I began the P2P series long ago by making pictures of friends and former clients who had been incarcerated and then would spend one to three months painting them. The below image is one of the first. The subject is now a long term friend whom I cherish. He was a young man then and now he has grown and moved far away. I spoke with him only days ago hearing he was happy and well, married with children, had many good friends, and loving God. This portrait entitled “Little Eyes Open Wide,” hangs in his house. Looking at a face I know for months of time is an intimate process. So when one of the subjects sees their portrait and their eyes are opened wide, that makes it all worth it.

Artwork by Glynn B. Cartledge

Title courtesy of Laura Wetherington