BAJITO ONDA PRISON MINISTRY - LOUIS' PRISON PAINTING OF THE CHILD AND THE BLANKET

In November the Parole Division had their third annual Prison Art Show. Somehow I inherited the lead position of freeworlders making it happen for the parole office. A position I certainly never imagined me having. I would have rather died than to ever get involved with the inner workings of the in-justice system. But since I had gotten 'fired' (another long story for another time) from my (mind you it was a volunteer - time taking up on every wednesday morning) in-prison prison ministry at Hutchins State Jail - two years ago, several persons had told me to try my luck at the parole office. well they must have been desperate for bodies other than the ones filling their steps and offices and faces who are on official parole... well i went to the meeting for the first time and i was right. they were very desperate for real soldiers who actually backed up what they said they would volunteer for. being depressed that i had been fired from prison ministry - from that prison anyway - personality clash with the so-called chaplain out there. (another long story). so i see what i can get involved in and the prison art show was perfect for me - they tried to get me involved in the job fair and employment committee, etc. and when i went to one of the meetings with my so-called committee members one of them said that the name of my beloved organization needed to be changed so others than Hispanics could say it and understand it. well little did she know that i even have a Bajito Onda tattoo on my arm just for people like her. I got so mad, I told her that she as a black person was being racist towards the name of my foundation and that we were not racist like her. we accept all colors, creeds and so forth and always have. what she was was ignorant. well i got so mad and it caught me so off guard thinking here i am out there in south dallas at some other organization and all they could talk about was how i need to change the name of my foundation after twenty some years. now those of you who know me would never believe it but it hurt my heart so bad it made me cry in front of those fools, and that made me even madder and more upset. i told her that if they were predjudiced against me and i'm white.... then what would they be with the people i represent.... like me. well anyway, i forgot about the uppity snooty south dallas (that in itself is an oxymoron) and i decided i could handle the art show project. there was this real nice lady who was very rich and she helped with every project that involved donating money to help it along. she also was very kind and generous to Bajito Onda donating a lot of things like 3,000 garments brand new from JCPenneys that she worked a deal to help us get. she also donated several times of $500 and $1500 just as she was leaving to move to Florida. so she and i basically put the whole thing together with a bit of help from a few others. of course i got my whole crew involved is what made me look like i really did something. but it was nice. but this year... 2004 - when they decided to have another one - i was left alone to do it with the Parole Officer from Hell who shall remain anonymous... but man alive - that woman makes prison guards look like girl scouts. the guy prison guards that is. well i put up with her ordering me around like i was on parole all the way through things - she gave me the wrong date to take all the paintings down there - she gave me the wrong time. did she care? you gotta be kidding. well we finally got the day and time straight and we got it up and rolling at Downtown Dallas City Hall - i managed to get all my guys stuff inside glass cases so nobody would steal it. are you kidding me take my personal art down there and have it be gone in a flash... no way. well word got into prison just about time for the show, so we got some really good pieces... (nothing like i'm getting now for our prison art gallery). so this one guy had sent me his art and somebody stole it - or i never got it back. she would not let me put it in a case. she assured me very abruptly 'ain't nothin' gonna happen' to none o your stuff' and she snatched it out of my hand away from me. okay fine. i left and came back for the snooty preacher yakking, city councilman guest appearance to say how he almost forgot it but he managed to swing by on his way to a party or some rather uneventful happening. that guy. i have tried to get him to help us over here in the hood but he really forgets to come to the meetings i scheduled with his office. so i gave up on him a long time ago. not even worth saying his name. but there were some great artists there and i was even more encouraged to promote prison artists, also hoping that it might bring in a new breed of freeworld art afficianado (sp?) and maybe some help for us someday. well i was right, and i was so happy except that this one inmate's painting did not make it back to me when i picked up the pieces after the art show ended three weeks later. i figured he would get over it and i was sincerely ticked off about it after she had assured me it would survive and it didn't.

When this guy also was one of the prize winners... his art was very good. well i published a newsletter contratulating all of them on their efforts and accomplishments and he was one. man i got a letter back accusing me of everything under the sun along with telling me what a lousy gallery owner i am / was. now how was i supposed to know how to run a gallery if i'm just trying to do it to help other people? well the way this man chewed me out was pitiful. i was so hurt by it - if convicts only could see how hard us freeworlders formerly known as convicts out here. well he got me so good i took a copy of his letter accusing me of stealing his art - and i showed it to Ms. She Devil at the parole office. she made me wait about an hour and then about spit in my face telling me she could care less and so on. i gave her the copy and she threw it on the floor and walked right over it. that was it for me and him and i went back to my office and i deleted his name off all mailing labels and other places. i never have done that in all my years but this guy really got to me. my life went back to semi-normalcy and here comes another letter from him. it too was still ragging on me just in case i hadn't gotten it the first time. i ignored him. a week or so goes by and i get another letter from him. this one was different. i didn't even look at it - my assistant read it for me out of curiosity and she said, 'its from louis - and he's had a change of heart'. wow... okay he sucked me in... hmmm i thought it was a trick. i mean convicts are there... and i am here and we are writing all this stuff back and forth and we've never even met each other and we've somehow managed to have this really big fight... words are powerful and hurtful. i did let him know that i usually get nice and decent respectful letters so his was really a zinger. so as i read his begging for forgiveness letter i realized that we both had allowed this third party thing to come between our good start. he went on and on and of course i had to accept him back.... i had to go make a new mailing label for him - i am way too ADD to address envelopes and ever get them mailed by hand so i bought for my birthday last year this great Dymo label maker... works great for me. so i wrote him back this long (i do not have that much time but i took it) letter and we got back being friends again. he is a Godly man, but he admitted he slipped up and fell backward on that one. So last week i got this other letter from him... and the most incredible piece of art of a little girl holding a blanket... he wrote on the back of it that it was for my 'private collection' which i guess his is the first piece to go in it... it is in those prisma colors and is just incredible... he calls it the child and the blanket. it is a little girl so sweet looking and she's holding a blanket so pretty. he said that my work is like a security blanket for the children it reaches and i was / am honored by it so much i put it right on my desk. he now is signing up to become a permanent artist for our gallery. he is sending in more pieces of the caliber i cannot even describe.

here is the letter he wrote:

Sister Del,
Del, i think a lot of you, i like your forgiving spirit in light of my sharp tongue, that really meant something to me. This painting is my most prized possession, my very best! out of my private collection to be exact. my own mother could have asked for it and ... no dice. however she abandoned mewhen i needed her the most. i spoke to you like a common dog and you dug down deep and gave me love. so
Del i'm loving you also, you own a piece of my heart. this painting is yours. the second reason its yours to show that i am in this with you for keeps i am not giving lip service, my calling is helping our kids, drug addicts, prisoners & gang members and giving them hope, showing them the love Jesus commanded us to give. i hope you find a good place for it in your casa. this painting represents the kids tyou have loved over the years. you have been a security blanket to them (as depicted in the painting) and you have brought back sunshine through the storm also as depicted in the painting. this painting was made for you even before our paths crossed and now it is in the right hands. the painting is ready for framing.
Always, Louis