Justice, Freedom & Finding Amanraya

Artwork from Prison

Photos of Paintings by John Victor Ramses while in Acacia Prison, Western Australia between 2013 and 2017.
Originals are stored away for my Daughter, Amanraya. They tell the story of her father, what he saw, thought, hoped.
And why I never came back to take her fishing on the 4th of July 2010 weekend.

Original canvas 700mm x 400mm

'Beautiful Day'
"Beautiful Day"
Painting of Ramses' cell, #9, Unit 3, J-Block, Acacia Prison, exactly as it looked in 2013.

'Reflecting'
"Reflecting"
Cell #9 at night with light on.
.
'Looking For Hope'
"Looking For Hope"
'Choose Your Might'
"Choose Your Might"
'Private Despondence'
"Private Despondence"
'Weekend That Wasn't'
"Weekend That Wasn't"
'Visitors'
"Visitors" (Roy Dodd, Aboriginal Friend, Yamatji of Western Australia.)

'Other Worlds'
"Other Worlds"
.
'Reunion'
"Father and Child Reunion"
Portrait of a prisoner friend with his two children, produced from separate photos.
'Usefulness Expired'
"Usefulness Expired"
Utah landscape, missing home. Pretty much how I felt in 2013.

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Special Painting from a friend.

Painted by Terrance "Bull" Dann (of the Bunaba people, Kimberlie, Western Australia) for John Victor Ramses while in Acacia together.

Original canvas 700mm x 400mm

Painting

Mr. Terrance Dann told me a story in 2015, shortly after he arrived. It reminded me of how close Australia and America once were, so much so, that the whole of the outback had gone quiet at the moment when the September 11 attacks occurred.
Mr. Dann had been a younger cowboy, mustering cattle on the Auvergne Station, Northern Territory, following a break-up with his wife.
It had just happened to be September 11, 2015 when I met him and he told me this story. I was so touched and inspired that I would spend the next several weeks writing a screenplay for a short film, as it had unfolded in my mind while he spoke.

I invite you to read Screenplay:

"WHEN THE OUTBACK STOOD STILL"

I hope it touches you as it did me to write it.

Also:

See scans of his original hand-written version of the story, which I drew from
to write the screenpaly.

Hand-written story by Terrance Dann