By J. LaFontain
After spending 20 years in the Snake River Correctional Facility and fourteen of those years donating art to Visions of Hope, this is my first donation since my release from prison. It took three months to get in a place of life where I could start drawing again. But now that I am in a good place, I hope to continue with art. Doing art with a purpose has been encouraging and enlightening, and I am so grateful for the years of that opportunity with Visions of Hope.
Recently, while shopping at Goodwill, I found this puppy calendar and immediately knew I’d be drawing the pictures from it. The first seven I drew, I donated to CSAP, a drug rehab center that housed me for my first month of release. While drawing, many in the program would come by the table and say how amazing the images looked. The day I left, I put all seven on the dining room table with a sign that read, free to a good home, and I walked out. I’d like to think those seven puppy portraits are hanging up in the seven dorms of the CSHP facility, brightening up the days of those struggling with addictions.
My hope is that the images you see here are presented to you in a positive way. Can you picture any of these as having love, loyalty, and gratitude? Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve, nurture and care.
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Footnote by Dale Russell
A tremendous amount of artistic talent has been discovered inside prison walls the past 16 years. You may not realize that the talent continues post prison. The story above shows how the dedication and mind set continues outside those walls. The purpose (support the kids of Otino Waa Children’s Village) has a lasting legacy in many who now share life with the rest of us.