Nayland T Blake 1933 – 2025

Here is my father, Nayland T. Blake celebrating his 90th birthday, three years ago. Three weeks ago, I flew to South Carolina to join with my sister and aunt in gathering his things and settling his affairs in the wake of his death on May 23rd. I can’t sum up my relationship with him, in part because we shared the family style of feeling deeply but communicating poorly between each other. I do know that I would not be an artist if not for him, and the thing that I am proudest of learning from him is the habit of greeting each person in my day as an equal. He made friends easily. I barely ever saw him angry. But we papered over our distances with affable cliches, and that is as much my failing as his. At least on this birthday visit, the last time I spent with him, we were able to just sit together, not in performance but in connection. In our last phone conversation, he told me that he was proud of me, and I said the same to him. I am.

Bye Dad