Having spent a lot of time in isolation armed with little more than a pencil, a good eye for detail and the imagination born of bare stone walls, I have had to think outside the box (quite literally). I have always tried to approach my work from a position of individuality and my attitude to art is a fearless one of trial and error. If I do not or cannot achieve what I am after, I absorb the learning curve and move onto something new. The ‘something new’ always fills me with a sense of excitement and nothing ever gets truly left behind. During these long years of confinement, art has been my one constant companion. Without its loyalty I would experience more of the pain and fear that shaped my life from a young age. I am no longer the product of my crime, but of my creativity. I survived the past, I am thankful for the present, and I now have a future. Fortunately, with the permission of the Governor, I have been afforded the opportunity to build a website (see https://steeldoorstudios.com) and it is our desire that this project becomes a beneficial platform for myself and other imprisoned people to find their creative voices, be able to share, connect and maybe one day return to the outside world, not as a tainted outcast but as a useful and valued member of society with something to offer.
