Charles R. Everett has been drawing since before he can remember. The skill has been particularly useful to him in prison over the past 13 years.
"People in prison tell me all the time that I'm the best artist they've seen in person, watching me draw everything out of my head from start to finish without looking at any reference material," Everett said.
Every day, Everett sits at a table in the common room to create large illustrations full of bold lines, bright, bold colors and small details. Over time, others he is incarcerated with at the Crossroads Correctional Center in Cameron, Missouri, have joined him. He now leads an informal drawing class for six men, whose artwork is on display until Aug. 22 at the Gretchen Brigham Gallery at Union Avenue Christian Church.
"It's been my dream my whole life to be a real artist," Everett said. "When the curator at the Gretchen Brigham Art Gallery said my art was good and that she'd like to show it … it was a huge moment. It was surreal. After the tens of thousands of hours spent working on art, I was finally going to be seen in a gallery."
"Inside Expressions" was organized by former St. Louis criminal defense attorney Sharon Turlington, who used to represent Everett. The idea for the exhibit came from an illustration of his that she had hanging up in her home: a pen drawing of her cats as ninjas.
"A friend of mine is a local artist, and she came over and was like, 'Oh, where did you get this piece?' I said: 'Well, one of my clients made it. He's in prison.' And she was just blown away, especially because … he drew the whole thing using flex pens," Turlington said.
Flex pens are the only writing tool available to newly incarcerated individuals before they enter the general population. The pens are about four inches long and are made of rubbery, flexible plastic. Once Everett made it into the prison's honor dorm — a special housing unit that offers privileges for good behavior — he and his fellow artists were allowed access to art supplies like pencils, markers, ink pens, gel pens and paints.
"I like to create really colorful themes of dramatic, over-the-top action with characters that embody the best — and I guess the worst — of humanity as it struggles to find purpose and peace, and to reach a greater potential existence," he said.
Everett is working on a graphic novel set in a futuristic dystopia where alien devices that were meant to help humanity progress end up destroying the planet instead. Gaia, inspired by the ancient Greek earth goddess, grants her powers to three avatars who rise up to defend the planet.
He plans to dedicate the book to his daughter.
"I want her to know that I'm not in here wasting my time away playing cards, fighting and doing drugs," he said. "I'm in here trying to do something that's worth her being proud of — and that is going to lead to me being able to still provide for her, even though I'm not there."
Working on the project and teaching his peers the basics of illustration has given Everett a sense of purpose while he serves time and works on his case.
"It's rough in here. Every day is a test of will to not let your depression and things like that get you down," he said. "We have things that we want to express, observations that we want to relay, articulate and share with others."
The exhibition has been impactful not just for the artists, but for their loved ones as well, Turlington said.
"One of these guys, his mom has really struggled since he was incarcerated at 18, and she's been really depressed. I talked to her a few times, and she was just so thankful that he got to do this and was really proud of him," Turlington said. "It was really nice to do something where they were seen as people, as human beings, as artists who have people who love them, and that they can do something positive both for themselves and for people that they're connected to on the outside."
To learn more about Charles R. Everett's art, and Sharon Turlington's experience putting "Inside Expressions" together, listen to "St. Louis on the Air" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
Related Event
What: Inside Expressions
When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday until Aug. 22
Where: The Gretchen Brigham Gallery at Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Blvd. No. 300, St. Louis, MO 63108
"St. Louis on the Air" brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Layla Halilbasic is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
Copyright 2026 St. Louis Public Radio