While surviving this year’s holiday season in one of the Idaho State Correctional Institution’s most disappointing and obnoxious open dorms, I met 61-year-old artist Tim Yates, and immediately we became friends.
Tim tells me that prior to drawing this card, he’d never been paid for his artwork. But in 2022, he says, after filling in on the drums for a musician couple he met on a whim, the couple offered him $3,650 to produce one drawing a day for a year. After inviting them into his house and handing over ten choice sketches, Tim watched them leave without paying, never to see them again.
That I offered Tim a 3 oz. bag of low-grade, freeze-dried coffee to draw this card makes it his fist commissioned artwork. That he called the transaction a gift and a blessing speaks volumes of his character.
It is my hope to connect Tim with others who appreciate and encourage his artistry before I lose the ability to track him. Let me know if you fall into this category—I’ll be happy to put you in touch.
Happy Holidays everybody,
Tim Yates #41425 and Patrick Irving #82431