Artist sells inmate art to aid San Quentin projects

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All Leslie Lakes wanted to do was buy some art from an online auction.

She did, but she received a lot more than beautiful drawings to hang in her Montclair, N.J., home about eight years ago. Lakes ended up forging deep friendships with the artists — incarcerated men and women from around the country.

"When the art arrived I was flabbergasted at the talent," says Lakes, an artist herself. "So I asked the organization if they would be able to provide the names and the addresses of these inmates so I could write to them to tell them how much I really appreciate their artwork, and they did."

She began corresponding with a handful of inmate-artists and over the years has amassed hundreds of their artwork. Lakes, 61, who now lives in Mill Valley with her husband, has long wanted to do something with her collection, which has been seen by few people. This month she is displaying 23 pieces of wildlife and animal art in the lobby of the Marin Humane Society in Novato. She is donating 40 percent of sales to two programs at San Quentin, Pen Pals of San Quentin and the Last Mile program.

"I have bins, bins, hundreds of letters that I've received from them. They send me their original artwork," says Lakes, an adoption volunteer at the MHS. "The content of the letters have always been respectful, gracious, kind, intelligent, somewhat educated. And then there was a disconnect: What's going on with these people who have such gifts and talents and skills and intelligence that they ended up in prison?"

The prisoners have shared their life stories with her, as well as their art. Lakes makes copies their artwork and turns them into cards that she sends back to them so they can correspond with loved ones.

"We share ideas, and we share artwork. I'll send them copies of what I've been doing. I love their work; it's very different than mine, their work is very detailed and tight, and they love mine because its very fluid and free," says Lakes, who has learned techniques from many of the inmates. "Their outlook is so different than mine."

Click here to read the full article and see more of the artwork featured in the exhibit.