create his biography. She is also the author of Delinquents, Denials and Daring Reform: The Modern Juvenile Justice System and its Mental Health Treatment Capabilities (2004) and numerous published poems. Ms. Smith is currently an attorney at the Legal Aid Justice Center’s JustChildren Program in Richmond, VA.

CATEGORY
Biography/AFRICAN AMERICAN