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There are plenty of labels you could tack on to Ryan Nevins to better understand him – artist, grassroots political activist, bipolar patient – even a former draft pick for the Anaheim Angels – but a criminal? Not a chance, he says.

The 30-year-old Flushing resident has recently turned himself in to the 111th precinct for graffiti vandalism. When he appears in court on April 30, Nevins faces up to four years in prison for tagging extensive areas of the City with both his personal insignia – “RH” – and broader chromatic messages such as “Have the Courage,” “Shine: Follow Your Dreams,” and his notorious trademark “World Peace Not Pieces.” For years, his graffiti appeared on every major road from the Long Island Expressway to the West Side Highway. He’s splashed words across park walls and delivery trucks – even on a gate in front of St. Kevin School in Flushing.

But Nevins insists his work is meaningful art – not vandalism.

“With everything I wrote, there was a reason,” he said. “I’m looking for solutions to make a difference in the world.”

Nevins is a type who can’t sit still. In between elucidating on the significance of his neon sneakers (he says he doesn’t want to live in a gray and black world) and explaining the message behind his “Shine Kids” graffiti (which he created to encourage battered children to maintain hope), he says he has recently found God. Crucifixes and Saints’ medallions dangle from four beaded chains around his neck and his latest tattoo – the prayer of St. Francis – occupies the entire length of his left forearm. He zigzags among random thoughts and personal anecdotes. One moment, he’s describing his quest to help legalize graffiti – an art form he considers as powerful an addiction as drugs and alcohol. The next moment, he’s excavating remnants of a past life – from his inability to stay focused as a 2001 amateur draft pick for the Anaheim Angels to his stint as a former drug dealer.

Despite past mistakes, Nevins said he has always had a conscience, which is the reason he turned himself in to the cops on April 9.

“People asked why I turned myself in. I said, I want to be free – I don’t want to live in fear.”

Where some may see a 21st Century Don Quixote, the officers at the 111th Precinct view Nevins as, quite simply, a vandal who was destroying property.

“He did this whole mural-type thing that took up a lot of space and was an eyesore,” said Community Affairs Officer Gary Poggiali. “It was obtrusive and big and all over the place. We’ve been looking for him for a year – he knew the pressure was coming on and he turned himself in.”