Above: Steve Skipper (right) is joined by Southern Chistian Leadership Conference President Charles Steele, Sr. and Lucy Baines Johnson, daughter of former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson at a private showing of the “Selma” commemorative painting.

Steve Skipper was commissioned by the city of Selma to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in a painting. The work of his “gifted hands” was unveiled over the weekend at the 57th National Convention of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in Baton Rouge, La. He was assisted in the unveiling by Ava DuVernay, the director of the movie “Selma.”

“It’s a full circle of events for me. God has blessed me to walk through some doors that my ancestors fought for me to experience,” Skipper said. “To see what was paid for me to go through those doors, it’s a very powerful feeling. I’m obligated to give also, because I know they’re watching.”

Skipper is the first black artist to be commissioned to do paintings for a number of distinguished sports institutions such as: Auburn University, the University of Alabama, the PGA of America, the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins, and NASCAR.

Here’s a closer look at the work of Skipper’s hands captured by executive producer Joseph Allen and edited by David Macon.

Steve Skipper from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.