In honor of Martin Luther King Jr Day, I painted this portrait of the Atlanta, Georgia home where the great orator, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and leader of the American civil rights movement was born. I wanted to pay my respect and celebrate his life and legacy the best way I know how — with my paintbrush.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on the second floor of this clapboard Queen Anne house on January 15, 1929, and he lived there for the first twelve years of his life. His home was a happy one, and he once said, “I grew up in a family where love was central and where lovely relationships were ever present.”

Located on Auburn Avenue, and built in 1894, the house is now part of the 34-acre Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park that includes other notable buildings such as Ebenezer Baptist Church, the World Peace Rose Garden and the Prince Hall Masonic Temple, first headquarters of the SCLC. The National Park is an essential place to visit to learn more about America’s civil rights era.