Willie was “inside” for 38 years and once he connected with his creativity, he became very involved in Arts in Corrections. Willie’s been out for 5 years now and is thriving. He was involved in the first few years of Poetic Justice Project (PJP) and performed in several of their plays, including Of Mice and Men at the Steinbeck Center. In the last couple of years he’s returned to his love of painting and decided to join the San Luis Obispo Open Studios Art Tour in October and to share his sales with WJA and PJP.
Needless to say, this gift from him is so a generous and meaningful in a really full circle kind of way – so IÂ wanted to share this with you:
“I’ve constantly debated with myself about doing something like this Open Studios thing, where I’d need to be open with an address, and I figure this is something I gotta do. I’ve been “taken care of” all this time, and I figure I just need to leave it in the hands of that Awesomeness that’s always taken care of me, from day one. I’m always thrilled to hear of paroled/released artists that continue with art upon changing environments. I’m sure you and others are also.
Anyways, thank you again for your support and encouragement, and a very big and very appreciative thank you all to the Prison Arts Project for everything you all do for so many people, and for ALL that was done for me during my term of incarceration. You have all been so wonderful and I have been so richly blessed by so many of you- and I continue to be blessed.
Life is sweet, it is Good.Â
Take care and best of wishes— may you and everything you do always be blessed!
– Guillermo Willie
