KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Michigan native Richard Phillips spent 46 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.
He was only 25 at the time of his conviction.
During that time behind bars, Phillips, of Farmington Hills, turned to drawing and painting to keep his spirits up.
“Maybe after about 20 or 30 drawings with just one #2 pencil I would get paper from someone to draw on,” Phillips, now an internationally acclaimed artist, said.
Phillips takes his art pieces all over the world, including Kalamazoo.
Wednesday, Phillips showcased his works of art, which he collectively calls “Strokes of Freedom,” at theKalamazoo Institute of Arts.
Created while he served time in prison, the collection contains 400 paintings and drawings of portraits and landscapes.
“During the course of doing these I learned a lot of the techniques, the color schemes, just doing the master reproductions and it helped me to produce the paintings like you see on the wall,” Phillips said.
Phillips told News Channel 3 that, when he realized color brought him and those around him so much joy, he ordered an acrylic painting set.
This, only after he did some research on famous artist like his favorite Dutch Painter, Vincent van Gogh.
Phillips read that Van Gogh said acrylic was painter-friendly for beginners.
When his order came to the prison, he ended up getting a watercolor set instead, something Phillips says is the hardest substance to work with as an artist.
Nonetheless, he made it work.
“I had this God given talent of being able to draw so I dove into the reservoir of my history and used that as a means of having something to do with occupying my time,” Phillips said.
More information on the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts can be found online.
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