Jorge, 38

Incarcerated: 22 yrs

I started drawing at 16 because I couldn’t read or write. In juvenile hall, I got a stack of letters from my mom I couldn’t answer. So, I’d draw smiley or sad faces to let her know how I felt. I was too embarrassed to tell her or anyone I couldn’t read. Thanks to my mom, I got into drawing. One day, I brought one of the staff to tears when I asked her to read my moms letters. When I’m drawing, I’m back to that same kid that loves life. I’m at peace, I’m kind and respectful. When you live a gang mentality you feel like there’s no escape, but then you realize that it’s for nothing. When my little brother got shot, I felt the impact on the community, especially when my mom cried. I realized gangs terrorize the community. That was the moment I said, “What’s my purpose?” I changed and got on the right path. I feel like I have more friends now, who are positive- of all cultures- I don’t judge. When I’m creating art, it shows there’s more to me than my past. Whatever I draw and send home is important. It makes an impact. Art is a perfect way for us to reach out to society and show we’re more than just criminals. We’re loving, too. We just made bad choices. Humans of San Quentin is a way to show that our hard work pays off. Art to me is about expressing myself and inspiring others. My first painting is of two hands holding barbed wire so everyone inside can have hope and not give up. They resemble a gravestone to honor the incarcerated Older Guys (OGs) who passed away in prison. A lot of us incarcerated have been given advice by them. Two of my cellies have passed away, who also inspired me. My second painting is of Marilyn Monroe in charcoal. I always liked her. My wife is my queen, she and my son and daughter are my motivation. My goal is to make it home, to give back to my community by making a studio for kids and their parents so they can use their talent in a positive way and not end up in my shoes. If I can do that, I’ll inspire the kids. Both of Jorge’s paintings will be for sale along with 41 pieces painted by people inside SQ. 👀for our auction and please stop by our San Quentin office to see them in person!

Mark, 56

Incarcerated:  33 years

My life in art began after a life-threatening illness when I was five years old. Since that time art has become a manner through which I express thoughts, feelings and perceptions to share with others. I enjoy creating things that represent aspects of our humanity. Sometimes we forget our higher selves. Sometimes we forget the inner beauty we carry within, burying it under layers of conditioned reactions. So I offer the reminder with Illuminations and Wisdom In Blue. Both of Mark’s paintings will be for sale along with 41 pieces painted by people inside SQ. 👀for our auction. Please stop by our office to see them in person!

Erick, 37

Incarcerated: 6 years

People in the free world think incarcerated people are sad, depressed or angry. That’s not true for me. I’m living a happy life. Every morning, I get up and am laser focused on getting in the telephone line. I stand in line for about 30 minutes for a 15 minute call, all to talk to my wife to find out how she’s doing and keep our relationship strong. We’ve been married for six years. She lives in Southern California. Things would be better if we were able to have family visits – overnight visits for two or three days. I like drawing stuff that has to do with things that don’t exist in the real world, like the phoenix, and the crying angel. They bring me self-fulfillment. I did a mariachi painting recently because I’ve never done a cultural piece and in prison, it’s a big thing to embrace one’s culture. Now, my relationship with my Mexican culture has changed as I’m delving deeper into it. Collectively, these pieces represent my personality and feelings as well as my desire to keep challenging myself as an artist. The next piece I’m thinking of is a skeleton that emphasizes the rib cage. I want it to have a rose as its heart with light coming out of it. The light coming out of the heart would represent my circumstance of being in prison. People think when someone is sent to prison that life stops, but it doesn’t. People still go to school, create art, and are still relevant. I create artwork in order to give something positive to the world. I don’t want to live in the shadow of the crime that I committed. I know I have the capacity to change because I’m putting in the work to learn about myself. Both of Erick’s paintings will be for sale along with 41 pieces painted by people inside SQ. 👀for our auction. Please stop by our office to see them in person!

Perrpul Candles 

Description: I wanted to create some ghostly, purple candles because I love both. The flame is intriguing to watch, so I had to paint some candles!

Cheeser Smile

Description: I love drawing cartoons. I wanted to do a dark green mint background with variations of the color red for the woman. I wanted this art piece to be playful and fun.

Darwin, 62

Incarcerated: 29 years

I find art itself to be inspiring and self-expressive; magical in such a way as to draw or paint myself into any imaginary setting… A quiet peaceful place to breathe, to meditate, to be still… to marvel at the reflection given by the water. To watch the sunset and sunrise. My inspiration for art goes far back into my childhood. When I was five, I watched a friend of my parents pencil sketch a large drawing of me from a small photo. My parents split up when I was six and I spent lots of time with my grandmother Rusa, “Madear.” She loved to paint landscape scenes. I loved how she could bring life to mountains and oceans. My grandmother encouraged me with coloring books, teaching me to color within the lines. I went from there to doodling with pencil and paper and drawing the Flintstones as I watched them appear on the black and white TV screen. Back then, drawing became my escape from boredom and loneliness.

I entered a drawing contest at age eight, advertised in the TV Guide. It was a drawing of a deer, “Spunky.” My interest in art continued throughout my life in prison as I indulged in pastel portraits while at Folsom, Calipatria and Soledad prisons– then onward to San Quentin where I continued with my art in taking classes with the William James Association. I took classes such as beginning drawing, watercolors, origami and book arts. While taking these classes I came across some very talented artists: Bruce, Morgan, Ben, Paul, and teaching artists: Ned, Sonia, Katya and Grimes, who were instrumental in giving me tips and direction which further encouraged me to take a shot at actual painting on canvas material. I could not believe my own work and probably wouldn’t have discovered it without my participation in San Quentin’s Art Program. Darwin’s paintings will be for sale along with 41 pieces painted by people inside SQ. 👀for an auction and stop by our office to see them in person!

I HAVE PAINTED MYSELF INTO a scenery of solitude where the air is clean of pollutants. A scenery where I can roam high-up, freely into the sky and dive fiercely into a scenery of raging waters. A scenery where I can come alive. A scenery where I can thrive. A scenery where I can be at peace with where I HAVE PAINTED MYSELF INTO.

Thank you for your appreciation of my painting. I am honored for the privilege of helping to support Humans of San Quentin. 

Darwin Billingsley

Jeffrey, 59

Incarcerated: 19 years

My late mother is the one who originally inspired me to get into art. She would draw with her left hand. I was amazed at the angle and how she made it look easy. In kindergarten I started out drawing fish, dinosaurs, trees, and landscapes. My favorite part of the day in San Quentin is when I get to go to the studio and help other artists. The “Arts In Corrections” classes are like an extended family. We’ve all been through our individual traumas, and art is the vehicle that brings peace and healing. We all still suffer through daily challenges. For example: My friend Joe shared that his art sucked in comparison to everyone else’s. I assured him there would be a day he would not only enjoy creating his art, but would love it, regardless of where he compared to others. I told him the story of how a child learns how to walk, first they learn how to crawl, then walk before they can run, where in between there are a lot of struggles. Joe got the point and began to excel in his art. His confidence increased by leaps and bounds, and his art-work even surpassed many of the artists in our classes! I would also like to share why I am so passionate about helping others: As the result of the childhood traumas I suffered, I chose to go down a path of crime, which also caused many others to suffer trauma. I thought of myself as a piece of crap, but since I’ve found healing and a sense of value through my faith, self-help groups, and my art, instead of bringing hurt, destruction, and trauma for others, I now have dedicated my life to bringing love, peace, and healing. I want to be a productive member of society, not one that brings destruction. I’m putting this into practice. I am working to help people outside through my art because I want to make amends to all those I have hurt. I do this by donating some of my artwork to worthy causes like “Breast Cancer Awareness” and “Southern Poverty Law Center,” to name a few. I also care deeply about climate change and have recently contributed to the “Peace Flag Project,” and entered a painting to a gallery in Santa Cruz, plus other pieces to other exhibits about climate change.