Today we are featuring an artist, someone who went down the wrong path, ended up in prison, made the best of a bad situation, and found a passion. Meet Clark, who I met during my time at Yankton Federal Prison Camp. -Noah Bergland
I learned to paint in prison. Instead of being angry about my situation I decided to do something constructive. I discovered an art room. Nothing much was in there. Just a few tables. Some other inmates were painting and I decided to give it a try.
My first painting attempts were pretty much failures, but I refused to give up. It was just me, some paint, some brushes, and a desire to figure out how to create art. After many hours of struggle, failures, disappointments something seemed to click.
I put myself into it more. I painted, struggled but gradually things started to look like art.
For a few hours each day, I could escape the madness of prison life and venture into another world, a world of art. I’m 100% self-taught. I learned by trying and failing and discovering.
Today, I paint in a small studio I’ve created in the small house I rent in Lawrence, Kansas. I paint everything– animals, pets, landscapes, still-life, and portraits.
Art is now what I’m doing with my life. I create art and sell it to pay my bills and I couldn’t be happier.
My website is: https://clarksart.art
From there you can view 100’s of paintings that I’ve done. Most of those I painted in prison.
Email me at clark@clarksart.art and I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
