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sold to support the Southeastern Raptor Center, one of the few places which care for, train and house birds of prey. Malkoff ’s drawing shows the limitless complications of a large raptor’s wings. He photographs them over and over from every angle and perspective, layers and layers of feathers, each contribut- ing to the miracle of flight. Then he begins the excruciatingly de- tailed drawing of Spirit in flight, a work which will take months to complete. Like so many artists through the decades, Malkoff ’s early years were full of disappointment, frustration and pain. He finished Auburn in architecture but could not find a job, so daily existence became a struggle just to survive. “I was a starving artist for years and I did anything I could to stay alive — cut grass, paint houses, be a fireman, live on food stamps, don’t pay the rent — all the time painting and draw- ing and nobody buying anything I did.” He began to hawk his work from office building to office, house to house, the neg- ative response usually accompanied by the order to get out. Whatever his desperation at the time though, today he is philosoph- ical enough to say, “You know, it’s the scars we bear that make us who we are.” And he never gave up hope. He kept drawing, now with renewed interest for it was at this period that he started teaching himself how to sketch trees. After so many studies of the oaks at Toomer’s Corner in Auburn eventually he became known as the “tree man.” When he talks about that period, Malkoff says, “What kept me going was that I believe everything happens for a reason. And since God gave me this talent to draw and paint, I knew He had a plan for me. That I just had to find it.” And find it he did — with the help of a stranger. Walking across the park of a small town near his home one day, he felt something touch his shoulder. Startled, for Malkoff hadn’t been aware of an- other person in the park, he turned and confronted a man, ordinary in every way except with some bulkiness about the shoulders. “Are you the tree man?” “Yes.” “I’d like to buy your largest tree drawing. That one right there, the one on top.” For a second Malkoff couldn’t move. Dazed and speechless, he took a deep breath and tried to convince himself that someone had actually bought one of his drawings. The customer held out his hand and the artist slowly handed over the drawing. After repacking his other work, he straightened up and seemed to hear a soft swishing sound like air coming out of a balloon. “That’s when I knew. I’d been dealing with an angel because my right hand had something in it, folded bills, more money than I’d ever seen before in my whole life. Of course, you won’t believe me but after that, everything changed. People began to buy my work.” He went on to sell more and more of his creations, paint- ings and drawings of animals, dogs, mascots, elephants and, of course, trees. Gradually he became known as a nature artist who frequently helps to raise money for scholarship funds, never losing site of his devotion to football and collegiate sports. “The eagle flight,” he says, “is the greatest common denominator in sports. No matter what colors you’re wearing, when that eagle begins to fly, we are all united as Americans.” n See Malkoff ’s prints at malkoffgallery.com Phone 334-477-3525 Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019 29 .....................................................................................................................................................................