AGXStarseed
Well-Known Member
(Not written by me)
Like paint on a canvas, the workings of Michael Tolleson's mind mix to make a creation like no other.
"A great deal of my paintings have to do with isolation, with my own struggles," he says.
Tolleson didn't know he could paint until three years ago when he picked up a brush on a whim.
It was the same time he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism.
"Painting is one of the times when my mind shuts off to the world around me," he says. "It's a vacation, a vacation from myself."
Over the past three years Tolleson has become an artistic phenomenon. He has produced more than 600 paintings, all of them in less than an hour. He sells them for thousands of dollars each around the world – from Trinidad to New Zealand.
He calls himself a "Savant Artist," and attributes his gift to autism.
"I have been given this gift and now it's all about taking every opportunity that I have to share it and give hope and inspire others," he says.
And that's exactly what Tolleson is doing.
His Kent gallery is also a workshop for young people afflicted with the many shades of gray along the autism spectrum.
People like 21 year old Michael Sorenson, who had a hard time simply communicating to his family that he was hungry or had to go to the bathroom. Since immersing himself in art, he has improved dramatically.
"I've seen it work magic," says Michael's mom, Linda. "He is more communicative. He is much more cheerful. It has been a huge transition."
It's that sort of joy Tolleson hopes to inspire in others, one painting and one person at a time. Since he started painting, his life has turned upside down. Tolleson is now an international advocate for autism awareness, speaking everywhere from Colorado to Siberia.
"Most people are thinking about retirement at my age," he says. "I can't retire. I have to share this."
Mostly, Tolleson wants to simply show families that an autism diagnosis doesn't have to mean a life of limitations.
"They don't have to lose hope when there's a child with autism because there is so much more out there," he says. "Art can be their voice."
To find out more about Michael Tolleson's art and programs check out:
https://www.facebook.com/michael.tolleson1
http://www.bookmichaeltolleson.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Tolleson-Savant-Art-Center/511903175568318?ref=hl
SOURCE (With Video): Savant artist treats autism as a gift
Like paint on a canvas, the workings of Michael Tolleson's mind mix to make a creation like no other.
"A great deal of my paintings have to do with isolation, with my own struggles," he says.
Tolleson didn't know he could paint until three years ago when he picked up a brush on a whim.
It was the same time he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism.
"Painting is one of the times when my mind shuts off to the world around me," he says. "It's a vacation, a vacation from myself."
Over the past three years Tolleson has become an artistic phenomenon. He has produced more than 600 paintings, all of them in less than an hour. He sells them for thousands of dollars each around the world – from Trinidad to New Zealand.
He calls himself a "Savant Artist," and attributes his gift to autism.
"I have been given this gift and now it's all about taking every opportunity that I have to share it and give hope and inspire others," he says.
And that's exactly what Tolleson is doing.
His Kent gallery is also a workshop for young people afflicted with the many shades of gray along the autism spectrum.
People like 21 year old Michael Sorenson, who had a hard time simply communicating to his family that he was hungry or had to go to the bathroom. Since immersing himself in art, he has improved dramatically.
"I've seen it work magic," says Michael's mom, Linda. "He is more communicative. He is much more cheerful. It has been a huge transition."
It's that sort of joy Tolleson hopes to inspire in others, one painting and one person at a time. Since he started painting, his life has turned upside down. Tolleson is now an international advocate for autism awareness, speaking everywhere from Colorado to Siberia.
"Most people are thinking about retirement at my age," he says. "I can't retire. I have to share this."
Mostly, Tolleson wants to simply show families that an autism diagnosis doesn't have to mean a life of limitations.
"They don't have to lose hope when there's a child with autism because there is so much more out there," he says. "Art can be their voice."
To find out more about Michael Tolleson's art and programs check out:
https://www.facebook.com/michael.tolleson1
http://www.bookmichaeltolleson.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Tolleson-Savant-Art-Center/511903175568318?ref=hl
SOURCE (With Video): Savant artist treats autism as a gift
