Hello,

My Name is Dustin J Higgs. I am 47 years old and am sitting on Federal Death Row. The pressure of idle time can place a man's inner being in peril so I have chosen to be proactive about it, using my time in the most constructive of ways available to me.

That is what brought me to the practice of painting and drawing. I've only started this creative process about four years ago, but during the journey, have gained strength and great insight by bringing my thoughts to canvas, making diverse images.

I derive my inspiration from the internal conflict of being innocent of the charges against me; that conflict tends to bleed from me and onto the canvas in front of me. It gives way to the representation of varied forms, from the injustice I feel, to the love I have for my family and my faith in God.

My only desire is to share through my artwork a glimpse of one man's journey.

Thanks for reading.

Click here to visit my online portfolio. Or if you like my work and want to own it on any of over 70 products (like apparel, coffee cups, iPhone skins and more), click here to visit my online shop. I'm now on YouTube! Click here to check out my chachannel. 

PrisonArtWare.com offers its artists the unprecedented opportunity to own a place of their own online; a virtual gallery, personal space, and retail venue we call a "Featured Artist Page". Click here to view Dustin's generic Featured Artist Page where you can help him with any amount towards the $35 yearly cost of maintaining the space.

We're on a first name basis with our artists. Please view prison art by first name.

I am a struggling African American Artist looking to make some positive changes in society with my artwork. I have been incarcerated since 2007 and at the age of 51 have made many bad decisions in my life (which doesn’t necessarily make me a bad guy), but even after having this setback in life I still strive to generate happiness for myself and others.

With your financial support in purchasing my artwork, I will be donating 10% of all proceeds to the children’s hospital with the hope of helping our youth to have an equal chance at taking on life’s experiences.

I use my own life’s experiences as a source of inspiration because no matter what challenges society is faced with, we will prevail as long as we are persistent in providing happiness to others.

Life revolves in circles and I’ll never give up on hope, love, and understanding because we all have a voice that needs to be heard… then put forth the effort to make change.

How I became an artist is an interesting story. It starts when I was 15 years old where I had a best friend, Ruben, who would receive letters from his older brother (Tony) who himself was in a California prison. On the outside of these envelopes, Tony used to draw some pretty fascinating things for his brother. I used to tell myself that it'd be so cool to get a letter like that in the mail. 

So when I found myself in a similar predicament of being incarcerated as a juvenile and I started learning how to draw on the outsides of the envelopes I sent off.

I started out with basic cartoons, hearts, flowers and crosses images. Later, as my skills improved, I started drawing peacocks and "Smile now, cry later" images. 

When I came to prison again and landed on death row, I had 23 hours a day in my cell so I began to really develop my skills.

I found that I was able to really express myself and show love and compassion for all around me by drawing cultural, prison art, tattoo and fantasy artwork. I began to excel in drawing animals, portraits, still lifes and nudes. 

There are no windows in prison so I get my inspiration from memories and magazines; people also bless me with requests, and that really challenges me to dig deep and do my best work.

I like to use pencil, pen and pastel in my work. I look forward to trying out watercolors and more.

Thanks for reading and viewing my work. Watch for more new work every month.

We're on a first name basis with our artists. Please view prison art by first name. 

[Artist bio here]

Covid-19 notice: Keep yourself safe. Check out my work emblazoned on these quality face masks.

Click here to visit my online portfolio and shopping experience, where you can purchase my work on over 100 products, from apparel, furniture, iPhone covers and more.

PrisonArtWear.com offers its artists the unprecedented opportunity to own a place of their own online; a virtual gallery, personal space, and retail venue we call a "Featured Artist Page". Click here to view Floreai's generic Featured Artist Page where you can help him with any amount towards the $35 yearly cost of maintaining the space.