'Prison turned me into an award-winning artist'

A erstwhile worker who became a heroin trader is present a palmy creator aft uncovering his passionateness portion serving a 13-year situation sentence.

Kevin Devonport spiralled into criminality aft helium near the Army aged 21 and helium struggled with cause addiction.

After turning his beingness around, helium has won aggregate awards, exhibited successful London, obtained a assemblage grade and has a workplace successful Leeds.

The 52-year-old spoke to the BBC astir however helium carved a caller way for himself portion inactive down bars.

Mr Devonport was 35 erstwhile helium was caught selling heroin successful 2007 and a self-proclaimed "career criminal" who had already served 3 jailhouse sentences.

Facing the imaginable of different lengthy situation term, helium took the proposal of different inmate who told him - "don't service time, fto clip service you".

"I tried utilizing the clip constructively," Mr Devonport, who served arsenic a Chieftain gunner successful the First Royal Tank Regiment, said.

"I truly wanted to benignant my beingness retired by then."

He enrolled astatine the Open University and obtained a first-class honours grade successful sociology, but it was erstwhile helium stumbled crossed a coating people organised by foundation Care After Combat, that helium changed his life's trajectory.

"I was ne'er truly an arty person," helium said.

"I’d look and respect but I ne'er thought I could bash it myself."

However, Mr Devonport, who grew up connected a assembly property successful Leeds and near schoolhouse with nary qualifications astatine 15, said helium took to the people "like a food to water".

His archetypal coating - "a small landscape" - whitethorn not person been his champion enactment but helium said it was the process of creating it that truly struck a chord.

Having ne'er imagined helium would beryllium an artist, helium won his archetypal nationalist grant portion inactive successful prison.

"It’s not been a conscious decision, it’s similar beingness has directed maine that way," helium said.

Despite his successes, navigating beingness aft his merchandise successful 2014, his reintegration into nine and the stigma of incarceration, were challenging.

His past run-in with the instrumentality was successful 2018, erstwhile helium was jailed for producing cannabis.

Mr Devonport, who is present a begetter to Sinead, eight, said it was his creation that anchored him and inspired his archetypal accumulation titled "Unlabelled".

"Coming into a satellite wherever you are not arsenic accepted, you are a spot similar driftwood," helium said.

"Being an creator gives maine a consciousness of who I am, a consciousness of identity. I was lost. It’s fixed maine thing to connect to."

Identity, his acquisition of the justness strategy arsenic good arsenic his clip successful the Army connected progressive work successful Germany and Northern Ireland, are often themes that diagnostic successful his paintings.

"I archer stories, each entity has a meaning," Mr Devonport, who works with offenders and tutors good art, said.

"When you cognize my art, you tin work it similar a book."

Some of his astir caller enactment is presently connected show successful Leadenhall Market, London, arsenic portion of his accumulation "Nothing Ordinary Here" and helium has workplace abstraction astatine Assembly House successful Armley, Leeds.

While his way into creation whitethorn person been an unconventional one, helium said helium did not regret his past.

"The things I’ve done with my ain beingness experiences, it’s made maine who I am.

"I deliberation successful presumption of my art, it’s made maine a amended artist."

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