An incarcerated man creates miniature furniture by hand.  

San Quentin resident Marcos “Sanchez” Valdivia employs imagination and improvisation to create his art in the absence of a hobby or crafts program at the rehabilitation center.

“I came from another prison where hobby [work] is allowed, said Valdivia. When I arrived at The Q, I was surprised that I have no access to tools. I have to improvise in order to be creative. It takes more time for a project to be completed. San Quentin is supposed to be a rehabilitation center, and yet we don’t have a hobby shop [or crafts] program.”

Valdivia uses his hands, and a homemade tool, to manipulate wood by shaping and reshaping the smallest details. Samples of his work include two realistically shaped, miniature cabinets. 

One of the cabinets, about two feet high and a foot wide, he painted red. It has two compartments near the top and two drawers on the bottom for storage of jewelry. The contents of the upper compartments are visible through pieces the artist cut from discarded TV screens. The compartments open and close, with durable hinges devised from cloth and cardboard. The door handles lock with a twist. It took Valdivia about a month to complete this project.

Valdivia walks the Lower Yard for exercise. During his walks, he spotted rocks that could be useful in his creation of the cabinets. “What caught my eye was the shinning aspect of each rock,” said Valdivia. On the side of this miniature furniture, he painted them white and glued the rocks. He also used a handmade instrument to cut and shape the edges of each cabinet as previewers to give its own style. A process that took him several days, not having the appropriate tools made it harder for him. 

The crafty man decided to take it to a higher level by creating a second cabinet by adding surplus art. He took the front and created two windows. In the center, he placed a red rose. He created dough out of bread and used glue, floor wax sealer and white sheets of paper, shaping a rose and painted it red and green. Side doors have the same concept as the previous one. According to Valdivia, he wanted to give each piece its own special touch and identity. This is why they look different. 

“It would be nice if San Quentin Rehabilitation Center was to give us the opportunity to make it easy for us to create art, hobby. We really need this access to tools,” said Valdivia. “A hobby program is beneficial for mental health. We need the support from the administration.”