While David was incarcerated at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, he was asked to paint the walls of the New Men Recovery Program dormitory, a housing unit for people struggling with substance use issues.
His murals are strategically designed to inspire hope.
On the back wall of one dormitory, a large scene spans the entire space depicting a row of silhouetted figures standing together with their arms raised in celebration. Above them, the words Out of the Darkness, Into the Light stretch across. The background transitions from deep blues on one end to a brilliant sunrise of yellow and orange before fading into a bright blue sky, visually reflecting a journey from hardship to hope.
Another smaller mural features a peaceful landscape with a winding path, a wooden bridge crossing a stream, and the Bible verse, Let not your heart be troubled written across a bright sky.
“We specifically picked vibrant colors,” David said. “The whole concept was to be uplifting, and it had a positive effect on the dorm. The guys would read those biblical quotes every day while they were going through withdrawals. They’d tell me they rested their heads on those quotes every day.”
On September 10, 2025, David walked out of prison after serving 28 years on a life sentence. He was just 16 years old when he entered Angola. He said coming home was overwhelming and simple tasks many people take for granted felt intimidating.
At first, he was so uncomfortable using a debit card that he converted everything he earned into cash. And although he had learned to drive before going to prison, decades away meant he had to relearn many of the skills needed to navigate daily life. But with the help of Parole Project, David quickly embraced life on the outside.
“I really have to credit Frank,” David said, referring to Parole Project Reentry Specialist Frank Kang. “Parole Project provided me a home. I was in a hopeless situation, released into uncertainty. I had no family to go home to, and there was no one I could ask for help. Period. I don’t even want to entertain the thought of what would have happened to me without them. They became my family.”
Within months of being home, David secured a full-time job as an industrial painter with benefits and retirement, launched his own commission-based art business, Etz Chaim Fine Art LLC, and sold multiple pieces of artwork. He recently moved into a place of his own.
Growing up in Morgan City as a creative child who loved drawing and painting, one of David’s earliest memories is creating a comic strip about a blue weightlifting ant.
“I don’t have that comic anymore, but I do remember it,” he said, laughing. “My dad encouraged me to create.”
But as addiction consumed both of his parents’ lives, his artistic talent was pushed into the background. “It was always there, and it was always an emotional release for me,” he said. “It just wasn’t properly cultivated.”
Today, painting is at the center of his life.
Since December 2025, David has worked as an industrial painter at Deltak Manufacturing, a metal fabrication company, where his work ethic and willingness to help others have earned him praise from his supervisor.
“He is amazing. I mean, he’s just solid as a rock,” said Sean Balfantz, Human Resources Manager at Deltak. “He’s been helping people learn the painting process. When we put new people back there, he helps train them as well. Just wonderful.”
After work, David turns his attention to canvases he creates and sells through his art business. He comes home, takes a shower, turns on ’80s music, and begins to paint.
“I grew up in the ’80s, and that music brings me back to my innocence,” he said. “And colors are emotions.”
When asked what color he felt in the moment, he paused, responding, “I think I’m prismatic right now. I’m all the colors. It’s unhealthy to be stuck in one color. You have to be balanced.”
That balance, and the goals he has steadily worked toward, became especially clear one evening at the end of July when David walked into a LongHorn Steakhouse in Denham Springs. Expecting nothing more than a good steak dinner, he was surprised to see one of his own paintings hanging on the wall. He painted it while incarcerated and sold it at the Angola Rodeo. The piece features cowboy boots, spurs, and a yellow rose. His artwork from prison has found a home in other public spaces as well, including a portrait of Gerry Lane displayed at Gerry Lane Enterprises on Florida Boulevard.
For a man who once painted messages of hope on prison walls, seeing his artwork displayed in the community was a powerful reminder of how far he had come.
“When you articulate a goal, no matter how small, and then achieve it, that’s success,” he said. “Because it took integrity to get there.”
