MOJO IS WORKING: Left photo: Lenny “Mojo Hand” Green performs at a CFC fundraiser. Center: A metal sculpture of Green that he helped create stands in Durham. Right: Green continues work on mural he’s creating at Raleigh P&DC.
RALEIGH – Lenwood “Mojo Hand” Green, Raleigh P&DC custodian, does so many things well, he can’t be considered just a maintenance man. An accomplished artist, singer and musician, a more apt title would be “Renaissance Man.”
A native of Durham and a veteran of the U.S. Army, Green has long been known on the work floor and in the hallways of Raleigh P&DC as its resident artist, as numerous original paintings of the plant and its surroundings decorate the walls. In his spare time he works on a multi-colored, mutli-cultural mural that graces the employee entrance, a striking and precise collage of faces and place of the facility, viewed by hundreds reporting to work daily.
“I’ve been an artist for 40 years, and I let people know my talents when I started here,” says Green.”
Such talents led him to his current masterpiece: a six-foot high “statue”, or metal sculpture, of Green on display on Hunt Street in Durham. Vega Metals, a local store specializing in decorative metal design, created a metal silhouette of Green and asked him to airbrush his image onto it so they could display it in front of their store. It took him six months of after-work sessions before it officially premiered on the street in October.
Green got his sculpture opportunity as a result of his other passion – street musician. He has sung and played in bands since high school, performing locally and regionally through the 70s and 80s. In the late 80s he learned to play guitar and found his niche singing “the blues.” He now performs as a one-man blues act, “Mojo Hand G,” regularly in Durham at Art Marker/Gallery Vega Metals (Hunt St.) or Durham Farmer’s Market, as well as other events he gets hired for.
“I’ve always connected myself with art and music, but I never gave up my day job,” said Green. “I go out and get opportunities locally – I learned early on that you may not always be the star that you think you are.”
At age 63, Green wants to be an inspiration to his son and others. “If you find something you’re passionate about, give your soul its satisfaction,” says Green. “God wants you to have passion in your life!”
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