About Lamavis Comundoiwilla

Artist for Zhi Kai’s Portrait

Artist Statement 
I began painting in prison around 2018, after joining the William James Association Arts and Correction program. There I developed my own style to create portraits honoring the beauty and sacrifice of Black women. This style, which I call Fusion, combines pointillism with at least two other genres. I blend vivid scenes of Black females inspired by biblical themes.

My art is inspired by Afro-Centric cultures, such as the Mores, Nubians and Komati. 

I paint, draw, and sketch using oils, acrylic, pastels, pencil, ink and graphite, to make art that reminds viewers of places where the bloodlines of strength and power have been forgotten or misplaced. 

Artist Bio
Lamavis Comundoiwilla, 54, is a Compton, California native. He's currently incarcerated at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Lamavis has been incarcerated 29 years and is up for parole consideration in 2024. He was awarded a First Place Prize at the 2019 Marin County Fair. His work has been featured at the Marin Civic Center Bartolini Gallery, San Francisco Airport Terminal, San Francisco Opera House Museum, the Sacramento, California, Capitol Building, University of Derby, England, University of California, Berkeley, The Museum of the African Diaspora, and DreamCorp’s National Empathy Day and Black Futures Weekend events. 

Read more about him in San Quentin News, A Journey into Afro-futurism.

Visual Description: A framed portrait of Daniel Pirkel on the left wearing a blue and yellow shirt with a solid brown background, accompanied by their framed statement. Framed underneath is Prikel’s censored text. 

A framed black and white pencil on paper portrait of Elizabeth Hawes with a scale in the background, accompanied by their framed statement. Framed underneath is Haws’s censored text. 

A framed colored pencil on paper portrait of Derek Trumbo with a yellow background, accompanied by their framed statement. Framed underneath is Trumbo’s censored text. 

Near cell wall:
On the right is a framed photograph of Kwaneta Harris, accompanied by their framed statement. Framed underneath is Harris’s censored text. 

On the left is a framed photograph of Zhi Kai in their graduation gown and cap, accompanied by their framed statement. Framed underneath is Kai’s censored text.