I am going to try to stay on top of this blog better from this point on. Look for pictures in the next week.

 

                                                       photo courtesy of yahoo images

 

This is a gallery to showcase the wonderful visual artist out there that make beautiful art with the different-abilities, such as being Deaf, being blind, having mental illness and so on. It is located in the heart of uptown Yucaipa. We recently obtained a new building on the corner of Third and Fourth Streets on Yucaipa Boulevard   I run the gallery with my cousin Sarah who is Deaf and mentally delayed.

We Can Too!!!

In this exhibit titled "We Can Too!!!" I am showcasing the work of the artist listed below...

*Susan Dupor

* Michael Monaco

*Stephen Wiltshire

* Granville Redmond

*Chuck Braid

* Betty G. Miller

*Ann Silver

*Keith Salmon

*Christophe Pillault

*Ping Lian Yeak

The theme of this exhibit is to show that artist lacking in one area of their life can be exceptional in another area. I choose these artist because I believe they have over come great odds to produce their work and can be held on the same levels as other artist who have the use of every sense. Many of the artist are blind or deaf and some have mental illness, they did not let this stop them in feeling the passion and expressing it through visual art. Please take a minute to have a look at what these artist have to offer. It is amazing.

Susan Dupor

 

 

 

Transportation Hub
Oil on Masonite Diptych
1995
10 1/2" x 8 1/2"



Susan Dupor  currently lives in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. She was born deaf. all of her siblings are hearing. She went to a mainstream school. After that she attended Rochester Institute and then transferred to Art Institute of Chicago. She earned her BFA. She knew from an early age she like the arts. According to the Deaf studies Artworks web page She also earned a Masters in Deaf and Art Education.

        Below is a quote she gives about this piece. I know it is long, but I thought it was important to get the entire story behind it and the only way to do that was to quote her entire statement.

"This diptych is an analogy of prostitutes and ABC card peddlers who are often seen in metropolitan areas.  When I was living in Chicago, I traveled around the city by public transportation and would occasionally encounter a peddler trying to sell ABC cards to the passengers.  It made me uncomfortable because many other Deaf people were trying hard to prove themselves as equals to hearing people in the hearing world. At the same time the painting is a reminder that there is a social issue that needs to be addressed." -Susan Dupor

 

"This diptych is an analogy of prostitutes and ABC card peddlers who are often seen in metropolitan areas.  When I was living in Chicago, I traveled around the city by public transportation and would occasionally encounter a peddler trying to sell ABC cards to the passengers.  It made me uncomfortable because many other Deaf people were trying hard to prove themselves as equals to hearing people in the hearing world. At the same time the painting is a reminder that there is a social issue that needs to be addressed."
-Susan Dupor

Michael Monaco

White Hibiscus

Oil on Canvas

20" x 20"

Michael Monaco is a man who is a quadriplegic who does all his paintings with his mouth. He was injured in an accident at the age of 16 on November 30, 1979. He was a teenager in New Jersey and was out one night with his friends and was in a car accident and became paralyzed according to biography page on the web. I watched a video on YouTube with a reporter interviewing Michael, he explained the way he paints. All his paintings are done with holding the brush in his mouth. The pieces look as though he painted it with his hands because they are so advanced and detailed looking, but it is all done with his mouth. I choose this artist because he has such a positive outlook on life and has not let his obstacles stop him from creating beautiful art.

 

 

 

"As funny as it sounds I am so use to having a brush in my mouth I would have no idea what to do with my hands."

-Michael Monaco

Stephen Wiltshire

" Big Ben on a rainy evening in London"

Pen and Ink and Pastels on Paper

420mm x 594mm

June 9, 2008

 

 

Stephen was born on April 24, 1974 in London. He is a British Architectural artist. He was mute in his early years of childhood and at age three was diagnosed with Autism, according to his bio page (the site can be found below) he went to Queensmill school where he expressed his interest in the arts. Art became a way for Stephen to express himself and help him communicate his feelings that he could not verbalize. In 2006 he became a member of the Order of the British Empire for his art. He was also featured in a documentary called Beautiful Minds: A voyage into the Brain. I choose this piece because it shows that people with Autism that can not speak do still have ways of communicating, the communication just takes a different pathway.

 

A quote from Stephen's sister Annette in Forbes magazine online gives an insight just how powerful art is for Stephen.

 

“Taking art from a hobby to a career was never a decision or a choice for Stephen."

- Annette Wiltshire

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Wiltshire

Granville Redmond

 

                                                                Malibu Coast Spring
                                                                          c. 1929
                                                                        20" x 25"
                                                                      oil on canvas

Granville Redmond was born March 9, 1871 in Philadelphia, Pa. He was born hearing and around the age of 2 1/2 and 3 he contracted Scarlet Fever and upon recovery he was found to be deaf. He and his family moved to San Jose with hope to get him in the School for the deaf Berkeley. He was accepted, graduated from there and went to study art abroad in Paris. His first piece was displayed in the Paris Salon. After his study was done in Paris he moved to Los Angeles, where he became friends with the silent movie icon, Charlie Chaplin. Charlie was an avid collector of Redmond's art work and provided him with a studio to create and store his paintings on the movie lot. Redmond usually painted landscapes along the California coast between LaJolla Beach and Monterey. He died on May 24, 1935. All of this information was found on Granville Redmond's website. he connects to the theme of this exhibition because he was deaf and what I can observe he has a unique way with colors in his paintings.

It is impossible for artists to succeed in art unless they work with thought and true insight…one must as he paints on a canvas try and put his soul into the work.
~Granville Redmond