This enthusiastic tutor ignited a spark in Mansfield, showing him the fundamentals of drawing and painting. Despite initially viewing his own art as amateurish, he realized there was something inside him that “got it.” “I didn’t want to do computer anymore. I had fallen in love with art at this point, thanks to (my teacher),” he explained. The turning point in Mansfield’s journey came when he watched a television program featuring renowned British painter Ray Richardson. What struck him was that Richardson spoke like someone from Mansfield’s own working-class background.
Mansfield’s life took a fateful turn when he found himself behind bars, serving a 14-year prison sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. The environment he describes as harsh and unforgiving was far from what one would associate with art. Yet, it was in the most unlikely of places that his journey to redemption began. He spoke of the unexpected start of his artistic journey, saying, “The only class that was vacant was the art class, and I was never into art. At school, it was always the class where you could kind of mess around. It was a bit relaxed. You didn’t have to learn too much.” Mansfield’s initial venture into art was born out of necessity, not passion. The prison’s art class, initially a placeholder until a spot opened in a computer class, introduced him to a world he had never considered. It was a revelation brought about by an inspiring art tutor. “He was like a really fun person,” Mansfield remembered, “and when you’re living around a lot of craziness, to see someone like him (was a breath of fresh air).”
“I was convinced that as much as I fell in love with art, people like me weren’t in the art world,” he shared. “I was convinced that artists were all middle-class, and spoke like poets, and I wouldn’t be able to be a part of that.”
151
Powered by FlippingBook