Welmon Sharlhorne spent more than half of his life behind bars. The fourth of seventeen children, he was incarcerated at the age of 14 and spent four years in prison for theft. After his release, he took on a series of odd jobs. Following a dispute with a customer, he was accused of attempted extortion and sentenced to 22 years in prison. It was during this period that he began to draw. Enduring the harsh conditions of his imprisonment, he had to be resourceful in finding materials to draw with, using anything he could get his hands on.
The inclusion of clocks in his drawings, a symbol of time, is a constant presence throughout his work. “There is a clock in each of my drawings because I want to tell people, both the good and the bad, that committing a crime is foolish because it takes away your precious time of freedom.” Released in 1996, he lived homeless on the streets of New Orleans. Rescued by helicopter, he narrowly survived Hurricane Katrina. More recently, social services found him a place of his own, and he now receives regular meals. His work has been exhibited since 2009.