. >>> during this challenging time, award-winning illustrator kadeer nelson is using his unique talents to spread a message of hope. lee cowan was invited into his studio. ♪ ♪ >> i think what's in my head was the idea or the feeling that i wanted to have. >> reporter: an emotion? >> yeah, yeah, i think that's what makes art art. ♪ ♪ ♪ i wish somebody would come and ease my ♪ ♪ >> reporter: kadeer nelson has been emoting one brush stroke at a time. perhaps you've seen his work on the cover of the new york error children's book. he's a celebrated illustrator, too. his work hangs in galleries, museums. collectors eagerly seek him out. what he does best is perhaps what we need most of all right now, the strength of the human spirit celebrated. >> i think it's a crucial moment and i need to have a voice and creata create an image that will give people hope. i call it after the storm. >> reporter: after the storm? >> all these people and the figures in the painting, they have their eye on a common goal. they all have their eyes trained on the light. >> reporter: it was still a work in progres