TRYON, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Joey Withinarts, an artist based in Clemson, South Carolina, has gifted a painting of Nina Simone to her brother, actor and composer Sam Waymon, in the musician’s hometown of Tryon, N.C.

Withinarts has made a name for himself around the Southeast for painting portraits of prominent figures past and present. The artist sees his paintings, many of which he donates to their subjects or related organizations, as contributing to the historical record.

Portraits of history

“The first thing I started doing was donating paintings to children’s hospitals, nursing homes, Malcom X centers, just really like all types of organizations that I could help out with,” Withinarts said. “Once I got the idea of doing those things, that’s when I started to move more into collecting historic information.”

Withinarts thinks of his work as reflections of moments in history.

“Just like music, you know? They sing a song and they tell a whole story in a song and you got to pinpoint what era that the song is representing,” Withinarts explained. “What I’m doing with my art, I’m trying to show different eras, but I want to show the importance [of] people that led the way that I just don’t want to be forgotten.”

Simone, who was born in Tryon, is the latest figure Withinarts wanted to spotlight in his artwork. The artist painted the 22 inch by 28 inch oil pastel portrait, which depicts an older and younger Simone simultaneously, in just two days and framed it with flowers.

“I would say the flowers represent the movement,” Withinarts said. “The fight she had to fight through.”

Withinarts contacted Tryon Town Hall about the painting, which he initially intended for Simone’s childhood home, a three-room clapboard house which still stands in Tryon. However, the painting will ultimately find a home in another Simone facility, shepherded by Waymon.

Withinarts was thrilled to get to hand the portrait off to Waymon in person.

“It was awesome. I mean, he’s a very humble, very nice educated musician. He basically me about stories about how they grew up in the church,” Withinarts shared. “He was the youngest of Nina Simone’s siblings and he would just tell me about their life in general, how it was back then during the time when they was being raised.”

For more of Withinarts’ work, visit www.facebook.com/p/Joey-withinarts-studio-100054643365902.

For more about Nina Simone, visit www.ninasimone.com.