If you’ve ever been to the Angola Rodeo you’ve probably taken a stroll through the hobbycraft area and found yourself surrounded by artists showcasing their works. The individual artists — each clad in the communal color of prison clothing — may blend together as you pass through the aisles, but unquestionably they are differentiated by their art. Contrasting hues of paint on canvas catch your eyes like billboards lining the interstate during rush hour. For Norman, Rodeos were the conceptual training ground that foreshadowed his future as a professional artist.
“I did a little bit of drawing and doodling in school growing up, but I didn’t start truly studying art until 2016,” Norman said. “I never thought this was something I’d be doing.”
In 1996, long before he got into art, Norman was sentenced to life in prison at the age of 24. He entered Angola two years later but refused to let his life become a discarded piece of abstract expressionism.
“I was not in the word of God at all,” Norman said. “But when I got locked up, I was like a caterpillar – feeding on the word and just growing.”
As Norman’s faith grew, so did his role as a leader. By 2002, Norman had begun to grow into his untapped talent – building community through shared experiences. He was elected to the church’s leadership, became a minister, and later a pastor of the Leadership Builders Church. He also spent more than a decade as a peer mentor for the Celebrate Recovery substance abuse program.
Two decades into his incarceration, a mentor began teaching Norman the fundamental foundations of art. As he explored this new expressive outlet, he let his life experience frame his vision of a brighter future.
Norman was experiencing an internal renaissance. At one time in his life, he painted with harmful tones, but now he was helping others restore control over their lives. He now stood out not for taking, but for giving back, forming bonds with others while challenging them to consider the role of perspective in all aspects of the human experience.
Perspective is a fundamental concept to any artistic expression. The perspective used to capture a subject’s image may change the composition’s depth, contrast, or overall visual interest. The spatial perspective at which a piece is viewed may reveal different images to each viewer. The emotion a piece evokes may be determined by one’s own life experiences.
In painting, “pentimento” describes changes during the artistic process, often seen as elements in an image that have been changed or painted over. Artists such as Picasso and Van Gogh used this method to correct mistakes, enhance details, or substantially transform their works. Some went as far as entirely covering a previously completed piece before they began again.
In April 2023, Norman earned his own priceless pentimento. Fittingly released during Second Chance Month, he earned an opportunity to start anew from a blank canvas, leaving the palette of prison behind.
“After praying for an opportunity to be free for 27-plus years, it was so surreal,” he said, reflecting on his first steps out of the prison gates.
Norman continued to make strides after completing the first phase of Parole Project’s reentry program, gaining a new perspective with each glance. He has strengthened his relationships with his family, including marrying his fiancée and catching up on lost time with his children and grandchildren.
With his first year of freedom now under his belt, Norman continues to use the talents and skills he began mastering in prison. As a minister, he leans on the unique perspectives gathered during his journey as testimonies to the human spirit and the pursuit of redemption.
Selling hundreds of paintings on Rodeo Sundays helped Norman turn his artwork into an opportunity. Today, he makes a living as a professional artist selling his original paintings and taking commissions for custom pieces. The road has been long, but it’s been worth walking.
“It’s not a burden to get up and go to work,” Norman said. “It’s actually beautiful. I’ve learned that if you’re doing something that you love to do, it’s always obvious.”
The best part of Norman’s job is sharing the full artistic process with his family, intertwining their perspectives and his own with each brush stroke. Each moment with them fills the canvas of his life – blending into a magnum opus of humanity.
“My family says that I use a lot of color in my art. They say that’s a reflection of me being happy. That’s one of the things that they do best – they make me happy.”
