Art Straight From Their Hearts

Everyone connects with dogs. The work showcased here is by incarcerated men in prisons from Pennsylvania, Florida, Idaho, Utah, and California. They are talented artists, and Leslie Lakes, director and founder of Prison Arts Touching Hearts, or P.AT.H., a Marin nonprofit, proudly spreads the word about them and their ability to create beautiful art.

Inmate Dog Art

Inmate Dog Art by PeteZaragoza

Inmate Dog Art, Fritz by Victor Garcia October 2016

Inmate Dog Art

The media the inmates work in include pencil, paper, acrylic paint, canvas, and pen. One artist, Jeremey H. Hammill, used coffee and colored pencil in his untitled work of the dog and cat interacting, shown above. Also interesting are Pete Zarogoza’s Resolute Breed, which is blue ballpoint pen on an XXL T-shirt, and Pit Bull, which is black pen on a handkerchief. (Both below.)

P.A.T.H. has brought original art and poetry by incarcerated artists from around the United States to Alcatraz as part of Art Escape at Alcatraz, an exhibition depicting the history of Alcatraz and the island’s flora and fauna, including art by inmate Victor Garcia, whose pieces Fritz and Worst of the Worst are shown below. The exhibition runs through June in the Band Practice Room at Alcatraz.Learn more about P.A.T.H. at PrisonArtsTouchingHearts.org. Resolute Breed, Pete Zarogoza (UT)Pit Bull, Pete Zarogoza (UT)Fritz, Victor Garcia (CA)Worst of the Worst, Victor Garcia (CA)