SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A convicted killer who sold postcard-sized paintings he created with dye from M&Ms and brushes fashioned from his hair broke prison rules by running an unauthorized business out of his cell, officials said.
While Donny Johnson hasn't profited from his art -- all the money is being used to start a program for children of inmates -- prison officials said he was wrongfully engaged in a business without the warden's permission.
Johnson, 46, has been locked up since 1980 for second-degree murder in a drug-related killing. In 1989, he was convicted of assaulting one guard and slashing the throat of another. He's now serving life without parole in the most secure unit at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, about 10 miles south of the Oregon border. . . .
[B]ecause he's not allowed to have any art materials in his cell, Johnson orders ''supplies'' from the prison commissary. Once a month, he buys 10 packs of M&Ms at 60 cents each. He then puts a few candies in small plastic jelly containers, adds water and soaks the candies. Johnson's ''paint'' is left behind. His brush is made of plastic wrap, foil and strands of his own hair. He then layers blank postcards with vibrant colors, shapes and spirals.
Details here from the AP via the New York Times. Adam Liptak of the Times wrote a recent interesting article about Mr. Johnson, including an "audio slideshow" of some of his work.
The authorities have already locked Mr. Johnson in an 8 by 12 foot cell for the rest of his life. In my opinion, if he can figure out how to paint in those circumstances, they ought to leave him alone and let him do it.