Ralph was sentenced to twenty five years to life. As I painted him, finishing his portrait, I knew that it was possibly the last time I’d ever talk with him. The day after I painted this, he was moved from Riverhead Jail, to a prison upstate New York, somewhere. As we worked on this portrait together, Speedy sat to the side. Words were intruders; we spent four hours in silence, painting.
Ralph talked to you. Ralph gave you his life in his silence. He trusted you. He let you see his soul. I feel bad for him. In the new jail no one will read him. He will share his ‘could-have-beens’ with no one. Congratulations on helping Ralph while you could. K