Welmon Sharlhorne (American/Louisiana, b. 1952), "Bird Clock", pen and ink on paper folder, signed lower right, 18 3/8 in. x 11 3/4 in.; and "Fantasy Building", mixed media on manila envelope, signed lower right, 15 1/2 in. x 12 in., unframed. (2 pcs.) Condition: Overall good condition. Note: When Welmon Sharlhorne was eighteen years old, he was sentenced to twenty-two years at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola for non-violent crimes. While serving his sentence, Sharlhorne turned to creative outlets to pass the time and discovered a sense of purpose. “When I did my time, I had time to see how art could make me free.” He used tongue depressors to trace precise lines onto envelopes provided by prison guards to inmantes for the purpose of contacting legal counsel. In creating these ingenious, surreal compositions solely with the materials available to him, Sharlhorne’s work serves as a reminder of the forgotten humanity of the imprisoned population. The mythical architecture and animals depicted in the works offered here each feature a clockface, a motif used to reference the lifetimes lost to the harsh prison system. Despite having found his gift in art, Sharlhorne was met with harder times upon his release from prison. He faced homelessness and narrowly survived the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. In the subsequent years, Sharlhorne secured stable housing in New Orleans and to this day continues to produce new works. Ref.: Weber, Marcia. “Welmon Sharlhorne.” Marcia Weber Art Objects. www.marciaweberartobjects.com. Accessed Jan. 27, 2023.

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