Within Our Grasp by Dustin K. Ware
Medium oil pastel, colored pencil on tinted drawing paper
Size 8.5×12
Artist statement Freedom can at times seem out of reach, but that is a myth…like beauty, it is within our grasp. Our lives have started in the mud, we were locked in by a cold, hard metal shore….but just as the beautiful lotus, we shall rise above and overcome our time and dire condition to see all the encompassing and encaustic beauty of our lives and mass liberation.
Artist Bio I have been a graffiti artist and tattooer for 20 years, and have unfortunately been incarcerated for a little over 17. I am incarcerated in Colorado, but Philadelphia is my home.
Image description Oil pastels and colored pencils illustrate the handcuffed hands of a Black person holding a purple lotus blossom in in their palms. The hands are held in front of writing etched into a striped pastel background. The writing that is visible reads”FREEDOM CAN AT TIMES SEEM OUT OF REACH BUT THAT IS A MYTH. LIKE BEAUTY IT IS WITHIN OUR REACH..” “MASS LIBERATION” is written boldly in black letters at the bottom of the image