Richard Phillips said he didnsa国际传媒檛 mope much during the 45 years he wrongfully spent in prison. He painted watercolours in his cell: warm landscapes, portraits of famous people like Mother Teresa, vases of flowers, a bassist playing jazz.
sa国际传媒淚 didnsa国际传媒檛 actually think Isa国际传媒檇 ever be free again. This art is what I did to stay sane,sa国际传媒� the 73-year-old said.
Phillips could be eligible for more than $2 million under a Michigan law that compensates the wrongly convicted , but the state so far is resisting and the matter is unsettled. So hesa国际传媒檚 displaying roughly 50 of his more than 400 watercolours at a Detroit-area gallery and is willing to sell them.
His paintings are precious to him, but he said he has no choice: He needs money.
Phillips was released from custody in 2017 and, in 2018, became the longest-serving U.S. inmate to win exoneration. He was cleared of a 1971 homicide after an investigation by University of Michigan law students and the Wayne County prosecutorsa国际传媒檚 office.
Phillips is showing his work at an art gallery inside Level One Bank in Ferndale, a Detroit suburb. A reception was planned for Friday night.
sa国际传媒淎re you the artist? God bless you. Beautiful,sa国际传媒� a bank customer said while admiring a painting of five musicians Thursday.
Phillips said he bought painting supplies by selling handmade greeting cards to other inmates. He followed a strict routine of painting each morning while his cellmate was elsewhere. He was sometimes inspired by photos in newspapers and liked to use bright colours that didnsa国际传媒檛 spill into each other.
But a cramped cell isnsa国际传媒檛 an art studio. Phillips said prison rules prevented him from keeping his paintings so he regularly shipped them to a pen pal.
After he was exonerated, Phillips rode a bus to New York state last fall to visit the woman. He was pleased to find she still had the paintings.
sa国际传媒淭hese are like my children,sa国际传媒� Phillips, a former auto worker, said during a tour with The Associated Press.
sa国际传媒淏ut I donsa国际传媒檛 have any money. I donsa国际传媒檛 have a choice. Without this, Isa国际传媒檇 have a cup on the corner begging for nickels and dimes. Isa国际传媒檓 too old to get a job,sa国际传媒� he said.
Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy supports Phillipssa国际传媒� effort to be compensated for his years in prison. Michigansa国际传媒檚 new attorney general, Dana Nessel, is reviewing the case. Itsa国际传媒檚 complicated because he has a separate disputed conviction in Oakland County thatsa国际传媒檚 still on the books, spokeswoman Kelly Rossman-McKinney said.
Phillipssa国际传媒� attorney, Gabi Silver, who has helped him adjust to a life of freedom, said the paintings are inspirational.
sa国际传媒淭o suffer what he has suffered, to still be able to find good in people and to still be able to see the beauty in life sa国际传媒� itsa国际传媒檚 remarkable,sa国际传媒� she said.
Ed White, The Associated Press
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