Lee Greene took a leap of faith with his art. He loved doodling as a child in North Carolina but traded the hobby for sports because it “wasn’t cool”.

A few years ago he decided something was missing in his life; he hit an art supply store and got back at it.

Pieces of Me, a collection of 15 famous faces he drew on canvas with water-based, black acrylic marker, is now on display at the Bermuda Society of Arts. Jazz greats John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk, and Mother Teresa, Ghandi and Mick Jagger are part of it.

“I was always intrigued by black and white images — the expressions that came out of them and the simplicity of the two colours,” said Mr Greene. “I had just started listening to jazz and was intrigued by their stories and how they were so committed to their craft. I started drawing jazz artists.”

The vice-president of sales at telecommunications service provider TeleBermuda International Limited moved to the island from Atlanta, Georgia in 2000. “I packed all the art up that I had in a box and put it in the house and it wasn’t until about three years ago that I pulled all those pictures back out of that box. I knew I needed to start back drawing again but negative thoughts crept into my head: you’re not an artist, you can’t compete with the stuff you see in art galleries.” Some of the paintings were covered in mildew but some were OK enough for him to hang in his apartment. It inspired him to start again.

“I tried several times and then one night, the stars were aligned. I was in that mood so to speak, and was able to complete a picture. I felt rejuvenated.

“I started going around, looking at art shows. One thing I heard Oprah Winfrey say was that every person she ever interviewed had one thing in common — a need for validation. I realised that was what I was looking for.” Mr Greene started posting pictures of his work on Facebook. The feedback he received was so encouraging he decided to show some of his pieces to BSoA gallery director Nzingha Ming.

“She said, ‘Wow, you should do a show’. So I’m now at the art gallery with the director telling me I need to do a show; I’m building my confidence as I go.”

Gibbons Company was showcasing art in its store windows at the time. Ms Ming suggested he submit a couple of his pieces.

“I’ve never had any formal training, I’m completely self-taught but I took a leap of faith and did it,” Mr Greene said. “They were displayed in Washington Mall, in the home store across from City Hall and the feedback that I got from people was incredible.”

The Edge, the men’s clothing store on Church Street, also hosted his work. In the meantime, he honed his skills.

“I was asking other artists about their work. At the time, I used to draw with a Sharpie, a permanent marker on poster board. They told me maybe I should look at a different medium because the Sharpie will fade.” He’s been drawing with an acrylic marker on canvas ever since.

“Always in black and white,” Mr Greene said. “With simplicity comes great beauty. Most [of my subjects] are musicians, humanitarians, people I admire and I feel there’s a piece of them inside of me. That’s why I wanted to do the first show I did. And that’s why I titled it Pieces of Me.

“I finally have accepted myself as an artist and am to the point where I don’t really care if somebody likes the work or not. It’s something I enjoy. It’s relaxing and therapeutic.”

The real joy has come from sharing the experience with his daughters, Gabrielle, 13, and Jordan, 10.

“When I started getting back into the groove of things they’d say, ‘Daddy, who is that?’ It kind of evolved into a history lesson. I would say ‘That’s Nelson Mandela’ and they would ask who he was. I’d tell them to Google him and we would read together what he did. Now that they’re a little older, when they have sleepovers with their girlfriends they ask, ‘Where did your daddy buy all these pictures?’ And I hear them say, ‘Oh no. He didn’t buy them. He’s an artist.’ Do you recognise anybody on the walls? So it’s evolved in a way for me to teach them about music, about humanitarians, about history in a way I never thought about. It’s been awesome for my children. And my parents and friends are just happy that I’m finally unitising the gift that has been given to me. I am a private person so it was awkward for me to expose myself this way. I was concerned about what people would say but now I’m past all that. It’s a good feeling for me.”

•Pieces of Me will hang in Studio A at BSoA until January 4. Look for the BSoA Members’ Winter Show in the Onions & Edinburgh Gallery and Live by Kochakorn & Khwan in Studio B. Learn more here: www.bsoa.bm