A PRISONER'S GUIDE TO FREEDOM

FREEDOM. Ahhh.....what a sweet and powerful word! The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. Yet, imprisonment and slavery go well beyond physical walls and restraints. Emotional Freedom. Spiritual Freedom. Intellectual Freedom. Artistic Freedom.

I usually receive artwork from inmates, but this time, I received a paperback book titled A PRISONER'S GUIDE TO FREEDOM. Opening up to the first page there was a "WARNING" message: "A Prisoner's Guide to Freedom is not for the faint of heart". And, yes! I would have to agree.

This book may or not appeal to you, but personally, I loved it. Because it deals with freedom in the context of those who are incarcerated. But, more aptly in a general sense, the context of making a spiritual choice.

The book is authored by James Poffenberger who is incarcerated at the Boyd Unit at T.D.C.J. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice). Along with James, "...a motley crew of inmates have compiled this simple book of tracts which is revolutionizing the prison world".

This illustrated book (both color and black & white plates) covers a plethora of topics ranging from Addictions, Slavery, Schizophrenia and Mind Control, Who do you Serve?, Religion - the Opiate of the People, Law of Love, Look and Live, etc. The simple, yet striking graphic drawings and direct, raw and honest text is meant to enlighten, as well as provoke the reader to search the Word for healing and freedom.

Trust me...the author pulls no punches. I would venture to say that the author is likened to a spiritual prizefighter and he's not going down in the ring!

"Many of the incarcerated have lost everything: families, homes, their health, and their identity in this life. It is easier to cry out to God with a whole heart when you are left with nothing" - James Poffenberger,

If you're interested, the book can be purchased via Amazon.

Credits:

James Poffenberger, Author

Micahel Deen, Editor

Artists: Inky, Shawn Hummel, Andre Cruz

Typist: Jeff Cissel

Thank you, and God bless!

Leslie Lakes, Director

Back to school

It’s BACK TO SCHOOL for both teachers and students alike. Here’s wishing everyone a great new school year, and to be the best you can be.

With that said, I’d like to share these two quotes:

 “Education is not the learning of many facts, but training of the mind to think.” – Albert Einstein

(I particularly found this applicable when learning math).

And…

"Success in no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do." – Pele

Blessings,

Leslie Lakes, Director

Art image: Drawing sent to me by an inmate at a Sterling, Colorado correctional facility.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

On June 3rd, a wee, approximately seven weeks old black and white Tuxedo kitten wandered onto our lawn. What was so odd about this kitten’s appearance is that there was neither a Mama cat, nor sibling kittens to be found anywhere else around!  So tiny at first, the kitten could practically fit in the palm of our hands. It was strange because the kitten arrived shortly after we lost Toby, not to mention it had the same coloring and similar markings.

Initially, we thought it was a little girl, but within another week of growth, there was no denying that this kitten was a full blood male. We then decided to name him Felix which is a Latin derivative for “happy” and “lucky”.  And, that he certainly was!  

I had written to numerous inmate artist friends about our new furry family addition, and one talented man wrote back the following:

“This has to be God’s way of bringing you some joy and love through life after the tragic loss of Toby.  When I was first reading about Felix in your email (i.e., Jpay messaging), it reminded me of a painting I had seen of Felix the Cat. And, I wanted to do something similar to welcome him to the family.  This was my first time using newspaper as part of my mixed media.  Take care of yourselves and enjoy your new furry bundle of joy!” – Amir Shahideh

Enclosed in the artist’s package was a bold and colorful 11” x 14” painting on canvas board of who else, but Felix The Wonderful Cat!  

Thank you, Amir for your kindness and generous gift of art!

Enjoy!

Leslie, Director

Art Credit: Amir Shahideh

MISSING TOBY!

Toby – a 10 year old male, scruffy, black and white Lab/Terrier mix dog belonged to a family who lived across the road from us. When we first moved to Greenville, SC, Toby was initially standoffish and on guard. But, within a few months-time, he not only warmed up to us, but adopted us as his surrogate mom and dad.  Toby would wait for us to return home and follow our cars as we pulled into the driveway that wrapped around to the back of the house. Toby would arrive like clockwork each morning; carefully crossing the road and briskly trotting up the brick path to the front door to retrieve his savory treats. But, first things in order were cuddles, hugs and languorous belly scratches. 

Sadly, the day before this past Mother’s day, while Toby was sitting with me outside on the front steps, a group of cyclists came pedaling up the road from the right. Toby shot out to chase them and before I could grab his collar, a car barreling down the road from the opposite direction (going more than twice the speed limit posted), struck and killed sweet Toby. The motorist never stopped. An irresponsible, heartless and reckless hit and run. 

We were devastated and in shock. We grieved and cried and eventually placed a memorial stone on the lawn near the edge of the road “To a Loyal and Loving Companion”.

I contacted a few incarcerated artists to ask if they would be willing to create a portrait of Toby, and these two beautiful acrylic paintings are the first pieces of art that I received. Check out the incredible likeness. The artist – Cuong (Mike) Tran nailed it! Thank you Mike! 

We still miss Toby! 

Leslie Lakes, Director

Art credit:  Cuong (Mike) Tran; CA

Public Secrets

Telling the truth takes courage. And, being willing to hear and accept the truth is equally courageous. Sometimes truth is hard to swallow.  

While some prisons throughout the U.S., especially those located in more populated cosmopolitan areas, do offer some excellent educational and cultural opportunities, as well as have staff who are genuinely interested in inmates' welfare and well being. But for the most part, let's face it... prison life stinks. It's rotten to the core.

I receive letter after letter over the  years from numerous  incarcerated artists in various prisons throughout the U.S. and it’s all pretty much the same. Certainly no walk in the park. More like a walk in hell. 

And, not so much due to those who are incarcerated, but due to the infrastructure of prisons as corporate entities, the people who run them and work for them.

I normally compose  PATH blogs pertaining to inmate artwork, not about sharing the truth of what goes on behind prison walls with the public.  Having recently received a letter from an inmate currently incarcerated in an Alaskan State prison, I decided to share his well written article with you titled "PUBLIC SECRETS".  Feel free to comment.

Thank you. And, God bless you!

Leslie Lakes, Director

"Public Secrets" by Ben Wilkins: Ben Wilkins is a contributing writer for "Spotlight on Recovery" Magazine, and his work has been published with "The American Prison Writing Archive", Minutes Before Six, and elsewhere. Ben believes life is only 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it.

A TERRIFIC SPRING,TRIO ART SHOW

STUDIO BEHIND THE FENCE and P.A.T.H. have collaborated and are excited to share with you a show featuring three super talented artists’ works installed within the Shainberg Art Gallery at the Memphis TN Jewish Community Center.

The show opened on May 3rd and will be finishing its run on May 31st. The Hebrew Alphabet (22 representational drawings by artist Trevor Jones), was a project that was over 3 years in the making.  These framed drawings were originally scheduled for a formal exhibit at this same venue April 2020, but then Covid hit and all previously scheduled exhibits were summarily cancelled.

The other two artists featured in this show are 1) formerly incarcerated and exonerated inmate - Keith A. Harward - who over the years has created a myriad of beautiful bird drawings; and 2) San Quentin artist – Stan Bey who specializes in stunning detailed and time consuming stippling drawings.   

To watch a youtube video about the show, log on HERE!

Enjoy and blessings!

Leslie Lakes, Director

DAMON IS A FREE MAN!

Last year on October 4th, 2021, I composed and mailed out a PATH blog pertaining to an award-winning documentary titled: NOMAD: A LIFER’S JOURNEY THROUGH CALIFORNIA CORRECTIONS about former inmate, Damon L. Cooke.  Damon, a former financial consultant with no prior criminal record before his conviction for attempted murder in 1991, is that man. Damon had been incarcerated ever since and up until recently, he had mentored countless other inmates and had done nothing to support the Parole Board's conclusion in 2002 that “…he would be dangerous if released”, said the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.  

If you recall, at that time, I had simultaneously requested your help to petition for Damon’s Freedom. Well, as of most recently, Damon is a free man! So, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your support! We are all so incredibly grateful. 

Damon will continue to manage THE UNCUFFED PROJECT (TUP) - with Lisa Strong, primarily serving recently freed individuals from long term sentences. TUP delivers supplies, provides transitional housing, feeds the homeless, and more!

Pics taken in California of Damon and Lisa Strong

God bless!

Leslie Lakes, Director

MARKING TIME: Art in the Age of Incarceration

Aside from numerous other accolades, the above mentioned book has been called “monumental”, “revelatory” and “deeply moving”.  Well…I couldn’t agree more!  I personally value Fleetwood’s book as an important immersive study into the world of art and art making in our prison systems.  

I first had the privilege to meet the author (who is professor of American Studies and Art History at Rutgers University) at a lecture that she gave to a group of students on April 5th, 2018 about her soon to be published book  -  MARKING TIME. The presentation was held in a small upstairs classroom at Berkeley University, Berkeley CA. One of her art students – Gilberto Rivera - referred me to Ms. Fleetwood.   As it so happens, Mr. Rivera was also one of many artists whose works were featured in a major PATH exhibit of incarcerated artwork the previous year.

First and foremost, let’s be honest. Prison is geared to dehumanize the incarcerated. Throughout history, we can cite many examples of dehumanization and prison is no stranger to it. Yet, despite long periods of isolation, degradation, and abuse (oftentimes completely arbitrary and unwarranted cruelties inflicted by both the criminal justice system, and on occasion prison staff - yes, it does happen!) - in both a joyless and dangerous environment, these same incarcerated individuals are compelled to assert their humanity in the face of a system that tends to dehumanize them. And, that is largely through their artwork, writing, theater and poetry.

“The impact of their art can be felt far beyond prison walls” as the author Nicole Fleetwood observes.  

Visual art can take many forms: painting, drawing, printmaking, even photography and filmmaking. Art created in various mediums and pertaining to different subject matter. Whatever art is created inside the prison walls, is created out of an expression to have a voice that tells a story, shares beauty, love and pain, and ultimately validates the individual and upholds the human spirit.  

“There’s no doubt that art has the power of helping (us) and I speak for myself. So, when I say art saved my life and changed it in so many ways throughout my incarceration…it is through art that I learned to cope with isolation, loneliness and all the side effects from being in the SHU (segregated/solitary housing unit); such as depression, anger and fear. I found refuge in art because art is freedom. And, for some of us, art is the only way out”. - Uvaldo Nevarez 2016; CA

If you have a passion for art (like I do) and an interest in art in the penal system, I strongly encourage and recommend that you pick up a copy of Nicole R. Fleetwood’s book! 

NOTE:  Image of the painting of a pelican inside a cell, is titled:  “The Captive” by Gilberto Rivera; NY 2015; acrylic paints on stretched canvas.  MARKING TIME makes mention of Mr. Rivera on pages 70-78.  Mr. Rivera’s painting was exhibited at both Alcatraz (a pictorial and historical tribute to the history of ‘The Rock’ through original works of art and poetry by incarcerated artists from around the U.S.) and the Woodside Probation Learning Center . San Francisco.  I was initially referred to Mr. Gilberto Rivera in 2014 by yet another incredibly talented (formerly incarcerated) and currently Internationally known artist – Jesse Krimes who is also mentioned in MARKING TIME (pages 76-82).

Thank you! Enjoy!

God bless!

Leslie Lakes, Dir.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

You wouldn't necessarily think that an inmate would wear his heart on his sleeve. Check out this super righteous bear with a heart shaped tattoo and shades.

Enjoy!

Leslie Lakes, Dir.

Art Credit: Valentine's Day art drawing by Gerald Morgan (San Quentin State Prison, CA)

ROGELIO’S CHRISTMAS PRISON FEAST

Whenever a major holiday rolls around, prisons do what they can to serve the incarcerated population a meal that departs from regular daily fare. Sadly, these holiday meals largely comprise highly processed, tasteless food.  And, that’s being kind.   According to my ‘amigozo’ Rogelio who is incarcerated in California, this past Thanksgiving the prison didn’t even serve the traditional and long awaited pumpkin pie.   Hence, ingenuity and creativity is required in order to come up with satisfying main meal holiday dishes and desserts that far surpass any of the unappetizing fare that the prison serves up.

If you’re at all curious (I was!) as to what a Christmas prison feast looks like, check out Rogelio’s two recipes below. Ingredients used are generally purchased through the quarterly packages via prison approved vendors, such as Walkenhorst , Union Supply Direct and Access Securepak.   

I recently received the following from Rogelio:  

“I have a hot plate that I secure under my bunk. The bunk is high carbon steel. So, when I plug in the hot plate it heats up the bunk and turns it into a good size grill where I can grill meats, fry rice, make stir fry, as well as warm up tortillas.   This Christmas, I plan to make pulled pork with fried rice and bean tacos.   I’ll use flour tortillas that I grill.  Man, they come out so good”!  

“Having a grill is a luxury.  I made my own grill from sheer prison ingenuity.  My rice turns out really great, too.  I make a tasty cheese sauce by mixing nacho cheese, mayonnaise and Sriracha - a thick sweet and hot sauce with a hint of garlic.  It’s super yummy! I have all my buddies hooked on my cooking.”

“OK!”  “But, the kicker is the pie that I make (Big Smiles).  OMG…it's incredibly delicious!”  I make the pies in bowls and use iced honey buns to make a soft sweet crust."   

"First, I chop up the honey buns into pieces then mold the pieces into the shape of the bowl.  After that, I sprinkle some sweet syrup over the soft molded ‘crust’ to ensure that it all sticks together. 

While I let that sit, in another bowl I make chocolate icing.    I take a few prepackaged chocolate Swiss Rolls and whip them in the bowl.  Since the Swiss Rolls have whipped cream in them, if you chop and whip them well by hand, they turn into a yummy gooey icing.  Once done, I layer the honey bun crust with my mock chocolate icing.”

“To continue with my famous dessert,  in a separate bowl, I crush some shortbread cookies (the kind that have raspberry centers) and mix the crumbs with a little bit of peanut butter and a little bit of syrup, then place it over the chocolate icing.  I throw some Banana Wheels over that, then another layer of the shortbread cookie crumb/peanut butter mix; and an additional layer of chocolate icing.  All this is topped off with melted Milky Way bars, and  peanuts sprinkled for a little crunch.   I love caramel (in the Milky Way bars).  Caramel is my signature when creating dessert recipes.  I made this for the men this past Thanksgiving, and they absolutely loved it”! 

“It is my pleasure to serve my friends and bring them a little joy on the holidays.  I’ve been hounded for orders from all group segments: Whites, Blacks, Natives, Asians.  LOL! They all want one of my pies”.

Who said that a good feast and a sweet pie can’t unify the most unlikely group of incarcerated men?  Bravo, Rogelio! 

I truly hope you enjoyed Rogelio’s recipes.  Wishing you all a most blessed Christmas and upcoming New Year 2022.

Leslie

——

Jpg attached

Vintage MCM Holiday Cheer Card

THE DREAM-LIKE ARTWORK OF JESSE INMAN

What can I say, but I immediately fell in love with Jesse’s artwork upon first seeing it in 2017.   So much so, that I pressed to acquire three large original paintings. I was so curious as to how Jesse managed to create the marvelous marbled and textured effect to the paper (on which he both paints with watercolors, as well as draws with his preferred Prismacolor colored pencils) to turn out these collage works. So, I wrote and asked him. Turns out, according to a detailed four steps instruction that Jesse shared with me, it’s actually a highly involved and time consuming process to achieve.  

His unique collage paintings each measure approximately 25” x 20”. For the most part, Jesse uses glue to adhere down the individual pieces, but in the case of the “Teddy Bear and Seer” painting, a few of the pieces were hand sewn with tiny stitches.  

Artist’s Note: 

“Thank you for taking the time to consider my art.

My choices for art supplies at this facility is severely 

limited, which makes creating my art a challenge. 

To make the process more interesting for myself,

I experimented with the mediums available. I’ve made 

use of paper stressing, which I like because it breaks

up the surface of the work giving it a somewhat

marbled texture and also makes large surfaces appear 

less reflective. Stressing involves wetting the paper

and crushing it until it has the desired texture. Then, 

I iron it to make it the surface I want for the particular

creation. Lacking a solvent, I found that petroleum 

jelly works quite well for blending colored pencils to 

achieve paint-like effects. I do not have access to 

rubber cement so I have used the only thing available 

- Elmer’s glue as an adhesive. I feel an affinity for a 
surrealist dream-like style, because it helps me escape

from the harsh realities of life in prison. - Jesse

ELEPHANTS ON PARADE

“There is no creature among all the Beasts of the world which hath so great and ample demonstration of the power and wisdom of almighty God as the Elephant.” - Edward Topsell.

Elephant artwork by various incarcerated artists. Enjoy!

"Elephants at the Water Hole" by Noe Garcia; 24x19; acrylic paint on paper

"Arrival at Dusk" by Ben Ballard; cropped detail from original acrylic painting (22x30) on strathmore paper

Cropped detail of graphite drawing (12x9) by Larry Viera

"Grey Elephant" by Amir Shahideh; Acrylic painting on board; 12x9

"Mama and Baby Elephant" by Jeremy J. Hammill; coffee painting; 6x9 

"Elephant Walk" by Jeremy J. Hammill; coffee painting; 6x9 

"Elephants on the Serengeti Plains" by Chris Avitea; colored pens on paper

"Never Forgets" by Jeremy J. Hammill; black pen wash; 12 x9

NOMAD: A LIFER’S JOURNEY THROUGH CALIFORNIA CORRECTIONS

NOMAD is a documentary by Managing Director of Light Theory Multimedia, LLC– Crystal Cebedo, and Research Analyst Georgia Cutter. It features the story of inmate Damon L. Cooke and his non-profit project - THE UNCUFFED PROJECT (TUP) - with Lisa Strong, primarily serving recently freed individuals from long term sentences. TUP delivers supplies, provides transitional housing, feeds the homeless, and more. The List of Damon L. Cooke’s accomplishments and accolades is a mile long, but let’s go back in time to 1991… 

“Man who shot friend deserves parole, court says” was an article written by Bob Egelko that was published in the June 6, 2010 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle. “A man who shot and wounded a friend in Berkeley in 1991 because he thought the man had stolen his money and a necklace should be released from prison, a federal appeals court has ruled in a rare repudiation of the state parole board”. 

 Damon L. Cooke – a former financial consultant with no prior criminal record before his conviction for attempted murder, was that man. Damon has been incarcerated ever since; has mentored countless other inmates and has done nothing to support the board’s conclusion in 2002 that he would be dangerous if released, said the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.  The documentary mentioned above tells his story.  

I first met Damon in October 2013 when I started to volunteer as a mentor for a non-profit project called THE LAST MILE at San Quentin State Prison.  TLM is the brainchild of venture capitalists Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti, and the six months program, which at the time was offered to a select group of approximately 20 inmates, was designed to provide the men with the rare opportunity to develop innovative business concepts.  

On March 27, 2014 – DEMO DAY – the men presented their respective business proposals to an audience of 300 business executives, public safety officials and fellow inmates. No small feat!   And, yes, I was there.  What can I say, but I was Damon’s biggest cheerleader.  It took a little while for Damon to get over his initial timidity, but when he did he just blossomed. His smile was as big and bright as his heart. 

I encourage you to watch this important documentary and to help petition for Damon’s freedom. 

Thank you, and God bless!

Leslie Lakes, Director

Photos: 

Damon at a MaKahiki Festival with other members of the Indigenous Religious Group at San Quentin. 

Last Mile Team and Supporters, Demo Day in 2014 (“San Quentin News”).  I am the fourth person in front from the right (with my arms crossed).

The Surreal/ Fantasy/ Dream World Art of Jay WS Chong

Several years ago, well before Covid shut us down, I had procured six original drawings by incarcerated artist, Jay WS Chong, because I absolutely fell in love with each one of them and was hoping to frame them to exhibit for a show.  While sadly that never came to pass, I would still very much like to share his unique charcoal artistry with you.

Each drawing measures 24” x 18” and were created in 2002

I have no idea where Jay is these days (hopefully released so that he can resume his life on the outside of prison walls). 

Enjoy! And, please feel free to comment.

Blessings, 

Leslie Lakes, Dir.

Celebrating International Country Music Day!

In Honor of International Country Music Day, I’d like to share with you four fabulous pencil drawings that I had commissioned formerly incarcerated artist – Mark L. Wright – to create.

Mark’s artwork has been exhibited at several major league venues under the auspices of P.A.T.H., including the Band Practice Room at Alcatraz (CA), and the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, TN.  In fact, the Alcatraz East Crime Museum purchased Mark’s artwork (depicting one of two last surviving guards who worked at Alcatraz – Mr. George deVincenzi) for their permanent collection.   

My four favorites are as follows:  

Hank Williams, Sr. : Hiram "Hank" Williams(September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he recorded 35 singles (five released posthumously) that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 11 that reached No. 1 (three posthumously). 

Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley; September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) was an American singer. She is considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century and was one of the first country music artists to successfully cross over into pop music.  Cline had several major hits during her eight-year recording career, including two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart. 

Hank Snow: Clarence Eugene "Hank" Snow(May 9, 1914 – December 20, 1999) was a Canadian-American country music artist.  Most popular in the 1950s, he had a career that spanned more than 50 years, he recorded 140 albums and charted more than 85 singles on the Billboardcountry charts from 1950 until 1980. 

Tammy Wynette: (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music singer-songwriter and musician and was one of country music's best-known artists and biggest-selling female singers during the late 1960s and first half of the 1970s. Called the "First Lady of Country Music"; one of her best-known songs is "Stand by Your Man”.  Much of Wynette’s music dealt with themes of loneliness, divorce, and the difficulties of life and relationships.  Hmmm…no wonder she was so popular. 

Thank you, and enjoy!

Blessings,

Leslie Lakes, Dir.

Art Credit:  Mark L. Wright

THE SOULFUL ART OF RAYMOND VELASQUEZ

I commenced corresponding with Ray in 2014 after I put out a “Call to Incarcerated Artists” (for an Alcatraz related exhibit) that was aired on “SISTA’S PLACE” – a radio show broadcasted out of Humboldt State University, CA.  The radio program was received by numerous inmates at nearby Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, CA.  “SISTA’S PLACE” was actually quite entertaining - two hours of wonderful oldies, as well as local news and “shout outs” from family and friends of inmates. 

 Over time, Ray sent me a plethora of his drawings; mostly copies and a few originals that he had created over time. A highly skillful, prolific and soulful artist, here is what Ray wrote and sent me about his artwork:

“…all my art has some special meaning to me.  Yes, some are darker than others, but each one is what I’m feeling at the time, or something I see that I felt the need to draw.  I do get some ideas from other places.  And, I often imagine my art long before I actually draw them.  ‘Yes’…the 14 (fourteen ) years I’ve been held in SHU (Solitary Housing Unit) have had a profound effect on me for better or worse, but it’s all part of the journey.  ‘It is, what it is’.  I’m never going to let the white dove of my soul die a frozen death at my feet”.

-          Raymond Velasquez, from a letter he wrote to me on January 25, 2015

Enjoy! And, please feel free to leave comments.

Blessings,

Leslie Lakes, Director

Robert Stoming's EXTRAORDINARY Matchbook Pointillism Art

In 2014, I happened to meet a couple who had approached me after reading about the Inmate Art Exhibit at the Marin Humane Society that I installed. This took place one year prior to my formerly founding P.A.T.H.  They wanted to share with me art that their dear friend's son, Robert, created.  At that time, he was 52 years old and was incarcerated in one of the Michigan State prisons; sadly for life without parole.  Unfortunately, he had very bad council representation and as it stands, unless the good Lord intervenes, he will never be released.

Robert was a car buff in his teens and he trained himself to begin drawing his favorite "muscle cars".  Art materials available to Robert in prison are extremely limited, so he began experimenting with drawing in miniature on prison commodity, plain white matchbook covers. Using regular Bic and or/ PaperMate pens in primary colors of red, blue, green, yellow and black, what Robert managed to create astonished me! I was in awe!  

These examples of his artwork demonstrate that restriction of art supplies has not limited his talent, creativity and genius. His artwork should be in the Smithsonian Institute!!!! 

The reduction from the original material (i.e., photographs, record album covers, etc.) is made without the use of any mechanical or reproductive aids.  It is all "eyeballed" by Robert down to matchbook size, which he sketches very lightly, in pencil on the matchbook substrate as a guide before he slowly and meticulously fills it in with colored pens. 

Enjoy.  And, please feel free to comment.

Blessings,

Leslie Lakes, Dir.

Religious Art

Please let me preface that whether you believe in God and/or Jesus Christ or not, I received this marvelous piece of art from an artist currently incarcerated at a Florida correctional facility.  I personally love what he created! It’s a mixed media collage: colorful, interactive, multi-dimensional and offers an uplifting Bible scripture.

It was sent to me in care of PATH with love.  I hope you will enjoy and appreciate it, too.

PS  More fun miscellaneous inmate artwork to come! 

Blessings,

 Leslie Lakes, Director

————

 Artist: R. Howell

CALLING ALL INCARCERATED ARTISTS!

INTERNATIONAL PRISONER'S FAMILY CONFERENCE

I was recently approached by Jacquelyn Frank (Arts & Culture Chairperson) for the INTERNATIONAL PRISONER’S FAMILY CONFERENCE located in Spring Branch, TX.   Turns out that their organization is holding a Fall (October 2021) Inmate Arts and Crafts Competition, Auction and Sale. 

I checked it out and as Director of PATH, I give it my thumbs up!  Monies raised will not only go toward substantial $ cash awards directly paid out to participating inmate artist winners, but for children and families of those incarcerated.  

Below is text taken verbatim from their website:

“The organization was initiated in 2009 as a project of Community Solutions of El Paso, a nonprofit grassroots organization then providing services to children and families impacted by the criminal justice system since 2001.  The parent organization addressed three critical factors preventing success for far too many returning citizens and their families:

1.     Shame, embarrassment and fear silenced the prison family. Upon leaving prison, most returning citizens (and their loved ones) wanted to bury the entire traumatic experience. Their resulting silence denied the larger community the opportunity to know the outstanding individuals comprising the prison family.

2.     Hiding in shame and fear created an Empathy Gap, a protective shield that impedes, and in many cases prevents successful community reentry and family reintegration for those affected by incarceration. Unknowing community members worked alongside of former prisoners; sat right next to prison family members in their houses of worship; attended school together with a silent barrier preventing community members from ever knowing their circumstances – their pain.

3.     All persons affected by the criminal justice system are traumatized, and we are all affected and most people don’t even know it.

People fear what they don’t know.  The inability to personally know prisoners or their loved ones prevents the community from embracing the exceptional intelligence and talents of those directly impacted by incarceration personally and/or professionally.  It was believed the conference could and would have a Ripple Effect opening various avenues for bridging that important Empathy Gap.  It has”. 

For more information about this organization, guidelines and submission entry forms, email: jbfrank@eiu.edu, or contact info@prisonersfamilyconference.org

 Blessings,

Leslie Lakes, Director

SALVAGED SKATEBOARDS MAKE KIDS’ DAY!

The other day I received a sweet letter from Monte Galvan - a super talented incarcerated artist at Avenal State Prison -  who told me that on May 5th (Cinco de Mayo), the YOUR CENTRAL VALLEY CBS 47 news team broadcast a really cool art project spearheaded by Rodney Rodriguez (Founder/Director of Fresno Skateboard Salvage).

Mr. Rodriguez was inspired to enlist the artistic talent of an enthusiastic group of incarcerated artists at  Avenal State Prison (many of whom have participated in past PATH art fundraising projects) to paint rough salvaged skateboards for a special fundraising event.  Kudos to these men! To check out the CBS news video, see pics of these creative and artistic skateboards and learn more about the Fresno Skateboard Salvage non profit program, simply log on HERE!

I recently spoke with Mr. Rodriguez who plans to approach the artists at Corcoran State Prison to repeat a similar art skateboard project.  The skateboards will then be available for purchase. I’ll keep you posted!

Have a great day and enjoy!

 Leslie Lakes, Director

Photo images credit: Fresno Skateboard Salvage