Robert on Rebuilding a Life with Paint and Purpose

Over 10,000 formerly incarcerated Americans are released from correctional facilities every week, and many of them go back to their communities with high hopes yet little assistance. Because of this, the rate of people who recidivate after leaving prison is about 62%.

Robert is one of those people who returned to society, released after 27 years of incarceration without any help. But that didn't deter the Louisiana native.

When Robert stepped out of prison, he had nothing but the clothes on his back. He had no money, no place to live, and no food, but he had one thing that would set him apart from everyone else and possibly save his future – his art.

“I learned how to draw and paint when I was 42,” Robert tells me. “For my first drawing, I copied a picture of my daughter at her graduation, and everyone said it was very good. So I started to use my art to get stuff that I needed inside – it was a good honest hustle.”

Getting art supplies inside most correctional institutions is challenging, but Robert got some paint, and before long, he had a three-month-long waiting list for his work. In addition to his new hobby, Robert also took self-betterment classes like victim awareness, anger management, and drug counseling; he wasn’t content to leave prison the same way he came in.

In 2022, with under two years left on his sentence, Robert was diagnosed with cancer and needed chemotherapy treatment and radiation. The chemo was formidable and nearly killed the artist as he lay in a hospital bed alone, depressed and weary from the weekly shots.

“I realized art was becoming more than just a way to make money or kill time,” says Robert. “During chemo, I was given a pen and some paper to draw while in the chair. As it got worse every week, I just dove into my drawings.”

A former resident of the 11th Ward in New Orleans, Robert explains how art is therapeutic for him, how it helped him find inner peace in a world of turmoil and violence inside, and how it got him through chemo. Bigger than the state art contests he won and being featured in the prison newspaper, he understands how art can change people’s lives.

“The reason I’m here is to help people through my art,” Robert says. “When I did artwork for guys inside, I wasn’t there to see them give it to their loved ones, but I know that I touched them in some way. That's why this is important to me. I couldn’t do anything to bring people joy inside except for my art. My art lets me bring joy to the world.”

Robert beat cancer in 2024 and hasn't shown signs of it returning. Now 58, he returned to New Orleans to start his new life and possibly find a gallery to give him a shot.

After mowing lawns for his first month at home, Robert joined the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) in New Orleans and now works on a transitional work crew, beautifying the city while waiting for his big break, which will surely come.

Facing reentry with nothing and no help, CEO assisted Robert with transportation fare, and he gets an additional incentive check every two weeks for keeping his steady job. After seeing his artwork firsthand, Robert’s job coach is helping him find a gallery that may be interested in talking to him.

“CEO is helping to get my name out there as an artist, and it's inspiring to know that people want to help me,” Robert says. “Most people say things and then don’t do it. When someone promises me something and fails, I feel worthless. CEO made me realize I’m something special.”

Robert is now a sought-after artist in the Delta. He has painted scenes in the entrance to some trendy restaurants, and has been commissioned by some of the town's elite to do work for their homes in the French Quarter. But he doesn’t forget where he came from or why he paints.

Robert says art can keep him on the right path because it takes away idle time. "I enjoy the responsibility, too. I have appointments at galleries I can't miss, and I don’t want to let people down. This is the most people I’ve ever had behind me – CEO, gallery owners, my family. It's more than me now, so I can’t lose their trust.”

When asked why his art resonates with people, Robert explained that his artwork contains joy and sadness–in the little details.

“The smirk on Mona Lisa’s face makes the difference in a painting, " says Robert. “My pain is on the canvas, but so is my healing. It’s all there.”

Learning to paint in prison and achieving success upon release is a powerful transformation narrative. It’s not just about the art itself but also about how creativity and self-expression can serve as a vehicle for healing, personal redemption, and a fresh start.

“I know I can’t do this alone. My job coach drives me all over the city to talk to gallery owners about a job,” Robert says. “They go above and beyond to help me, and now I want to help others through my art.”

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