Nathan Brightman

My name is Nathan Brightman #781425. I’ve been incarcerated since I was 18 and found that art and literature were the only true ways to free my mind from the confinement of my body. At first, I started painting to be able to give my family and friends a part of me to have in their home. I wanted to be present in their lives and since I was unable to do so bodily, expressing what was in my heart through art allowed me to feel like I was always there, and hopefully remembered fondly for the image that hung on their wall. My wife Lindsey is my inspiration now, and I paint solely so she will be proud of me. I rarely sell anything, because my art is personal and each painting, whether a replica or an original, is a part of the man I am and is important to me. Many of the landscapes I’ve painted were from a class I created while at clallam bay maximum security prison. My desire was to help other inmates find their own vision and inspiration beyond these walls and the hardships faced here. Art is one of the most fascinating forms of expression, and in a world where DOC makes it a point to take our identity away and give us a number, I’ve used my paintings to remind myself that only I control my soul and no one can take that away. I hope you enjoy the paintings.

Nathan’s work