Paul Thorsteinson

I’m an artist

I don’t make art. I wish it was simple enough, that I could just say:

“I’m an artist.”

What I do is push the bounds of what is possible. Each new creation, or each little lesson, as I like to call them, teaches me more about myself. It teaches me about perseverance, how to analyze unique situations, and how to problem solve. Most of all, the work has taught me to not have unrealistic expectations of perfection.

If you don’t know me and you are looking at this site for the first time, you might be surprised to discover I made everything pictured here while I was in prison.

You might be even more surprised, that a few years ago, I was in a wheelchair and I shouldn’t have been able to make the art in the first place. I wasn’t meant to walk or be functional again past the age of 34.

Like art however, I learned the world is the way we shape it. I rebelled against my disability and in an act of righteous defiance to cruel fate, I usurped a crippling disease and taught myself how to walk again. Finally out of the wheelchair, I was filled with purpose and a desire to live life to the fullest.

I taught myself how to paint. In the woodshop, I taught myself how to build. At home, I would write stories and detailed poems. Because when I came back from the wheelchair, I was different. The experience changed me. Like most people who go on important journeys and see sights that others couldn’t imagine. I had something very important to say. I hope you enjoy the art because for me it’s more than just art. It’s a second chance at life. It’s proof we can do impossible things.

Obviously because of my incarceration, I cannot check my site on a regular basis. However for those interested, you can write me at:

Paul Thorsteinson #807019
191 Constantine Way
SCCC H6A-03
Aberdeen, WA 98520

Or contact me through the prison’s email service:

Jpay.com – Doc#807019

Paul’s work