“I’m using painting as a therapy, and usually what results is nothing like I intended it to be – but something my subconscious had to get out. If you x-rayed my canvases you’d see about 10 paintings underneath that have nothing to do with the final picture but were essential in getting there.”

Sam primarily paints with acrylics but also enjoys working with mixed media. His commitment to his creative practice and the insight, imagination, and ingenuity that he brings to and conveys through his art is inspirational to all who are fortunate enough to experience it.

"My name is Scotty Scott, I’ve been in prison now for over 24 years. I have a life sentence. I started in the art world by tattooing, it came kinda naturally to me about 4 years after I got going in the art of tattooing my dad died of cirrhosis of the liver, and then my mother died a few short years after that from cancer! She really encouraged me in the few months before she passed on, I started doing a lot of different types of art for her so she could see how good I am. I wanted her to see I had changed, and I thought my art really showed that, so after she passed it’s all I do. It is my way of coping in this dark concrete and iron world, my psychologist says that’s why my art is so colorful. I still tattoo once in a while however I’m really doing a lot more with my art nowadays. Besides, I don't really care for the tattoo customers in here. Maybe when I get out some day I’ll pick that up again however for now my purpose is artwork and I love it! I spend every moment of every day fulfilling one of my mother’s last requests."

"I have traveled 52 complete rotations around the sun in my lifetime, and my heart’s cry is to live a life of passion not perfection. I want my last breath in this life to be one of satisfaction for a life well lived, and poured out for a world that can be painful and desperate, and to inspire that in others. A lot of my artwork revolves around the theme of Romantic love, and the messy beauty that is life. I try to ignore a lot of the rules about art, and believe we each have to find the heart of life that speaks to us. So, break some rules, find your heart, and remember to be kind to yourself. A life well lived isn't found in perfection, but in the passion!

Because of my Actual Innocence, I am uniquely situated to perceive the hidden deficiencies of the Criminal Justice System. I have also had to fight the difficult battle to remain hopeful and effective in a seemingly impossible and painful situation. Some battles I have been victorious in, others I hold on by the skin of my teeth. But I hold on. It has now become my passion to help those on the inside to find themselves again and find the means to reenter society as a normal and productive citizen, and those on the outside to see the terrible conditions that have been inflicted on their fellow citizens and family members. If you have a project that you are working on I would love to be apart of it. You are the answer to someone's cry for help. Don't hide your eyes and look away. Be the change you want to see." - Sean Fox

Sean has sold thousands of works of art and reproductions all around the world and has spent a lot of time designing decorative works for retailers like Neiman Marcus, Anthropologie, and has had his work featured on HGTV, and Home Accents Today.

Sean J. White blends the storytelling principles of comic books and graphic novels with Modernist theories of harmony in line and color articulated by Bauhauslers such as Wassily Kandinsky and Josef Albers.  His typically figurative works model the picture plane in rich layers that evoke questions concerning space and perception. He uses the work to explore and give meaning to existence and awareness thereof.

Selvyn can be reached on Getting Out and via smail mail at:

Selvyn Tillett #163944
MCIH
18601 Roxbury Rd  
Hagerstown, MD 21746

“I am a west Texas native from Lubbock. I have found that visual objects can move people and their perceptions in interesting ways. I love how one can convey so much and challenge through art, and can open up and provide a different lens to see the world and the things in it.”

Spoon is a writer, poet, visual artist, and teacher. He was sentenced to Life Without Possibility of Parole (LWOP) when he was twenty years old, and has written and published poems, essays, novels, memoirs, and plays for the more than forty years he has been behind bars. He is a creator of award-winning podcast Uncuffed.

Spoon is the co-author of the double memoir By Heart: Poetry, Prison, and Two Lives (New Village Press, 2010), with Judith Tannenbaum, and co-editor of an homage to Tannenbaum, The Book of Judith: Opening Hearts Through Poetry (New Village Press, 2022) with Mark Foss and Sara Press. His poetry is collected in Longer Ago (2010).

Spoon has collaborated with other artists on several projects, including the Prison Music Project with Zoe Bokebinder and Ani DiFranco; Spoon, a film by Michka Saäl; Barstow, a film by Rainer Komers; and Three Poems by Spoon Jackson, a documentary by Michel Wenser. He recently released his first album, No Moon, and was interviewed in a recent feature from Olivia Durif, LA Review of Books.

Rabbits of Realness is a publishing project launched by Spoon and SaraMarie Bottaro.

Spoon can be reached via the GettingOut platform or via snail mail:

Spoon Jackson #B92377
D24-150-L
PO Box 4000
Vacaville, CA 95696-4000

Visit Spoon's website, follow on IG @spoonjackson, and check out Rabbits of Realness. 

"I am a self-taught artist who works primarily in ballpoint pen and graphite. I started drawing to develop some much-needed patience. I support myself mainly by doing portraits from photos for other incarcerants. I am currently in my 47th consecutive year of imprisonment."

Timothy’s work has been published in Apogee Journal, and his rendition of Guido List’s 1898 publication The Invincible is available online through Barrington Books.

Timothy can be reached on Getting Out and via smail mail at: 

Timothy Weinmeister #3966734
13800 McMullen Hwy SW 
Cumberland, MD 21502-5622

 Valentino Amaya’s passion for painting is evident in each of his vibrant, soulful works. Through portraits, still lifes, and landscapes he explores human emotion and experience using a variety of rich colors, textures, and perspectives. Valentino says his longterm goal is “to continue to learn and grow so I can give it back and teach others.” His work is “inspired by expression” and he has facilitated painting and drawing classes as well as 12 step programs and groups for incarcerated youth. Valentino’s work has been exhibited across the country and published in The Beat Within and Iron City Magazine. He often donates pieces to support causes that matter to him.

“I see art in everything and it has helped me see beyond the first impression and observe and absorb life around me. I enjoy painting and learning different styles. I hope my art can connect and help you see beyond the first impression.”

IG: @painting_peacfully

Welcome to the Vader Verse. Hi I'm, Vince Vader, an abstract artist building a business with my art. However, If you want to know more about me, you can #zinewithvader: Which means you can zine with me through mail, by starting a comic page, or using 1 of my comic pages, where you can fill in the other side. Or you can simply send a letter to the gallery. Any art with #zinewithvader, are the zine through mail pages. And your art doesn't have to be perfect. Talk to you soon.