“Time is your most valuable asset,” says Mr. Wash, a self-taught artist who taught himself to draw and paint while wrongfully incarcerated for twenty-one years, resulting in a body of work that remarkably evokes human emotions. Sentenced to life in prison in the late 1990s for nonviolent drug offenses he did not commit, Mr. Wash refined his craft eventually painting portraits of his fellow inmates, often depicting them as free men. In 2016, Mr. Wash was granted clemency by former U.S. President Barack Obama and has since gained traction as an artist having shown both nationally and internationally.
During his two-week residency, Mr. Wash, will continue his painting practice. On March 16th, the artist will speak on his personal history, artistic journey, his first solo-exhibition at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in LA (on view February 16th – March 30th), and his experience of the Sag Harbor community.