are you there?

[Diane A.]

[artwheels]

Since this is my first time here I will do as you asked and introduce
myself. A freind told me about this group.

My name is Judie and I am a 52 year housewife. I broke both of my legs
skydiving while in the Army in 1973 and after many surgeries had the
right leg amputated below the knee in 1995. Shortly after my left ankle
went out and I now use an electric wheelchair to get around.

I have been an artist all my life and even owned and operated a design
studio for many years. I am left handed but now cannot use my left arm
to write, draw or paint any more due to server arthritis in the
shoulder and shoulder blade. I am now trying to teach myself to paint
and draw with the right hand and I am doing ok with it. Not at all the
same styles I did with the left but it is getting better with practice.

I am really interested in how other disabled artist have overcome such
challenges and the adjustments they have had to make because of thier
disabilities.

Thanks

artwheels

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[karmagrrl]

"Diane A." wrote:

hi everyone

ive been gone for quite awhile because i got sick of the internet and
its abuses

ive never been abused at this ng so i came back.

there are only 4 postings on this site and i am wondering where everyone
is

i wonder if any of the people ive talked to here before are still here
i am wondering if there are new people here

i invite everyone to introduce themselves,  their disability and their
art.

hi diane :) i'm new here so glad to see this post (also good to see a non-abusive ng!!)

my name is susan, i'm 33. it's kinda hard to list "my disability" because there are so many. short story is, i was so severely abused by my father that i was left with some brain-damage around the pituitary gland, which has affected pretty much everything in my body from weight to hormones to blood sugar. my official disability (the one i get the check for) is fibromyalgia (kind of like arthritis but all over not just in the joints) and CFIDS (chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome), i also have IBS and IC, and i also have polycystic ovarian syndrome which causes hyperinsulinemia ... yada yada yada, suffice to say i'm suffering from an chronic attack of Acronymitis :)
 

mental illness is not like using hallucinagenic  drugs.   the
hallucinations are not experienced as beautiful colors---they feel real
and they don't end in a few hours,  most of the time they are scarey

it is true that people with a schizophrenic spectrum disorder tend to be
very creative.  i feel that this is one of the blessings of these horrible diseases

i wondered if i was schizophrenic at one time, i've since been diagnosed with DID (dissociative identity disorder) a few of the symptoms overlap. DID is a blessing and a curse also, i mean, i can tap into more creativity simply by having more "facets" of myself to tap into.
 

i am a visual artist.  i work in oils acrylics water colors and tempera
paint.  i also sculpt in bread and in papermache,  i get my inspiration
from prehistoric Goddess sculptures of europe & the middle east.  and
also from the Sheila na gig-- she is a female figure naked and in self
display, that is found on celtic churches from the middle ages.

again, i invite people to introduce themselves to tell about their
disability and their art.  also i invite people to come up with topics
of conversation to get this group going.   i think it is difficult for
visual artists to get talking--it isn't in our nature.  but i think it
could be very rewarding.  i for one find myself feeling isolated and
lonely at times because of both my being an artist and being disabled.
is there any one out there who feels the same?

in friendship,
diane

*nodnod* totally, i feel the same. luckily i am a volunteer for Survivors Art Foundation http://www.survivorsartfoundation.org, it's a place to get archived, find resources for both disability and art, and then also they have lots of offline shows and outreach programs to get involved in, which has been a total blessing for me. just last year i was in 2 (or 3? there goes the short-term memory) shows, for the first time since i'd become disabled, and it felt GREAT. i'm not able to paint enough to have a "series" to get a gallery show like i used to, and i can't afford to rent space at the galleries that will let you hang 1 or 2 pieces.

i work in acrylics when i can, which hasn't been at all for about 6 months. i haven't been able to find a really adaptive good brush holder so i've been using everything from cosmetic sponges to qtips to paper towels to paint with, it's really changed my style. but i'm finding a niche. now if i could just sit up long enough to paint!!! i do web design currently, because that i can do in short 20-minute bursts and rest in between. but you know how painting is, once you get started it's not like you can interrupt a creative process and expect to pick it back up later. i haven't yet found anything creative that really inspires me that my hands are able to do, but i'm still looking. sometimes i glue colored plastic tiles onto glass candleholders and give them out as gifts, the use of color gets me happy.

i used to do portraiture, black and white charcoal on "Moonstone" paper, i really really miss that!! it was really rewarding work. now i can hold pens with big grips for just about 30 seconds. i tried crocheting but even with the foam "adapters" for ppl with arthritis, i can't maintain the strength to hold my arms up long enough or move my wrists enough to get much done.

if you haven't already check out that Survivors Art Foundation and see if you want to get some of your work archived there, they also have poetry sections. the only way i've found to not be isolated is to volunteer over the net. also glad i found this group when i was setting up my new newsreader :)

peace,
karmagrrl
http://www.asarian-host.org/karmagrrl -- a healing journey