Homeless man panhandled for days to buy art supplies

WARRINGTON, Fla. — He may still be camped out along side a Florida road, but a homeless painter has replaced his "Just Need A Little Help" sign with works of art, literally.

John Masters says it took him three days to collect $40 from strangers to buy paint and canvases so he could create art to sell. On Saturday, service dog Sheba by his side, Masters got to work, with immediate success.

"I sold three on Saturday and one today," he told the Pensacola News Journal early Sunday afternoon. "I'm selling them cheap and I'm selling them as fast as I can paint them." The paintings have an Asian-influenced style and sell between $25 and $40.

Masters, 56, lived on a boat with Sheba until he was jailed for trespassing. (He said it was because he was at a public place with Sheba, who didn't have her service dog vest on. Sheba spent a few weeks in a local shelter. "She was in doggie jail. I was in jail.")

His sailboat had a leak that required he pump water out every 24 hours. While in jail, the boat sunk, along with his possessions.

Masters, who says he hasn't had a "job job" in years, started painting about five years ago while living in New Orleans.

"I'm just trying to get some money together,'' he said. "I'm not trying to be the homeless guy with all the problems. I have a little talent for painting, and that's what I'm trying to do to make it by."

How'd he learn how to paint?

"It was me and YouTube,'' he said. "I learned watching instructional videos and just adding my own technique and creativity."

For a few years, Masters sold his paintings in New Orleans' famed Jackson Square. He recently sailed to Pensacola on the old, leaking sailboat because he "was tired of New Orleans."

"I wish I had started years ago,'' he said. "Because I do have some natural talent."

Masters said he knows it's hard for people to support the homeless in the community.

"There are a lot of panhandlers out there these days,'' he said. "I had my sign out for a few days too. It's not easy. But it's what I do."