Hello my name is Chris Stark. I was born and raised in Detroit, MI. It was a rough and tough place known as the Motor City. I grew up sketching, drawing and painting most of my life but never pursued it as a career as I was told it was a waste of time and not a economical way to make money. It was always more of an escape or a way to cope with a life that was let's just say unpleasant. I worked in a steel mill until the automotive industry collapsed and then I found myself on the wrong end of the law and unjustly sentenced to prison. I have now been in prison for over 15 years and have learned to once again use my art skills to cope with life. In prison your stripped of everything that makes you human and an individual. Art supplies and equipment are hard to come by and if you manage to get your hands on some their very expensive. Prison is designed to take away not only your individuality but also your hope. I was out of options and hope when it came to painting or using any other costly art materials so I looked at what I did have access to and what little hope I had left in me. I had cheap 19¢ ballpoint pens they sold through the prison store and plain white typing paper. not exactly ideal tools to work with but tools nonetheless. I had also met an amazing woman who gave me hope and told me that it doesn't matter what I use to create art with as long as I put my heart into it. So I started working with pen&ink and the more I worked with it the more I found out about myself and how sometimes striping away everything is how you find the best in yourself. Working with ink is extremely difficult, time consuming and unforgiving! But when its done right and with patience its unlike any other kind of art...