We recently connected with Warren Hynson and have shared our conversation below.

Warren, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I was incarcerated for 28 years and for ten of those years, I was given access to an empty storage unit that was converted to an art studio. During those years, I honed my craft of painting photorealistic portraits for the incarcerated individuals families and friends. I was selling portraits between $250-$500 and made enough money on my own to obtain the best lawyer in Maryland, Erica Suter. Also during that time, I was in charge of the prison’s art club and on one day, I mentioned to the group that I wanted an art show in society and a few people laughed at me. I had a friend make me a website, sharing my story and a few pictures of art that I did outside of the commissioned portraits. Next, I wrote a letter to maybe 30 galleries in the DMV. Months passed and I did not hear back from anyone and then one day, Rima Shulkind from Touchstone Gallery wrote me and expressed that my story moved her and reminded her of the healing power of art. After months of corresponding through letters, she stated that she will push for me to get into Touchstone Gallery’s mini solo show. Soon after that show, I booked a solo show at MICA’s Rosenberg Gallery… all while still incarcerated. I knew at that point that I had something and felt that upon my release, I was going to pursue art as a career.

Warren, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I always wanted to be an artist as far back as I can remember but the memory that I have that stands out is when I went to prison, i met a man named Robert Farmer who’s cell looked like a gallery in Georgetown. He had the most amazing paintings on his cell walls and he had an easel with a painting he was working on. It reminded me of being a child seeing art in a gallery for the first time. I was blown away and I told him, I want to learn. He stated that if I meet him in the library every day at 1pm, he would teach me. For the first two weeks, all he had me drawing was a styrofoam cup. He had a desk lamp and would shine it on the cup to cast a dynamic light and shadow and he taught me the importance capturing it in every artwork. In about two years time, he taught me pencil, pastels and acrylics. Farmer ended up going home soon after that but he left me with knowledge that I passed down to other people when I started my own art class in the prison.

Currently, I am working on an abstract collection. My art has evolved several times but it always ends up going down an abstract path. I utilize a lot of texture, acrylics, spray paint, airbrush, and oil pastels. I use brushes, squeegies, stencils, paint rollers… basically anything I see laying around, I will grab it and see how it can effect the texture or pattern of what i am creating.

I also do commissioned abstract pieces… If they have the colors they want in their space, let me know and I will create the most amazing piece of art for their walls.

I want a potential client/collector to know that I put 100% love in all my artwork. My last two collections were entitled, “Love is an action word” and “Love is the only truth” I want them to know that when they invest in my paintings, they get all of me and when my documentary is finished and gets picked up, the value of all my work will quadruple. I suggest investing now, lol.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I came home on September 24, 2019 after 28 years and I had these dreams of going to every gallery I could and meet artists, collectors, and curators and booking group show and solo shows and getting represented by a gallery but I was having problems proving my citizenship. Because of that I could not get a driver’s license for 5 months. For those five months, I was miserable because I could not really go anywhere and I did not have the money to Uber all over the place. After the citizenship situation was cleared I was excited to get my license and get started with my dream of being an artist but now it was March 2020. Covid shut the world down and again, I could not go anywhere. I was laid off from Ruby Tuesday because of Covid and I started working at a car dealership. I was miserable. I felt like the cards were stacked against me but I didn’t give up. I couldn’t go anywhere but I could still paint and still create. I stopped making excuses about my license situation and Covid and every other excuse. I started doing what I did in prison. I emailed everyone with my story and images of my artwork and from there, doors started to open,.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think I create from within and it manifests on canvas. A lot of my art is my story and sometimes I feel i am the only one going through what i am going through. The most rewarding part to me is when I am at one of my shows and I start conversing with someone admiring a painting that I put my heart and spirit into. On numerous occasions, they don’t know that I was the artist and hearing their thoughts about the painting reminds me every time that I am doing what I am supposed to do. Especially when they explain exactly what I was thinking during the creative process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://warrenhynson.com/
• Instagram: @warrenhynson
• Facebook: Warren Hynson Art
• Twitter: @warrenhynson

Image Credits
Tracy Hynson