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.

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