Those Wacky British Folks

Being a full-time artist and one of those traveling carnie folk types, I will gladly admit that I'm just a little off the wall (Joan of course would ask, "A little?"). In fact all of us that choose this profession to some degree, and in the words of good friend Freebird, "just ain't right." We all have our individual quirks, idiosyncrasies, weird habits, delusions, paranoia, eccentricities, bizarre behavior, and usually foul mouths. But over all were really nice people.

Some folks would probably say we weren’t fully cooked in the womb. Others perhaps wonder if we’ve incurred some type of head injury and decided not to complete rehab. While even others probably speculate about what kind of chemicals we ingested while we should’ve been studying Prehistoric Art or English Literature or Music Composition 101 (okay those people might be on to something).

If you ask us we will tell you that we are rebels, seekers of truth. We’ll tell you that we dig deep within our psyche for the benefit of mankind to discover who we really are and then put it on canvas, in a journal, or even to music for the rest of society to better understand itself. Just like our early American heroes we are the modern day pioneers and settlers searching for freedom of heart, soul, and expression. Essentially we are related to those brave men and women who in 1773 tossed those barrels of tea into the Boston Harbor just to say to the status quo, “we’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it any longer!”

So maybe that’s a little overboard (pun intended). After 232 years I think we’re now getting along just fine. You Brits have your country; we have ours. You all have your weird accent; we have…a lot of them. You had Tony Blair; we’re soon to have had George Bush. You have Monty Python; we have Dave Chappelle. You have football; we have football (and soccer). You have your great works of art….um….wanna really piss off an artist? Pass this off as art.

If you’ll excuse me I’m about to teach Blaze the Chihuahua how to tap dance on a canvas.

The Artist Guild Gallery of Greenville

I thought I'd give y'all a sneak peek at the newest art gallery in Greenville, South Carolina. It is the first of it's kind in the area. An artist co-op is owned and operated by a group of artists. Modeled after similar operations in larger cities the only other co-ops in the state are in the Charleston area.

Although we've actually already opened for business our grand opening won't take place until November 10th. Yours truly had the pleasure of being a part of the first sale of an original painting this morning (I'm mildly disappointed it wasn't one of mine). I'm also looking forward to introducing you to as many guild members as possible over the coming months. These are some of the most gifted artists in the area.

Enjoy the mini-tour!

Downtown Cola Town

Ben and I are excited to announce our official attendance as participating artists at EdVenture during EdCeptional Kids Month! Located in the historic mill area of Columbia, the facility is the "unofficial" children's museum of South Carolina (the "official" museum is located in Myrtle Beach which in no way matches the exhibits and education offered by EdVenture).

If you recall we announced our invitation back in July. Since that time we've been brain-storming about ideas, projects, or presentations that me and Ben could share with the public. As it turns out my initial idea of creating a permanent installation was not very practical. That became evident when I visited the museum in late July for the final planning meeting. The extremely cool part was getting a tour of the place guided by Cindy Detuello who happens to be the Education Director. In all honesty the place is kind of a hidden gem among all the other things our state capitol has to offer! EdVenture should be at the top of the list of things to do in Cola Town if you have children under the age of 12 (followed closely by a visit to The Riverbanks Zoo).

Details were somewhat finalized this afternoon during a phone call with Cindy as I returned home from a meeting in Columbia about a completely different and almost as exciting artistic endeavor. I'll be sharing about that one in a few days once I digest all of the information. Let's put it this way: when you reach my age brain-storming can be exhausting!

If you can make it, Ben and I would love to meet you and talk about whatever you'd like on these dates:

• Tuesday September 11 from 5pm until 8pm

• Saturday September 22 from 10am until 5pm

• Saturday September 29 from 10am until 5pm

"The Two Bens" will be demonstrating our painting techniques every couple of hours. We'll also have information about projects you can do with your children (regardless of being exceptional or not) and examples of those projects in various stages of completion. Our goal is to show the value of art as a form of therapy, communication, and building better relationships within all families.

If you are interested in attending at anytime throughout the month of September the get in touch with me via e-mail (benwaddell@bellsouth.net). I have discount coupons I can send you. We would really like to meet as many of our South Carolina readers as possible and this will be a great opportunity to that while you interact with Ben.

Picasso & Ben:
Understanding Exceptional Kids
Conclusion

Just in case you need a refresher or are a new reader here are quick links to the first two parts.
Part 1 & Part 2

You may wonder where I’m going with this. I’ve wondered myself occasionally but my premise was made clear one day late last week. Jessie had two of her cousins visiting. It bothers her great deal that they argue and fight over insignificant topics. Jessie has never had to posture herself in such a way to gain attention from her parents or in this case her grandmother. It is a foreign concept to her. In Jessie’s world her brother is not that complicated. He wants her love and that of others equally. Ben’s needs are for the most part are undemanding and easy to fulfill

At the age of ten Jessie is just now confronting competition in all it’s finest. Ben is accepting of love and approval in the easiest of terms. Make me laugh. Enjoy my presence while I enjoy yours. I’ll give you all I have to offer and that is enough. THAT is what we miss as human beings beyond the age of “reasoning.” Our fears of how others perceive us outweigh our ability to say let me interpret what this other human means to me. Therefore those that are much dissimilar from the norm are so different that they are outcasts. Logic and education teaches all of us that unfortunate fact.

By the time exceptional children reach the age that they finally encountering the real world they have been studied, dissected, x-rayed, put into a huge folder and filed away under “Not Logical.” There are just a few of us now left to define what is not so simple or logical and are desperate to understand the most complex of individuals so we in turn help them to become all that they can be. And Picasso would say, “Good. Now let us get to work.”

With appreciation to the medical community the disassembling has already occurred. It is now time to construct this potential work of art. Ah, no brushes are available so we’ll use our hands and fingers. Oops, we’ve run out of canvas. Instead we’ll use this wood panel over there. In realistic terms sitting a child on an exercise ball enhances core muscle control. Using an electric toothbrush to massage a tongue teaches how to swallow correctly. Putting a hand in a blob of paint stimulates fine motor skills. As caregivers of these special children we’ll do anything no matter how unorthodox to teach, challenge, encourage, and heal them.

Obviously every parent must display a certain amount of creativity to raise a healthy child but it is the parent of an exceptional child that must use extraordinary means to help them grow. Just like the American GI in the earlier anecdote it takes a little bit more knowledge to truly appreciate an unfamiliar work of art. And that is exactly what every child is whether they are typically healthy or has special needs.

Picasso & Ben:
Understanding Exceptional Kids
Part 2

Inevitably innocence is chiseled away by the understanding of more complicated issues. We are given tools through education to deal with problems that living in this world presents to us. Parents, teachers, clergy, and our peers do their best to simplify what our response should be toward any given issue as we age. Generally speaking we all think we perceive the world the same way. The sky is blue. Telling a lie is wrong. 2+2=4. Take aspirin for a headache. Pretty simple, right? Not really.

Most of us learn at a very young age how to manipulate others so that we can gain what we want or think we need. For those of you with children you might recall trying to get your child to sleep through the night for the first time. Little Johnny wants Little Bobby’s toy so he socks Bob in the nose to obtain it. We learn how to hurt others or even worse, learn how to get hurt. And then by our teenage years that sex thing slams a sledgehammer onto each and every moral compass we’ve been given. As a parent you hope and pray that compass is mighty strong.

And so you see how clever Picasso’s response to the GI. It is not very easy for an artist to capture on a canvas what he or she sees in the world. Let’s put it this way: if I were to choose to have a self-portrait done of myself I would most definitely opt for a photographer who doesn’t know me very well. I certainly would not want my wife to have the ability to complete a painting of that subject!

Picasso and his fellow Cubist artists did something quite ingenious in response to the understanding of the carnal human nature. The subject matter was disassembled and then reassembled in a simplified way. Essentially the image was reduced a collage of cylinders, planes, angles, and curves.

The most riveting example is Picasso’s Guernica (pictured above). A few evenings ago as I began to put words to these thoughts I showed Joan a print of it that my mom brought me from a recent trip to Spain. Although Joan obviously knew the name of the artist all she could say about his work is “he’s that guy that put people’s noses on the side of their face.” Anyway I had her look at the image, gave her the date it was completed, and asked her to tell me what it was about. She nailed it and it only took about 5 seconds of thinking: atrocities of war. Simple images describing a complicated theme.

Isn’t that what most of us “normal” people strive for? Simple solutions for complicated problems. Easy understanding of difficult circumstances. In the case of our “normal” children, despite their complex lives we eventually reach a point that we can educate, communicate, and understand our kids in fairly simple terms. That is never the case in dealing with the exceptional child.

This subject obviously is much more complicated than I anticipated. I'm still constructing Part 3. I think it will come together for you tomorrow (perhaps even later tonight). Currently I'm working furiously at building a substantial inventory of prints to carry with me the next three weekends. This weekend I'll be at Art in the Park in downtown Myrtle Beach, SC.

Picasso & Ben:
Understanding Exceptional Kids
Part 1


As a parent of an exceptional child I’m most thankful for my art education . Honest to God I don’t think I could deal very well with our situation had I not spent all of those hours listening to lectures in class or studying hundreds of slides showing images of the current “movement” (not the bowel kind) discussed in class the day before. Wherever you are Dr. Sorensen I appreciate these things the most:
1. Your friendship
2. Your vast knowledge.
3. Not flunking me during the Renaissance Period when I was bored to tears.

Of all modern artists Pablo Picasso is probably the most well known and yet the most misunderstood. His work spans almost a century and serves as a transition from Impressionism into our own present day interpretation of art with stops at all points in between. Thirty-four years after his death Picasso’s work continues to be interesting, amusing, controversial, and fresh. The viewer either hates it or loves it depending upon their perception of his strong persona. Little did I know back in my college days that my appreciation of his work would help me and my family understand our special needs child.

There are many anecdotes attributed to Picasso. One of my favorites involves an encounter with an American GI in WWII. Although many sources verify the exchange there are several versions of it. My favorite goes like this: “The soldier says he dislikes Picasso’s kind of art with its distortions and stylization and dislocations. ‘What sort of art do you like?’ asked Picasso. The GI pulled out a black & white photograph of his girlfriend and presented it to the artist, who gazed at it and asked, ‘Is she really this small and lacks nay kind of color?’ “ The great artist makes his point and at the same time gives the GI (whether he knows it or not) a bit of insight into Picasso’s creative mindset.

My favorite quote of his simplifies an artistic philosophy I totally agree with: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” I find it ironic and most interesting that Nurse Lisa and me shared a conversation earlier this afternoon about theology. For a few moments we speculated about what Heaven might be like. I told her I had a clear image of what I would love for it to be.

Given my limited human understanding of God I have to put into context and meaning that I would be familiar with. Simply enough I would like to return to the summers of my youth when I was 7 or 8 years old. That would the years 1970 and 1971.

In the adult world those were tumultuous times. The Vietnam War was still raging. Although race relations were slowly improving they were a far cry from what they are today. After all my own school system here in South Carolina had only been integrated for about two years. The political scene was extremely bitter with controversial candidates already lining up for the 1972 elections. And of course the sexual revolution was just beginning. All of that was so very foreign to me.

Those summers my best friend was my own brother Cameron while my youngest brother was just toddling. Cameron and I had an ever-growing baseball card collection. Our neighborhood friends and we played baseball in our backyard from sun up to sundown. We rode bikes on our “off days” and cornered the Popsicle truck late in the afternoons. We played with our GI Joe’s and explored our universe as Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy.


The really great adventures were our trips to my grandparents’ place in the mountains of north Greenville, which was perfectly named “Paradise.” There was a lake to swim and fish in. My grandfather raised horses so we rode the trails around their place just like Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. We caught fireflies after dark and ate homemade ice cream just before bed. And the best part was getting to wake up the next morning just to do it all again.

As these images were crossing my brain like a slideshow Lisa verbally stated the terminology to define that age: “innocence.” I looked at her and took it just a bit further. “We weren’t yet jaded.”


Tomorrow: Part 2. Stick with me folks. This is truly important for me to relate and it ain't easy but I promise it'll give you more insight into our relationship with Ben!

Artists in Residence Part II

Art & Abilitation: “Abilitation” is not a word recognized by Webster though it is a word used quite often by therapists and caregivers of exceptional children. In my own journey I have found that the creative process leads to profound positive impact upon my son. The first 3 goals listed above are more easily achieved through goal #4.

In my son Ben’s case we have seen dramatic improvement in hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and simple logic. We have developed methods of communication that reach beyond language so that we understand each other better. Ultimately we are meeting challenges head on and overcoming obstacles that prevent him from living a joyful life. In the end he has been rewarded with a sense of accomplishment which is just as important had he taken his first steps! Unlike physical therapies, there are no failures in art therapy.

This is what I want to share with the folks visiting EdVenture in September.

Considerations: There are many.

• Will the community creation become a permanent museum display?
• Will the individuals participating want to take home their creations?
• The toxicity of materials used
• The ease and ability of clean up.
• How often do I visit to facilitate or teach the activity?

The Idea: I have come to the conclusion that the best possible finished piece be some sort of mosaic. Individuals visiting the museum can take 15 to 20 minutes to work on and complete a small work of art. Since Ben and I use painting as our preferred method of creating I would like to have participants use the same. I have found a non-toxic acrylic paint called Liquitex Glossies (MSDS information can be found at this address: http://www.liquitex.com/healthsafety/msds/Glossies.pdf). Using soap and water can easily clean this type of paint. I would also suggest using either baby wipes or a similar type product for help in cleansing paint off skin.

The surface I suggest for use as a “canvas” is a typical bathroom tile. Acrylic paint will dry to touch within 20 to 30 minutes and can be handled easily with 45 minutes to an hour. The paint cures within 24 hours becoming “permanent” although scratching a sharp object across the surface could still damage the painting. That is why I would want to “fire” the tiles to be used in the community creation in an ordinary oven (325 degrees for 45 minutes achieves a scratch-resistant, high gloss finish).

For the “community creation” I propose to construct a large permanent mosaic of a Palmetto Tree using selected tiles from those made at the museum. I would use two or three Saturdays in September to complete the project. I would also use those dates to discuss more in depth my thoughts shared earlier. I definitely would like to have my son present for possible demonstrations and encouragement.

The selection of the tiles could be done in several different ways.

1. Submissions from schools across the state.
2. Selections from those tiles completed at the museum throughout the month.
3. Submissions from special needs schools or classrooms such as The Washington Center in Greenville, SC (Ben’s school).
4. Tiles that Ben and me work on at home for use to “fill in” areas needed for completion of the work.

Regardless I would like ALL people who want to participate be able to do so. It is important that the finished work include tiles made by exceptional children as well as those living a healthy disability free life. I also feel that the Palmetto Tree is a perfect subject to use. Not only is it a highly visible symbol of our state but it represents the courage, beauty, and fortitude of the people of our state.

I would also like the museum to pursue corporate sponsors to donate the tile and scaffolding equipment toward the expense of this endeavor.

Ben & Bennie:
Artists in Residence!

A little over a month ago we received an invitation to participate during the month of September at EdVenture Children's Museum in Columbia, South Carolina. September serves at EdCeptional Kids Month at what is essentially the official children's museum of our state. During September the museum will offer programs and exhibits to educate the public about issues and challenges facing families and children with special needs. We are honored to be a big part of it!

We have now moved into the difficult part: brainstorming! Although I already have an idea brewing I certainly wouldn't mind hearing anything the Blogoshere has to offer, particularly from those of you with close ties to the special needs community and my artist friends. You can leave them here in the comment box or e-mail me at benwaddell@bellsouth.net. And please don't hesitate to offer them to me no matter how "dumb" you might think they are. Trust me. I've already explored the depths of stupidity already.

The really cool part of all of this is that it's jump-started an idea I've had spinning around in my brain the past few months (yeah, I do know how dangerous that is). With some encouragement from Jane Robelot yesterday I'm going to explore the possibility of doing this type of thing more often, particularly if Ben gets to participate and it occurs during the winter months.

So if you know of a school, group, or corporation looking for some special education or plain old motivation we just might be your guys!

Here is the first part of my idea/proposal to the museum. Again if you want to comment or it generates an idea, let me have it.

Summary: As a professional artist and parent of an exceptional child I have come to believe that every parent of a special needs child is a practicing artist. Certainly every parent has to exhibit an incredible amount of creativity in leading their young ones toward an outcome of healthy happy adults. The parent of a disabled loved one faces even more obstacles and often has no specific outcome at which to aim. A finite amount of variables that factor into an ultimate goal is impossible to calculate.

An artistic example of the difference in parenting can be illustrated by asking an unskilled potter to complete a ceramic piece. The typical parent would be like a ceramic student taking a pottery class. There is an instructor to help the student begin. The student eventually gains more knowledge by asking classmates for ideas and suggestions. By the time glazes are applied the young potter knows from lectures, study, and observation that there are several ways to fire the pot. Ultimately by making a few typical choices the student can already envision the end result before the piece is placed into the kiln.

The exceptional parent however enters the studio alone. There are tools and some instruction manuals lying about but no instructor is to be found. Sitting at a bench is a large lump of clay. At the other end of the room is a large structure that looks like an outdoor fire pit. Some brightly colored cones are arranged neatly off to the side. The student looks at a chalkboard on a wall and reads an instruction written upon it: “Make a completed pot out of your clay.”


Target: It is also my belief that a community shares in the education and healthy growth of all children. The exceptional child is no different. Access to all possible forms of instruction must be gained. Certainly teachers, therapists, medical personnel, facilitators, and caregivers are obvious candidates that would benefit from further education but more important are the majority of South Carolinians that have no exposure to the world of special needs. Despite the fact that most people will eventually face the situation of caring for a disabled individual (ex. elderly parent) or will know someone who requires special care (a neighbor or family friend), many folks have no idea how to even greet a person confined to a wheelchair.

To enlighten the secondary audience is most important. These are the individuals who without knowing it break the hearts of many exceptional children. Many a child requiring profound care through the means of medical equipment, wheelchair, and nursing services has visited a shopping mall and never once received a smile during that visit. I know for a fact that this occurs since it happens all too often with my own son. These excursions are extremely important toward the growth of our son. If he is to function one day in normal social situations we need for him to learn how to interact with others in a healthy manner. We also need for those individuals interacting with our son to deal with him in a healthy social manner.

Goals:

1. Educating individuals without disabilities about the obstacles and challenges exceptional people face.
2. Gaining better communication between the general public and exceptional kids.
3. Teaching creative thinking to caregivers of special kids.
4. Completing an art project in which everyone participates as a means of learning and building self-worth.

Loving Adobe Photoshop!

With the new printer I needed new software to handle the demands required for the larger prints. Although not the "grand daddy" of the Photoshop choices, Elements 5.0 has some great things about it. I've already mentioned how well the giclees are turning out. Today I spent the better part of the afternoon working on some layout and design ideas for the Kelly Motorsports tee shirt.

The car (a Pontiac Firebird) is nicknamed "The Outlaw." A few nights ago I came up with the concept of a old western "wanted" poster for the shirt concept. Me and my good friend (and new boss at KMI) Paul Constantine kicked around some ideas earlier today and we got real excited about the possibilities!

Anyway, the creative juices got to flowing and I thought I'd pass along some of the fun possibilities that Photoshop generated. The first photo is one that I "stole" from the IHRA website. I cropped it down and used it as a starting point. By the way, Paul is the guy at the the top right side of the picture. He's the one holding his ears like a little girl...

Some Cool Stuff

1. In the past two days Ben has painted with both nurses. He had a ball both times even though he ate accidentally ate paint on each occasion. Yesterday we heard him say "yellow." Today he said "orange." Of course he actually said a lot more than that; we just can't decipher it yet.

2. I had to take Jessie to her dance class yesterday afternoon. Before putting Ben in the van I had to awaken him from a nap he wasn't ready to abandon just yet. A few blocks from our house he began to cry. Without hesitation or suggestion Jessie crawled into the backseat, sat next to Ben, held his hand, and let him nod off on her shoulder. He didn't stir again until I took him out of his car seat when we got home. This is just one in a million things that makes our daughter so incredible.

I really can't stomach some parents going on and on about how brilliant their kid is. "My Jimmy makes perfect grades, plays the tuba, and has already been accepted into Harvard right out of K5." Yadda, yadda, yadda. With that said I will only say that "special kids" encourage very special siblings.

3. While I was gone last weekend, Ben and Nurse Lisa were watching a program about manatees on Animal Planet. It was basically about a group that rehabilitates injured sea cows back to health. In one segment a manatee had to be tube-fed. When Lisa turned to remind Ben that he's fed the same way he was already smiling and laughing. Just to check if it was coincidence she talked about it again later in the day. She got the same reaction.

4. Being a full-time professional artist I have to be very critical of my work. The natural tendency is always to beat oneself up and dwell on the aspects of paintings that basically suck. Most of us doing this don't have the ego to pat ourselves on the back when we accomplish something really nice. So like learning to pull my own teeth I've learned how to (for the most part) be more objective in reviewing my finished pieces.

I can honestly say that I am extremely proud of the latest painting which is pictured above. As always Blogger doesn't do art photos justice. Plus it's difficult to capture the essence of a 3 foot by 4 foot canvas in a 2 inch space. I knew this one was pretty darn good when Joan said, "Yeah, it's okay but it's not my cup of tea." I have to give Joan credit though. She's come a long way in understanding my style the past fourteen years. It's only those occasions when I push the envelope a bit that she reverts back to her love of realistic wildlife prints with a gold stamp on it.

5. If you need a good laugh today then visit Kimmy K.'s blog. Even if you don't need a good laugh go there anyway. She's actually linked to one of her blog buddies for the humor. Enjoy!!!!

Motivation

There's nothing like the stress of a deadline to kick an artist's creative ass into gear. I know very few artistic individuals that do not have at least a healthy dose of procrastination to their personality. In fact I'm sitting here trying to count exactly how many I can think of....let me get back to you on that.

A week from tomorrow I'll leave for the largest art festival of the year. It's located about 15 miles northwest of Charleston, South Carolina in the small town of Summerville. Now in it's 35th year, the festival is still produced and promoted by the local YMCA chapter. Originally the idea was to gather the local crafters and businesses together to raise money for construction of some tennis courts and if they had a little money left over then they could perhaps buy a few more basketball nets or at least something like that.

It's called Flowertown Festival named for the area of the town in which it is located. Think of Central Park in New York but slightly smaller (as in bigger than a bread box). If Azalea Park measures five acres I'd be surprised. Of course there are plenty of food vendors that line the adjacent side streets and plenty of entertainment near those very nice tennis courts right in the middle of the park.

So why do I describe in so much detail the elements and setting of this little community gathering? Depending on weather (which is usually quite nice) estimates of attendance this year range between 225,000 and 250,000 for this annual show. Three days. Approximately 5 acres. A quarter of a million potential buyers.

It is not unheard of for some vendors to sell out the first day. Last year for instance my friend Madelaine who grows beautiful orchids (from seed) sold out of plants (300+) the first day. Her husband brought 40 more plants to her for Saturday. By early afternoon she had sold all but three so she spent the rest of the festival catching up on her reading.

I counted a little earlier today. There are exactly one dozen unfinished paintings waiting for me in the studio and a goal of about 4 - 6 more smaller pieces I'd like to take with me next week. So why and I sitting here blogging? Motivation! In fact I feel a little "movement" coming on right now. So if you'll excuse me I'm going to catch up on a little reading of my own. And by the way, I'm still trying to count those non-procrastinating artists.

Spring Training is Over

Tomorrow I head to Columbia, SC for my first art show of the season. Ben did his usual job of stressing me to the max while trying to prepare for my job.

This picture (taken earlier today) is typical of him when he's healthy. I get the impression sometimes that he knows when I'm headed out of town and The Kid wants to make enough of an impression to make sure I return in a hurry.

Sorry little buddy but its moments like this that make me rush home any time I'm away. You don't have to get sick on my behalf or anyone else's for that matter. In fact there are more folks that will become interested in your story and begin visiting the blog!

I want to thank Christy and Conni (see The Guild over on the sidebar) for volunteering to help out this weekend not knowing Ben's condition. They are part of the reason I love my new job/career. Being a full-time artisan is tough enough but very rarely do you meet a "co-worker" who is unpleasant or unwilling to help you out in any way. I do believe we are all a connection to the best part of our American past when neighbors were actually neighbors and those friends protected you like a member of their own family.

If you get the opportunity to meet these ladies or any of my friends that sell their art for a living know that they are awesome folks with wonderful families that support them. We are proud of what we do. Their art might not be your cup of tea but those artists would love to share that tea, coffee, beer, or glass of wine (hint, hint) with you to discuss their work and learn what you might be looking for. I promise we'll give an honest opinion and whether you like it or not, you'll learn something good. We're all good folks.

Anyway, this may be the last post you see here until Monday. Know that all of you are going to be on my mind just as it will be throughout the next six months. Trust me when I say that I will be checking on my Blog Buddies often. I'm an addict and can't stay away that long.

Perspective

Any trained artist will tell you that perspective is a fundamental element of the creative process. Basically (and this is a very basic definition) it is how objects appear from one's eye in relation to distance and location. For instance, if were to do an architectural rendering I would make darn sure that every edge of any linear object (the eaves of roofs, window sills, tops of a door frame) would all intersect at some finite distant point. Being more or less an impressionist painter I "distort" perspective by twisting and turning the objects upon the canvas in such a way to give subjective meaning to the completed artwork.

And it is that fundamental element that sometimes only another artist can identify and speak volumes about to a fellow artisan. This generally occurs when a painter such as myself gets stuck in a rut, runs into a composition problem, or just needs a creative kick in the ass. We seek another trusted comrade who can reinterpret some of those fundamental elements so that we may move forward with our art.

Such was the case when I opened my e-mail this morning. My dear friend, Conni Togel, shared some thoughts with me in regards to A Work of Art. I received permission from her to reprint most of it here because I honestly believe all of us can benefit from her wisdom. so I'll let the teacher speak:

So sorry to hear about Ben’s health problem at the moment – give him an extra hug and then go have Joan give you an extra hug, right after you’ve given her and Jessie an extra hug.

Questioning God is not a bad thing - in fact, I tend to think God is intelligent enough to prefer inquiry to ignorance.

I cannot imagine quite what life is like for you, though your blog really does bring a lot of heartfelt info to the world about living with an exceptional child – btw: Ben seems to be exceptional, exceptional or not.

And THAT is where most likely your “why?” answer will be found: special people get special assignments (and special kids) - your situation is indeed a toughy, but through all of the medical things, and financial things, and the stress caused by the combination of all of the above, there is one thing that shines through and not only touches your heart, but now that you have your blog, also that of many others: Ben and the love his family has for him. If that ain’t a good reason for “why” then I don’t know what is. Because Ben. Enough said...

I’m sure you would have chosen a different life situation for Ben even if you would have had to give your life to make it happen – but how involved in Ben’s life and in your family would you have been if he had been “normal”? See, you might have missed just how exceptional Ben really is if he was just a normal kid next door. Jessie and Ben would have fought like cats and dogs over the remote control of the tv, he might have left his dirty socks stuck in the couch cushions, might have forgotten to put the toilet seat down, might have lived solely off of Cheetos and Mountain Dew, Joan might have turned into a nagging wife (not many women don’t after while of being married to a guy – and yes, any guy :o))) ), and you might have become a 9-5 suit in an office somewhere, ...probably not, from what I’ve been reading about you and your family, but you get the idea...

Instead, Ben came along – and gave “normal” a whole new spin. Not always a fun spin, but spinning around will always give you a chance for different viewpoints of things. And it gives others a chance to see you from different angles as well – not that bad of a thing, really.

So when you start asking God “why me?”, my guess would be: because God shines through Ben, and he wanted it to shine on you. Just enjoy the warmth, and see how the shadows make the colors brighter.

Enough preaching to the choir here – don’t know if this was any kind of help at all, but those were my thoughts about your post yesterday.

I'm looking forward to seeing Conni and her husband Peter on Thursday.


Ben Update: He is doing remarkably well. His doctor agreed with me that the shunt was definitely not the culprit and that Ben evidently was hit by the same stomach bug that has been filling up his office for the past week. He did not see the need for IV fluids and Nurse Jenny did an excellent job of increasing Ben's fluid intake throughout the day. Although the feeding pump is set at a slower rate of feeding than normal, Ben is now receiving his normal mix of nutrition.

He's been playing and laughing this afternoon. In fact we're having a hard time convincing him to rest. No seizures. No dry-heaves. Thanks for the prayers. Obviously they work.

Top Ten Things Heard Today (so far)


1. Me to Nurse Lisa: "Have I ever told you the story of how Ben got his first beaver?"

2. Up against the wall Redneck Mother
Mother, who has raised her son so well
He's thirty-four and drinking in a honky tonk
Kicking hippies asses and raising hell.

"Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother" by Ray Wylie Hubbard and sung by Jerry Jeff Walker

3. "You know we have so much in common. We wear glasses, we're about the same height, our hair is the same color, and we have the same sense of fashion...which is probably most important." 10-year-old Jessie commenting about her friend Rachel spending the afternoon with us.

4. And if you're rated X you're some kind of goal every man might try to make
But I think it's wrong to judge every picture if a cheap camera makes a mistake

"Rated X" by Lorretta Lynn and sung by Niko Case


5. "Be sure you tell Lisa I had nothing to do with that beaver." On the phone with Joan.

6. She drove up across the yard and through his mama’s garden
Didn’t touch the brakes, she slammed right into his Chevrolet
Tossed out his clothes, boots, Bud cap, and signed Dale Jr. poster
Then shot the whole mess neon green with a can of DuPont spray

"Intentional Heartache" by Dwight Yoakam


7. " Two!" Ben in response to me trying to remember his age when he got his beaver.

8. Jump up, look around, find yourself some fun
No sense in sitting there hating everyone
No man's an island and his castle isn't home
The nest is for nothing when the bird has flown

"Teacher" by Jethro Tull


9. "Which road was it you take to get to Hell Hole?" Phone call from my good friend Freebird.

10. If we lived in a world without tears
How would bruises find
The face to lie upon
How would scars find skin
To etch themselves into
How would broken find the bones

"World Without Tears" by Lucinda Williams

Open Studio Tour

The drawing table.

The easel.

The work.

The critic.

The office.

And you think Simon is tough?

I made a comment over at Doctor Anonymous last night. Like me he is no fan of American Idol even though just about everyone else in the universe is addicted to watching some untalented howler attack our ocular innards with their rendition of "Sweet Home Alabama" (for the 400th time I might add) just to have Simon destroy (rightly so) any sense of purpose this poser might have remaining in this life.

I guess the idea is not that foreign to me. This time of year we art carnies are busy filling out and mailing applications to the shows we want to participate in later on this year. In fact the applications for the best Spring shows were actually mailed at the end of last summer and early in the fall. I've gotten my share of rejection letters intermingled with the Christmas cards. Somehow we regret to inform you that you failed again to make the grade outweighs good tidings of great joy.

So the second wave of entry packages are currently being shipped out each carrying the four to five slides requested, the application form filled out in it's entirety, a $25 jury fee, a $225 booth fee, an artist statement, and a SASE with enough postage to return your slides and perhaps one those aforementioned rejection notices. Yes, it's true! We art carnies actually pay others to destroy our self-worth and belief in our talents!

When all was said and done last fall I had participated in nearly 30 festivals that began exactly one year ago this weekend in Florida. I have yet to add up the miles for the tax return but I'll be anxious to see how many miles I put on that van. It was hard work - the hardest I've ever done in my life but I loved almost every minute of it. The hardest part was being away from family for so many days and nights, all on the weekends. I now appreciate cell phones more, campfires after a poor selling day, and the brother and sisterhood of the artists and crafters making the same sacrifices for their talents.

When you don't have much to do this Spring and Summer take a weekend afternoon and attend one of your local art festivals. I promise you won't be disappointed. In fact I will guarantee you'll walk away from the experience with a new appreciation for a newly discovered craft, that is if you take time to talk to that artisan about what they do. Oh, and tell them Bennie sent you!

Abstract Reality

If you've been hanging out here awhile you know that I am a full-time artist. And if you've dug around a little deeper you probably read where I label my painting style "expressionistic impressionism." For those without a background in art or art history those two words used together as a description makes an interesting conundrum. If I were to reverse the sequence and use the term "impressionistic expressionism" then the phrase honestly becomes an absurdity, an impossibility.

From Wikipedia, expressionism was...coined by Czech art historian Antonín Matějček in 1910 as the opposite of impressionism: "An Expressionist wishes, above all, to express himself....[An Expressionist rejects] immediate perception and builds on more complex psychic structures....Impressions and mental images that pass through mental peoples soul as through a filter which rids them of all substantial accretions to produce their clear essence [...and] are assimilated and condense into more general forms, into types, which he transcribes through simple short-hand formulae and symbols." While both are subjective emotion filled art forms the above phrase describing the expressionist as rejecting "immediate perception" makes them polar opposites in regards to motivation.

Similarly artists of both movements broke free from the constraints their contemporary critics placed upon them. Accepted rules and precepts were tossed aside in favor of freedom to experience creativity in a new way. If impressionism is rebellious then expressionism is sheer anarchy. And through their dismantling of subject matter and reassembling upon the canvas artists forced the rest of us to view the world differently. What was once ugly became beautiful. What was once mundane became extraordinary. Complexity became simplified.

In this day and age we parents of exceptional children are not unlike the artists of those two forms of art. We are breaking away from the constraints society has put upon us. We are showing the world how just extraordinary these kids are, and how they offer so much once they are accepted and welcomed into the world around them. If you would only look just a bit closer what seems frightening can turn into pure joy.

Fear is an unfortunate part of our reality. It is the evil motivator. Through it minds, individuals, societies, even entire races have become enslaved. We must work to remove fear where ever it exists. So I ask you to read very closely Redneck Mommy's post from earlier today. I think that is a great place to start in transitioning from fear of folks different from us to embracing them as our fellow brother or sister.

A Huge Welcome to Our New Readers!

Thanks very much for stopping by. We also want to let you know that there is so much more about Ben and Bennie than our support for Ashley's and other families with exceptional children. You all (or as we Southerners like to say, y'all) already know some obvious things about me and Ben from the Paula Zahn interview the other night. What you probably don't know about is our special talent for painting!

I am a full-time (or at least trying to be) artist specializing in contemporary impressionist and sometimes whimsical acrylic paintings. You can view my paintings by clicking on several links over at the sidebar on the left. Those include Art for Purchase under the Categories section and then my gallery website, my e-Bay store, and my gallery at ArtByUs.com under Ben & Bennie's Links.

What we are most proud of is the gallery of work by Ben & Bennie. If you'll go back a few pages you will see pictures and even a video of Ben painting! From some of the earliest days of his life we could tell Ben was fascinated with my talent and thoroughly enjoyed the creative process. In fact one of the most wonderful things about kids like Ben is their ability to creatively figure out how to communicate with us, how to manipulate their toys, or how to tell us the activity they want to participate in. Nurse Lisa found that one out on Friday when Ben directed her to get his art supplies out because it was time to paint!

Once Ben completes his part of the painting I begin the second half of the process. I try to imagine what Ben is seeing on the canvas. I enhance certain lines or shapes and then the image begins to appear. If I'm not quite sure I'll sometimes give the canvas back to Ben (many times he gives it right back to me because he's done). Just like my personal work it sometimes happens very fast and then other paintings take weeks to complete. The best part of this is that me and Ben are communicating on a level that transcends language. Ben is also receiving a great deal of occupational and cognitive therapies (my wife would like me to add that so is Dad).

All of this artwork is for sale. One obvious reason is this is a primary source of income for our family. The winter months are particularly hard on us because the type of art festivals I normally work are located too far away from us for me to attend. The shows I can practically work don't begin until the warmer months of March and April.

Secondly it is a way for you as a purchaser to have artwork that embodies all of who we are as an exceptional family. The hard work, the special skills, the difficult communications, and ultimately achieving our goal through love and support of one another. Each of these painting are fairly small, usually 8" x 10", so finding a place for it to be displayed is easy.

And lastly, any artwork that we sell that somehow has a connection with this blog, a portion (no less than 10%) will be donated to a charity or organization that supports Ben. Currently we are giving to Ben's class fund or his school's PTA which is raising money for much needed playground equipment. Do you know how much a swing for a special needs child costs? We haven't even come close to buying one special seat much less the entire structure!

So as you peruse these pages and get a glimpse of our lives consider having a part of us in your own home or office. In fact I recently got an e-mail from a friend who bought the print entitled "Ben's Web." He chose to place it in his office. As he told me, "when I'm having a crappy day all I need to do is look over...see that print and think about all those crappy days Ben's had, my day gets a little better."

As always purchasing details are mentioned as each painting or print is listed. You can also e-mail me at benwaddell@bellsouth.net for questions or interest in a commissioned piece. Since I have 8 new canvases that Ben has finished with I'd better get to work! Enjoy your visit here!

The above painting is still available for purchase. It is entitled "Ben's Second Dragonfly." You can find the details under Art by Ben and Bennie in the sidebar.

Today's Joy Quote:

Bennie Waddell:

"I paint, therefore I am. I am, therefore I paint. Dang, which is it? I always forget."

I miss my Carnie-folk Friends!

Tonight I finally got around to calling bestest artist buddy Christy Buchanan. She's called a few times since my 2006 art shows were completed at the end of October. In fact she and my other bestest art show buddy, a potter named Courtney Tomchik (she dumped her website so I obviously can't make a link) called me Thanksgiving night to tell me they were dining in my honor since I couldn't afford to do the Craftsman Classic show that weekend. They were at Hooters. This was hilarious to me since they are two of the biggest-boobed women I've ever met.

I truly miss the art shows and the "carnie" life. The folks who travel on "the circuit" are some of the most wonderful and genuine people you could meet. It is such a strange and bizarre environment but so absolutely exciting! It took me 40+ years but I finally found my element!

It also has been the hardest work I've ever done in my life which includes putting up chain-link fences for my grandfather in high school. But isn't that the beauty of finding a job or career you enjoy? Maybe it's the fact that I pour all of me into each brush stroke I place on a canvas. I don't know. I just know I'm missing some really neat folks. I can't wait for Spring!

That's Christy in her standard tie-dyed outfit on the left. My booth is on the right. We were at the Atlanta Downtown Neighborhood Association's annual art festival. It sucked but we had fun.