Inspiration:

As an artist and a long-term prisoner, I'm frustrated with prison censorship of nudity and sexuality. My character, Ishragul (aka Gully) is clearly not human but is clearly female, so she can't be shown nude. Kind of absurd in my opinion. Since policy changed in 2001, I've seen the effect of having no sexual outlet on prisoners. I've met many men who have been raped in prison, seen more sexualizing and harrassment of staff, and heard of more inappropriate sexual behavior in the last 23 years than I would ever have believed in my first 10 years. This piece is my humorous protest against censorship of at least art work.

What role does art play in your life?

Art is an outlet of creativity for me. A proper application of intelligence and will. It allows a unique communication with viewers and has helped me form and strengthen bonds with people. I am inspired many times by requests from others. Other times, I just want to show something from the fantasy, sci fi and horror genres of movies, comics and novels that I love. Something I think would be cool or funny or scary./

Artist statement:

About 2 or 3 years into my life sentence, I decided to try my hand at drawing. I saw the colored pencil display in the canteen window in St. Cloud prison and bought a few. I started drawing cartoons I saw on TV... badly. Slowly, I got better. I moved on to characters from comic books, which had undergone a revolution in artwork and coloring in the 90s. I learned to blend and gradiate colors. Finally, I tried painting. Acrylics intitally, then water-mixable oils. I evolved from simply reproducing others' artwork to designing my own characters and compositions.

Along my journey as an artist, I realized it was proof of a discovery I had made - that prior to my crime I had constructed imaginary rules about who I could and could not be. I'd never have believedd at 20 that I could be an artist. Or a small engine mechanic. Or a mentor to special needs inmates. Or a changemaker who helps write bills that might be made into laws. Yet, I am all that and more. I am not the same person who committed that horrible, sensless crime in 1991. My artwork is part of the proof of my growth as a human being. Eventually I hope to grow beyond my prison cell and do artwork that gives back directly to the larger community.