Tucked away in prison cells across America are talented artists who are working to turn their lives around and help make the world a better place, says a lady who is exhibiting inmate-produced animal paintings and drawings.
“I would like the show to provoke questions on the part of the viewing public to challenge their preconceived (ideas) about inmates and the prison system,” said artist Leslie H., as she asked to be identified.
“We can all admit to having made bad choices at some point in our lives, but those choices and actions should not ultimately dictate nor define who we are, or who we will become,” she said in a recent interview.
The show features 23 paintings and drawings by numerous prisoners whose works he has collected for years. The show was featured for the month of March in the lobby of the Marin Humane Society, where Leslie is a volunteer.
The show’s centerpiece is a painting called “Cowgirl,” the work of San Quentin prisoner Tommy Winfrey, priced at $956.
A Cowgirl was painted during the time I fell in love with a girl for the first time. Her name was Angel,” Winfrey said in an interview. “She helped me to see the true power of women, to see them in a different light, and view them for their strength instead of their weaknesses. It is the first time I saw women as individuals, not as objects.”
What happened with her? “She took off on her horse and left me in the sunset,” Winfrey said. “I still hold her dear in my heart.”
Leslie mentors Winfrey in a San Quentin program called The Last Mile, which trains inmates on setting up businesses. Twenty percent of art sales go to The Last Mile and 20 percent to Pen Pals, a San Quentin program where inmates train dogs for the Humane Society. The balance is for show costs and to provide prisoners with art supplies, Leslie said.
“Painting has allowed me an opportunity to express myself. Along with my writing, art has given me a voice that I lacked in the past,” Winfrey said. “When I create, my inner reality becomes a reality for the world to view.
“The Last Mile is a group that allowed me to transform from a quiet and reserved individual to a person with confidence. It helped me to start to believe in myself and my talents. My business idea in TLM is named Art Felt Creations. This business would allow inmates a platform to sell their art and tell their story — something that in my opinion could change many people’s lives.”
Leslie said she first encountered prisoner art at a 2005 auction. She has since then collected art from hundreds of men and women prisoners.
“A lot of people who wind up in prison are actually very brilliant and talented people,” said Leslie. “I cannot express how much it means to me to be able to support, encourage and inspire these men and women and to see them turn their lives around.”
