Douglas ‘DC’ Lehman
So my approach to these drawings was to really try to capture their whole experiences within the rendering which was quite hard to do since their stories are so in depth and filled with so much emotion! But I wanted to get both their sense of pain n struggle in there as well as their desire for hope, health and change too. Each story was so similar but from a different facet or vantage point so I just tried to capture as much of each view as I could since the issue really has some many different types of impacts.
As for receiving the storyies I was totally blown away that I had never known of long term covid and I was devastated by the pain and isolation these folks felt and were dealing with. It really hit me hard. These stories challenged me emotionally much more than I had thought. These people feel the same hopelessness that I deal with so often and the isolation too since I've done so much time in solitary confinement! Except these people were dealing with an illness unlike myself but it really hit close to the bone. I was challenged also in the physical drawing of them here at CSP since we do not have chairs\ stools and I must sit on the floor to draw on my bunk which is murder on my herniated discs I have. However in my own pain I felt more connected to them in their plight and it made me want to really capture their situation as clearly as I could. This was a wonderful way for me to escape my own isolation and really experience my own humanity so much deeper and better. I'm very grateful for the chance.
I'd like for the viewers to really feel the pain and emotional toll these people are going through. To leave with a deeper understanding of an issue that's fallen by the wayside of society that needs to be heard and learned from. That no matter who or what the issue is that hopelessness, pain, isolation are horrible things to go thru, live with and we as a whole need to be more cognitive about others’ plights and have greater empathy for their struggles. That these drawings help the viewers feel closer to the issue and help us all be more kind n loving to our fellow man and that perhaps they too can experience their own humanity better just as I was able to do!!!
Lehman is a self-taught artist who learned to draw while serving time in solitary confinement in the Colorado Department of Corrections. After his release in 2014, he attended the Art Institute of Colorado for a year for graphic design. Now back in prison, Lehman works primarily in pencil, colored pencil, and ballpoint pen, due to the relative availability of these materials in confinement. His art is dark, gritty, provocative, and packed with detailed imagery and hidden messages. He often pairs his renderings with poems to take viewers and readers on an emotional journey into his creative soul.
Lehman hopes that through his art, he can remain connected to his own humanity, and challenge others’ ideas of what art can be, say, and achieve.