How did you first figure out that you were good at art?

I remember being young at school and put in the corner by my teacher for being disruptive. I drew on my book most of the time. I copied pictures out of magazines and off the wall. School mates started asking me to do pictures for them and I realised yeah, I am pretty good at this.

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Most of the day in school I would spend in art as my teacher Mrs Crawford was the only one that seemed to understand me and get my ADHD. She made me feel equal. I liked her spirit. She didn’t judge me and taught me technical art skills that I liked and enjoyed. Birds and faces were the first thing she taught me how to draw and it was good to feel recognised and good at something, plus it was a break from my home life.

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In prison I have used art a lot as an outlet, especially in isolation. I had just a pencil, a rubber and a bit of paper. I have done some of my best pictures in isolation because there’s no distractions like TV or other people. Whatever you feel you can put into it. It’s always been a comfort thing of mine. It’s natural as it runs in the family. We are all good at drawing.

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How did you come up with your ideas for painting this space?

My first idea was the design of the snake I’ve done over the years. The Storyline for the original design is two snakes wound together with the male protecting the female holding her eggs.

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Also, I chat to staff and see what their favourite things are and then come up with an idea. Then I free hand draw it on the wall and add the colours in.

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With the murals, I’ve tried some new stuff in black and white. These are like my own take on Zentangle designs. I’ve included motives that tell a story, like the man with the cuffs and a dove that’s free and other symbols. This is all new to me painting on walls – I’ve never done it before it turns out I’m pretty good at it.

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What are some of the challenges about making art in prison and can you offer people any advice?

Being in the right state of mind making art is important to me. Sometimes I feel exhausted because of my diabetes. Some days I feel really good and free and on the good days before you know it, I’ll have all sorts of stuff on the wall.

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If you want to do art but are not confident in yourself or what you’re capable of doing, just try it a few times until you feel good and happy with what you have done and the idea of what you’re trying to achieve. Don’t worry about stuffing up. You can always erase it, start again or paint over it. At the end of the day, you’re the person that’s got to be happy with what you’ve made for yourself!

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