In living color: from the canvas of Jonathan Green

IN a vibrant mix of breathtaking shades, magnificent hues and spectacular tones and textures, Jonathan Green gives birth to a life-affirming fusion of color and culture on canvas, creating an undeniable union--a force, some say--that dared to dream the impossible and won. That dream, in full color, and in defiance of the confines of mere Black and White, manifests itself in the fine artist's tropical home, nestled near the coast of Naples, Fla.

This 25-acre sprawling estate-lined and peppered with royal palm trees, meticulously manicured lush-green lawns, the cultivated cypress gardens, exotic waterfalls, imported rocks, historical sculptures, tropical flowers and graveled walkways--is the home of Jonathan Green, and is a canvas of its very own.

And that's just the outside.

Inside, the Mexican-tiled ranch home--large enough to serve as a gallery, studio, showroom and exhibit hall--is designed to emphasize light and openness, and offers four guest suites, beds that fold into the wall, looming windows, French doors, a patio area that extends the length of the east wing and an 800-piece art collection. The idea, Green says, is to promote a sense of unrestricted space, dignity and privacy, each of which fuels his creativity.

And create he has. With more than 1,700 works and catering to a diverse group of collectors, including icons like Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison, Green has painted a picture of success by being true to his roots. Those roots began in South Carolina's Atlantic Coast Lowcountry, where nearly 40,000 Middle Passage survivors from Angola (which many believed evolved into the word "Gullah") made a home for themselves, then a language and eventually--a culture.

"My focus is to show the commonalities among people," says Green, who was raised in the Gullah culture by his late maternal grandmother, Eloise Stewart Johnson, whom he credits for his disciplined work ethic. "I'm trying to help people remember how they got to be where they are."

Green's celebration of his experience and his culture always begins with a basic sketch. "After that, I add the grays and the whites, which create the purpose of the work and the execution of the vision. And then, the reality is simply the color," he says. "The construction or solidity comes from the various layers of colors. That's what gives the art depth, dimension and meaning," he adds. "So, when I pick up the brush, I am no longer in the mode of holding the brush. I am in the mode of where that brush is going to take me. Each time I begin, I have to sit in front of the painting for a good 5 to 10 minutes. Every time I go back to it, I sit there for 10 minutes or so again. You have to allow the painting to accept you back in."

Although there were no art schools in his hometown, Green knew and was recognized for his God-given gift. "Back then, people didn't regard what I did, or could do, as art," he recalls. "The only art supplies I ever got were paint-by-number sets." But that didn't stop him. "I knew that I had a natural ability. I never struggled with art, so I knew my time would come."

That time is now. Green, who recently received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, the University of South Carolina, now has his work on display in museums, galleries and homes across the United States and abroad. He is a highly sought-after commencement speaker. There are Jonathan Green calendars, scarves, posters and books with his work on the cover. And, most recently, his art (and his ballet--yes, a ballet) has become a required learning curriculum for grades K-12 in many schools across the country.

His ballet, Of the Wall & Onto the Stage: Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green, was a $1.8 million ballet production that toured the United States last year with rave reviews, sold-out crowds and fans who clamored for more.

Inspired by Green's dismay over the South Carolina flag issue and in collaboration with William Starrett and the Columbia City Ballet Company; Green's work became "art in motion." Co-chaired by the first lady of Florida, Columba Bush, the first lady of South Carolina, Jenny Sanford, and the first lady of Georgia, Mary Perdue, the support from these three states represented a particular landmark to Green. "Those are the states that supported slavery and created many facets of the African-American culture," he says. "I wanted those states, in particular, to represent a traditional art form coming from that area--openly. And they embraced it."

It is a thread of consciousness that runs through most, if not all, that Green envisions for the future--including his dream of taking his ballet to Broadway. It includes having more artwork by more African-Americans in more museums. "My true sadness," he says, "is that today you can walk into mainstream galleries and museums and not find the work of African-American artists or the names of African-Americans who have donated to those collections."