Drawing Out Confidence

Growing up in poverty in Washington, D.C., Larry B. Quick says he often felt frustrated and angry, but discovered that he could express those feelings in a positive way — through drawing and painting.

Now, the 27-year-old graduate of the Corcoran School of Art is helping other youngsters channel their frustrations. Mr. Quick is the founder of Life Pieces to Masterpieces, a fledgling charity that works with 14 boys aged 4 to 15 in the tough Lincoln Heights public-housing complex. Mr. Quick helps the boys tell their life stories on paper and through a variety of other inexpensive media — including aluminum cans found on the streets.

“The whole philosophy behind the artwork is taking the broken heart of your lives and stitching them back together again,” says Mr. Quick. Thus, the work of his young apprentices bears such titles as “Tear Drops” and “Born in Hell.”

Life Pieces to Masterpieces began as a summer program of the Children’s Trust Neighborhood Initiative, a charity in Lincoln Heights. But the art took on a life of its own, Mr. Quick says. The group meets daily, and the kids do homework before even picking up a paint brush.

He hopes to spread his idea nationwide, eventually. Here, Mr. Quick (standing) helps members of Life Pieces to Masterpieces turn their experiences into art.