Roger Cox, a soapstone carver who is homeless, calls himself "the man behind the log," in reference to his current living conditions, a log he use as shelter at the North end of English Bay Beach in Vancouver.
Mr. Cox's carvings often sell at a local art gallery and cost anywhere from several hundred to a few thousand dollars. However Mr. Cox, who began carving at age 14, had become an alcoholic by the same age. "I'm a functional alcoholic," says Mr. Cox. "I can drink and work, too."
"I had money a few months back, but I gave it away to my children," says Mr. Cox. For him, having too much money is dangerous. "It was quite a bit of money and I'm a bit of a booze addict. That would have hurt me. I would have just rented a hotel room and just watched TV and drank all day. I wouldn't have been doing any art work." Carving, for Mr. Cox, is a double-edged sword; it provides him with the money to drink, but it is also therapeutic. "It helps me focus. It helps me not to think about a lot of bad stuff that's happened in my life. It clears my mind."
IN HIS OWN WORDS: VISIT GLOBEANDMAIL.COM/LIFE TO WATCH A MINI-DOCUMENTARY