Meet Jeffrey Mayo | An Artist Beyond Homelessness
“Being part of ArtLifting, I feel I have come full circle. Art has been a positive focus for me. It is a way I can communicate with others. My art does not project me as someone with mental illness or homelessness, but as a person who wants to share joy and beauty with others.”
Jeffrey Mayo is a visual artist, performer, and musician. He is known in his artistic circles as “Cheetah,” which he often uses as the signature on his artwork. Jeffrey draws his creative inspiration from within himself, and creates his art through drums and hand percussions in addition to oil and chalk pastels.
Jeffrey is the third child born into a family that eventually numbered seven children. He was born in Seattle, WA in 1945, but soon moved in with his parents to San Francisco, CA.
Jeffrey grew up in the Hunter’s Point neighborhood of San Francisco. He channeled his energies by participating and competing in athletic activities at local Recreation Center and Boy’s Club. When Jeffrey learned that some of his friends were using drugs and involved in criminal activities he stayed away from them. He left the neighborhood as soon as he turned 18 and graduated from high school.
Jeffrey took Architecture classes at San Francisco City College to learn about ancient ruins. He was employed by the Board of Education as a Printer and The Department of Social Services as a Printer Supervisor.
Jeffrey returned to Seattle in 1980 where he lived with his maternal grandmother for five years until her death. Following her death “depression set in.” He found a physician and started taking anti-depressants. In Seattle, Jeffrey worked as a Printer and also Security and Janitor at Sea-Tac Airport.
After being homeless and living in his Jeep for 5 years, he moved to transitional housing at Aloha Inn in North Seattle in November 2018. He worked on the front desk 15 hours a week and the money he earned went directly into a savings account. The savings, along with move-in assistance from Aloha Inn, helped him when his name came up for a subsidized apartment in a Seattle Housing Authority building. He was able to move into the building during the month of May 2019. Jeffrey is very happy to have his own apartment where he can create his art. He continues to receive support when he visits Ballard NW Senior Center and his health and well-being have improved since moving out of his Jeep.
Selling his art is making an important impact on his life in maintaining his new apartment.
Jeffrey’s artwork shows thematic elements that reflect his interest in architecture, music, and cycles of nature, as well as his life experiences. He has been making art since he was 15 years old and describes:
“My art began as a hobby. It grew into a way of life. When I was in Mission High School, San Francisco, my teacher entered one of my paintings in the ‘Plant a Tree Week’ art contest. My painting was of a hand holding a ball of soil with a young tree growing out of it. I won the contest and had my painting shown at the DeYoung Museum. Today, for me, the soil symbolizes my former circumstance of being homeless.”
His days and nights are filled by creating designs and applying color. Jeffrey wants his art to have colors that complement each other and it takes anywhere from two days to a week to complete a work of art, depending on how complicated the work is. Jeffrey’s art enables him to think and settles his nerves. His ability to create art inspires him to keep going.
“I understand how art can bring joy, peace, and inspiration to others, and I hope to be able to share this feeling with more people through my art.”
Jeffrey Mayo’s current collection with ArtLifting may be found here.
