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Thanks to VSA Arts of Texas—our Artist Market sponsor—the area's most celebrated artists with disabilities will feature an eclectic mix of original, unforgettable artistry. From photographs to paintings to drawings, their amazing works will be available for appreciation and purchase.
VSA arts of Texas has made it its mission to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts. Working at the intersection of multi-disciplinary arts, education reform, and disability rights, they serve as an international model in which people with disabilities have complete access to cultural, artistic and educational venues, programs and employment. Works from the following artists will be on display at Abilities Expo:
Mike Altepeter (Paintings):
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Throughout his education, Mike Altepeter had always responded to imagery and excelled in art, a “natural expression” for him. His masterpieces are painted in water soluble oils and are a product of his natural talent honed by years of study.
At the age of nine, Altpeter discovered a picture of a seahorse in a dictionary, and a lifelong fascination was born. His family shared and helped to develop this interest throughout his childhood. Later, when he attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, his involvement in the Malaysian club on campus reintroduced him to both art and what was to become his favorite subject matter, seahorse.
“My passion for painting the seahorse began. I studied seahorse anatomy and the varieties of species to paint the seahorse in many artistic styles,” said Altepeter. “I discovered seahorses play an important part in the Asian culture where [it] is both a symbol of good luck and love.”
Exposure to optics during his technical physics studies led him to experiment with refracted and reflected light. He also combines visual mathematics such as descriptive and applied geometry, plain and solid geometry, trigonometry and physical mathematics with anatomy and marine biology to construct his artwork.
Often viewers mistake his medium for pastels because the paintings are so gentle to the eyes. He has “become a romantic painter to what is considered a mythical creature that really does exist.”
Drew Bedo (Photographs):
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Although visually impaired (legally blind) since 2002, Drew Bedo creates fine-art photographic images using traditional films in vintage and antique large format cameras.
With no useful vision in one eye and severely degraded vision in the other, Bedo uses his other senses to “see.” He walks into the scene and handles the objects to understand the shapes, textures and spatial relationships and evaluate their potential for an effective composition.
“Photography for me is now more than a creative act. It has become a therapeutic affirmation of my ability to adapt to, adjust to, and accept my condition,” says Bedo. “Photography has become more than another way of seeing. For me, photography IS seeing.”
Brian Dodd (Paintings):
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Brian Dodd is an autistic adult who has always loved drawing creatures of his imagination. Encouraged by friends, he began to put the ideas from his drawings on canvas in 2009. His works are primarily acrylic on canvas and his first painting sold to an admirer in June 2009.
David Green (Drawings):
Cynthia Hinchey (Paintings):
“I have always made art. In 1997, I became an artist living with Multiple Sclerosis,” says Cynthia Hinchey. “My disease has slowed me physically, but nothing stops the creative force. I have become unable to work outside the home. My art has become my friend, my refuge, and my therapy.”
Hinchey began creating hand-built stoneware pottery in 1989 and continues with that, assemblage, mosaic and paintings. Always exploring and pushing her own limits, she loves to try new media and techniques.
Allison Merriweather (Paintings):
Allison Merriweather lives and works in Houston, Texas with her family including a boisterous menagerie of beloved pets. Her work has been exhibited widely including the Hickory Museum of Art in North Carolina, Hurn Museum in Savannah, Georgia and the Art Car Museum in Houston, Texas.
Carolyn Oliver (Paintings):
Check back soon for more information.
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