CON-FUSION by Melvin White
Medium: Acrylic on canvas board
Size: 16 x 20 inches
Artist statement: “This watercolor painting is called CON-FUSION, named from the noun confusion with the theme: “THIS IS ME”. The painting Con-fusion was designed while phrasing words of mind: Life is supposedly Hard, A Odyssey of dreams in birth at rest of destinations through the human struggles of life believed to be home yet away from home. Con-fusion was inspired from portions of periodicals on prison/criminal justice reform, to name a few: The Movement, Daughters, Inside News, The Loop, Prison Legal News, and Straight Ahead.
The images selected were 2 white birds from Daughters; 2 Scales from Prison Legal News; The # 93 upper tier cell was inspired by hope for the release of 93 female lifers who are serving penalties beyond the 20 year term; The # 73 bottom tier cell was inspired by my high school graduating year; The dark shadings sky represents a space through the black codes era into jim crow, lo present shades of public policy, while the shinning light side of con-fusion in contrast represents brighter days ahead.
The broken chain at center represents the lost of past ways of thinking adjoining a morgue toe tag aside bottom left city buildings, pointing to inside views of prison on the bottom right inspired by Inside News; one walking the tight rope in stripes represents reaching incremental steps into brighter days was inspired by Philadelphia Daily News who erroneously covered my case narrative with daily struggles to maintain balance throughout the con-fusion. These images are complemented by expressing the following poem that is hoped to invite public attention into eliminating mass-incarceration.
POEM CON-FUSION:
LIFE IS HARD SOME SUPPOSEDLY SAY
FOR THOSE WHO DISREGARD OPPORTUNITY FOR A BRIGHTER DAY
LIFTED FROM TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS IN TERMS OF SWAY
AS LONG AS ONE MOTIONS AND NOT JUST SIMPLY LAY
IN OTHER WORDS, LIFE MAY APPEAR HARD IN SOME WAY
THAT ONLY ECHOES OUR EXPERIENCES ETCHED IN CLAY
AS OUR PRISON TIME BEFORE HAND LINGERS AWAY
ALWAYS ALLOWING ONE TO RE-ORCHESTRATE.
WE ARE MORE THAN OUR WORST ACTS,
WHEREAS, WE NATURALLY MATURE AND EVOLVE AS HUMANS,
WHEREAS WE HUMANS IF ALLOWED WILL LEARN OUR TRUE VALUES,
WHEREAS WE ARE MORE, JUST BECAUSE OF OUR INNER POTENTIALS
FROM WHENCE ALL HUMANITY MAY DERIVE DEVINE ESSENTIALS.”
Image description: This painting is split into two sides, between which a man in a striped jumpsuit balances on a tightrope made of chain, which extends between two balances held up by doves. On the left is sunlight, freedom, and a city block. On the right, darkness, a fence, and a cell block. Between the two sides is the text “Find your way HOME”.