“It’s been my dream my whole life to be a real artist,\u201d Everett said. \u201cWhen the curator at the Gretchen Brigham Art Gallery said my art was good and that she’d like to show it \u2026 it was a huge moment. It was surreal. After the tens of thousands of hours spent working on art, I was finally going to be seen in a gallery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInside Expressions\u201d was organized by former St. Louis criminal defense attorney Sharon Turlington, who used to represent Everett. The idea for the exhibit came from an illustration of his that she had hanging up in her home: a pen drawing of her cats as ninjas.<\/p>\n
\u201cA friend of mine is a local artist, and she came over and was like, ‘Oh, where did you get this piece?’ I said: ‘Well, one of my clients made it. He’s in prison.’ And she was just blown away, especially because \u2026 he drew the whole thing using flex pens,\u201d Turlington said.<\/p>\n
Flex pens are the only writing tool available to newly incarcerated individuals before they enter the general population. The pens are about four inches long and are made of rubbery, flexible plastic. Once Everett made it into the prison\u2019s honor dorm \u2014 a special housing unit that offers privileges for good behavior \u2014 he and his fellow artists were allowed access to art supplies like pencils, markers, ink pens, gel pens and paints.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to create really colorful themes of dramatic, over-the-top action with characters that embody the best \u2014 and I guess the worst \u2014 of humanity as it struggles to find purpose and peace, and to reach a greater potential existence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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Charles R. Everett\u2019s piece \u201cOrdinary Stand\u201d is on display at the \u201cInside Expressions\u201d exhibition. Everett said his style is influenced by the comic books he read growing up and his career as a tattoo artist.<\/p>\n
Everett is working on a graphic novel set in a futuristic dystopia where alien devices that were meant to help humanity progress end up destroying the planet instead. Gaia, inspired by the ancient Greek earth goddess, grants her powers to three avatars who rise up to defend the planet.<\/p>\n
He plans to dedicate the book to his daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want her to know that I’m not in here wasting my time away playing cards, fighting and doing drugs,\u201d he said. \u201cI’m in here trying to do something that’s worth her being proud of \u2014 and that is going to lead to me being able to still provide for her, even though I’m not there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Working on the project and teaching his peers the basics of illustration has given Everett a sense of purpose while he serves time and works on his case.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s rough in here. Every day is a test of will to not let your depression and things like that get you down,\u201d he said. “We have things that we want to express, observations that we want to relay, articulate and share with others.\u201d<\/p>\n
The exhibition has been impactful not just for the artists, but for their loved ones as well, Turlington said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of these guys, his mom has really struggled since he was incarcerated at 18, and she’s been really depressed. I talked to her a few times, and she was just so thankful that he got to do this and was really proud of him,\u201d Turlington said. \u201cIt was really nice to do something where they were seen as people, as human beings, as artists who have people who love them, and that they can do something positive both for themselves and for people that they’re connected to on the outside.”<\/p>\n
To learn more about Charles R. Everett\u2019s art, and Sharon Turlington\u2019s experience putting \u201cInside Expressions\u201d together, listen to \u201cSt. Louis on the Air\u201d on Apple Podcasts<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, YouTube<\/a> or click the play button below.<\/p>\n Incarcerated artists showcase their work in a St. Louis gallery<\/p>\n Related Event \u201cSt. Louis on the Air<\/a>\u201d brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet<\/a>, Emily Woodbury<\/a>, Danny Wicentowski<\/a>, Elaine Cha<\/a> and Alex Heuer<\/a>. Layla Halilbasic<\/a> is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr<\/a>.<\/p>\n
What: Inside Expressions<\/a>
When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday until Aug. 22
Where: The Gretchen Brigham Gallery at Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Blvd. No. 300, St. Louis, MO 63108<\/p>\n